Over the years my work has swung between slow, boring stretches and frantic, weekend-long testing marathons.
Good pay is part of what draws people to software delivery, but it comes with high stress. Learning to slow down might be a healthier fix than giving in to the urge to quit.
Unlike jobs with a steady, predictable workload, software delivery can feel like 19th-century weather forecasting. Some projects finish in six months with no drama; others drag on for years and burn you out.
One long project pushed me to plan for early retirement. I aimed for February 2020, but now I’m thinking maybe 2021 or 2022—work is a tough habit to break.
A big benefit of early retirement is less stress. You control your schedule, you set the agenda. You won’t eliminate all stress—that’s part of life—but you can learn to manage it so it doesn’t take over.
Think of the Danish idea of hygge: enjoying simple pleasures grows easier when you remove the big stressors—bad jobs, heavy debt, poor health, strained relationships. That’s not easy, and I don’t think Danes are immune to life’s problems, but they’ve found ways to live with more balance. Early retirement often nudges you toward a hygge-style life: less consumption, more what matters.
Long before I noticed the early retirement movement in 2014, I was already interested in optimizing life for health and happiness. There are tons of books and ideas out there—some helpful, some not. Play, The Four-Hour Workweek, and The Blue Zones all influenced me. Still, I began to wonder whether escaping the rat race is really the answer.
I like numbers, so I look for evidence. When I first read The Blue Zones five years ago, I was excited by how simple lifestyle changes seemed to lead to longer, healthier lives. A few lessons stuck, but the lifestyle itself felt hard to fully adopt. Why? Blue Zones work because they’re communities that support those habits—it really does take a village. The good news: some U.S. towns have tried to bring Blue Zones ideas to their residents.
Dan Buettner studied places where people live long, independent lives at higher rates than in most Western countries. He identified Blue Zones in a mountainous area of Sardinia, the Greek island of Ikaria, Costa Rica’s Nicoya, Okinawa in Japan, and Loma Linda, California.
Can you keep working and still follow the Blue Zones path to healthy longevity? It’s worth a shot.
With more free time you can explore Blue Zones cookbooks and recipes and build a varied, whole-foods menu. Cut out processed, preservative-heavy foods and choose organic, mineral-rich options when you can. Diets in Blue Zones lean toward plant-based eating—Loma Linda is mostly vegetarian because of the local Seventh-Day Adventist community. You don’t have to give up meat completely; limiting it to a few times a week can still help. Okinawans eat meat only on special occasions, and they stop eating when they’re about 80% full—eating less than you think you need may add years to your life.
A little alcohol in moderation seems fine. Ikarians enjoy a glass or two of wine or a beer with friends—flavonoids plus social time seems to help. Slow food matters, too. It’s easier to cook healthy meals when you have time, and good eating goes hand in hand with strong relationships. Whether you’re working or retired, maintaining close bonds is crucial.
Many of us have a sitting problem. We stare at screens for nine or more hours, then sit in traffic for another hour. Some of us could pay for gym memberships, but that takes time away from family. In Blue Zones people don’t have cubicles or long commutes, and they don’t rely on gyms. Their daily lives provide natural movement—gardening, walking to the market, tending animals, hiking through the hills. It may seem like hard work, but that daily activity helps them age with grace.
In our busy society, finding time to walk, hike, or bike is the challenge. Get creative—find ways to be active even in harsh weather, and when you return to the office, stand up and move often. Take the stairs.
Work can make it hard to build a close family unit. Blue Zones often feature more pastoral, hands-on living. Growing up learning skills from parents and grandparents may seem old-fashioned, but it builds strong bonds. More time together strengthens relationships and supports health and longevity. Early retirement gives you a chance to spend time with family and friends—whether it’s gardening, fixing things, or just being together.
We should also rethink how we care for elders. Instead of putting parents in assisted living as the default, think about ways to integrate them into daily life. Friendships also suffer when people move for school or work. I moved away for school and then for a job; I’m lucky where I ended up, but I wonder how different life would be if lifelong friends lived nearby. Blue Zones don’t see that level of migration—friends stay close for decades. You can try to build community where you live and keep long-distance friends close, but nothing replaces having people nearby.
Seeing centenarians with a clear purpose is inspiring. They’re active, independent, and involved—looking after great-grandkids, tending gardens, preparing meals. Having a reason to get up each day matters. You can look to bloggers and others who share what they do after retirement to see how purpose plays out. Slowing down helps you find meaning. You don’t have to save the world—just aim for things that matter to you. Helping others, learning, or creating are all good starts. Try a few minutes of daily meditation to help focus.
Blue Zones people don’t live by strict clocks. Elders sleep a bit later, stay up a bit later, and take naps. It sounds like a permanent vacation, but it’s a healthy resistance to the nonstop hustle most of us accept. In Ikaria, shops close for the early afternoon nap. A few workplaces in the U.S. have experimented with nap programs, but it’s not widespread.
Decide whether you want to keep your head buried in your phone or TV, or spend more time connecting in person. Rather than a retirement filled with golf and boredom, you could help raise grandchildren, learn new skills, volunteer, garden, hike, or renovate. Slow down and figure out what matters: family, community, and a return to basics. If living to 100 in good health sounds good, count me in.
Work itself isn’t bad—put a bad boss, shady ethics, or a toxic culture on top and it becomes a problem. Avoid those, and you’ll be better off. Easier said than done, but training and education can improve your options. I’ve been the last person in the office at 8 p.m.—even after the lights were turned off at 7—because of those late “war room” calls. Blue Zones don’t have war rooms, software wars, or otherwise.
Having the freedom to pursue your passions is great, but figuring out what those passions are and finding paid work that fits is hard. Most of us have to make peace with our fields and shape them to serve our needs. Do you have a cause you want to pursue? An idea to build? Financial independence and early retirement can buy that time, but it’s an option for only a few.
One thing is clear: Blue Zones people aren’t living their best lives by jet-setting and lounging on white-sand beaches. They find fulfillment in everyday living, community, and purpose.