Smart People With Big Brains Do 5 Things To Escape The 9-To-5 Grind
stockfour | shutterstock There are a few people who love their jobs so much, they'd do them even if they didn't have to, but that's rare. The rest of are grinding away at a 9-to-5 just to pay the bills.
Smart people know how to do the work that needs to be done without letting it drain the joy out of life, all while planning for something better. Here are some of the strategic shifts they make.
Here are 5 things smart people with big brains do to escape the 9-to-5 grind:
1. They start building freedom even when they're working a 9-to-5
While it might seem horrible or oppressive to work a 9-to-5, smart people have figured out how to maximize their time. To do this, they have learned how to save their money properly in case they really want to quit and change direction in life.
Having financial breathing room gives them the ability to say no to jobs that won’t fullfil them and negotiate when needed. They can take a calculated risk rather than say yes to a survival job, and eventually end up with money they can invest in passive income sources that will help them have more freedom.
2. They build passive income sources little-by-little
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A traditional job requires a lot of hours put in to make money. Smart people avoid the 9-to-5 grind by looking for ways of income that don’t require tons of sacrifice. Sometimes this can be done with small investments in stocks or even a bank product like a CD.
They look for passive income sources like property management, creating a small business doing something they're passionate about, or selling things that they are interested in (but not in the MLM, pyramid scheme-way).
They don’t just work for money, they build something that can keep producing beyond the hours they put in. One example might be owning a few vending machines and getting contracts to place them places where people often need a snack or a bottle of water. This requires some cash up-front, but the maintenance is relatively low.
3. They question the rules other people blindly accept
Asking questions about things everyone else seems to accept a habit among really smart, highly indepdent people that often comes across as rude. In truth, it's just discernment.
They question authority. If they are stuck in a system that doesn’t serve them, they're going to examine it. For example, there’s a formula that is ingrained into us at a young age: go to school, get a degree, get a job, and work your way up the ladder.
However, smart people with big brains ask themselves if this is really what serves them best. They ask, “what can I do instead that makes me feel fulfilled?” and are willing to see a different path and give it a shot whenever it makes the most sense.
4. They develop skills that give them options
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Instead of focusing on one career path, they give themselves options by learning different skills. People who aren’t focused on a 9-to-5 have learned that learning new skills is rarely wasted time.
Every hobby or side-gig has taught them something that they can carry with them in future jobs. They focus on developing skills and connections that will actually open up options for careers in the future, even if they are non-traditional.
This might mean spending a year doing something like apprenticing for an electrician before or after college, even if everyone thinks you should focus on getting a higher degree. It's non-traditional, sure. But it might help free them from the 9-to-5 grind (and loads of student debt) that drags other people down.
5. They design their lives for them and nobody else
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While it may seem obvious, it actually takes a long time to learn how to build a life that works uniquely for yourself. We grow up trying to make our families proud and stick to the status quo, but there comes a time when we realize that it’s up to us to create our dream lives and stop living for our parents.
People who have figured out how to avoid the soul-draining grind have learned to live for themselves. It may sound unconventional to other people, but these people can’t imagine a life any other way. They are independent thinkers who prioritize freedom, helping others, and creating new paths rather than following what everybody is doing.
Sophie Bagheri is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and theatre who covers lifestyle topics.
