How To Un-Hustle Yourself, Stop Working, And Start Living

Yes, you don’t have to work or hustle to live comfortably.

Every day I read on Medium articles how hustle, side hustle, is like porn of hustling online. I disagree with the hustling and side hustling mantra. People already are overworked and now, instead of slowing down, they have to side hustle?

We should teach people how to slow down, work part time, not work more?

Side-hustle is the new rat race that will get you to one destination only, and it is called burnout.

Yes, I understand people need to pay bills and money is essential. But you don’t need thousands a month to live (well, if you live in a sane country, not overpriced).

Tim published an article last week about working 9–5 and then side hustling from 6 to 10 for 5 years, and then you will be free.

And one commenter Felix De Muelenaere responded:

When do you actually live your life? Cook a healthy meal. Meet the girl of your dreams? Go for a drink with a friend. All work and no play is my definition of a life wasted. Why work THAT hard? To buy things you don’t really need?

I work a 9–5 and I consider that too much already. It’s already hard to find time to work out, spend time with friends and family, cook a healthy meal and be present for the kids. Sure, we all need to pay the bills, but my goal is to achieve that by spending the absolute LEAST amount of time working so I can spend time on things that matter so much more to me.

And that is my point too. Why? Isn’t there a better way to achieve instead of getting burnout, losing friends, and family?

Right now, I write on Medium 10 hours weekly, posting 2 articles, regularly. That it is and I earn between $500–800 a month. I could work more, but for now, this is enough for me.

When I was working full time, I could do nothing after work because of mental fatigue and the desire to spend time with my daughter and husband.

I still look back on the days when my daughter was younger, and I had to work two jobs while going to school. I have deep regrets because I can’t reverse the time back.

Was it worth it?

Nope.

I don’t want to work in my field MBA in Healthcare, so I didn’t need to accomplish that. But I was blinded by my ambition, and what society was dictating.

Later, I realized you can just pack your bags, sell everything you own, and move to a place that is affordable and you don’t need side hustles.

Yes, places like this still exist, they may be more remote but don’t we all need just the internet to earn?

Even as a nurse, I can work as a contractor for 3–4 months a year and the rest live in a place where work isn’t a priority.

Trust me, you will have instant freedom once you’ve changed your attitude. There is no need to wait and hustle yourself to death until…

Don’t fall for this trap of work, no sleep, no life, no family until you may succeed. Because there is no guarantee you will.

I tried both ways: the way of the hustle and the way of living off-grid, and the second version is much more sustainable and easier.

You can live off the grid, homesteading, or freelancing. There are several options available to you, and I can confirm that working and supporting yourself is a hundred times more gratifying than any other job out there.

It is scary at first, but once you make that jump, there is no turning back.

The off-grid life provides:

1) Freedom- you can pick up and leave whenever you want without having to ask for vacation days or permission

2) More time- since you are working for yourself, you can make your schedule

3) Money- you can save so much more money since you are not spending it on commuting, clothes, lunches out, etc.

4) Connections- you will meet so many interesting people living off the grid because they have done something different with their lives.

5) Nature- you will be so much more connected to nature and the planet living off the grid.

If you are struggling with the 9–5 side hustle burnout, working long hours with no life, then maybe it is time for a change. Evaluate what is important to you and if homesteading or living off the grid is something that interests you, then go for it! It is the best decision I have ever made.

I’m not saying that working a 9–5 is bad, or that you should quit your job and move to the woods (although that sounds pretty nice).

For example, I can’t afford even a $200k house without a mortgage, so we bought land in the national park of Sierra Nevada, Spain, and build a yurt. A yurt costs only $20k. I need little money to live as long as I have only a few animals and my permaculture garden.

Everyone is trying to increase their earnings. I am trying to figure out how to live without money.

I discovered it is far simpler and less time-consuming to live off the grid than to create millions of dollars.

For me, this is true wealth and freedom, because I earned unlimited free time.

A few years ago, I wrote an article about Orgiva, the off-grid community. Yes, the people live their simple life without luxuries, some may say in shithole conditions, but they are free from unnecessary bills, luxury toys and for them, nature is their luxury.

Lucien Lecarme wrote an article about how to be a millionaire without much money, I really like his article; I read it at least once a week to keep myself reminded that I can do this, too.

I was dead scared and pissed my pants when I walked on the stage of my festival and announced that next year would be the last edition. I had told nobody in advance. I just announced the end of my career in the Netherlands. Age; 44.

Too many people hold on to money fiercely as if it is the holy grail to fulfillment. This comes from conditioning. Our culture and system throw us into competition with each other over scarce money. This makes us feel there is never enough.

We think we need money to survive but in reality, the universe always will have your back.

Money brings security and safety. But why make it the goal of your life? It comes and goes, like the waves, I am watching right now beyond the cliff.

Let go of what you don’t need, be generous, become aware of the matrix and your conditioning, become clear about your purpose, and embrace your deepest dream. Life will show you where to go next.

Fear is the only thing that keeps you from doing it. You’ll be happy that you did it if you just go for it.

Living off the grid or homesteading provides a much slower-paced lifestyle, which can be a nice change of pace from the hustle and bustle of city life.

It can also be a great way to reduce your environmental footprint and connect with nature.