Would you work 60+ hour weeks for two years if it meant immediate retire?

Would you work 60+ hour weeks for two years if it meant immediate retire?

Would you work 60+ hour weeks for two years if it meant immediate retire?
    Last weekend in Idaho, I got curious about how bad folks want early retirement. Would you sacrifice your lifestyle (and possibly your health) for a period of time to guarantee early retirement?

    The question, which I asked on Twitter as well as the Rockstar Forums, was simple:

    Would you work 60+ hour weeks for two years if it meant immediate retirement?

    On Twitter, some folks basically (and literally) said hell yes. In the greater scheme of life, two years isn't that long.

    Others weren't so on-board:

    And others still said they already do this, minus the retirement part!

    Over on the Rockstar forums, folks were pretty open to the idea. Overall, I was surprised at how many people already work these hours!

    Amy from LifeZemplified.com

    My immediate answer - If it meant a financially secure retirement you betcha!

    Then I started wondering when the two years started? - Straight out of school or wherever you are at currently in life?

    Straight out of school or early in career? Yes
    Right now? Probably not

    Brad from MaximizeYourMoney.com

    Absolutely. I worked at least that many hours running my own business for 18 years.

    Brian from DebtDiscipline.com

    Yup. Short term sacrifice for the long term goal. Count me in.

    Doc Dads, Dollars, Debts is already there

    Being a doc I work 60 plus hours many weeks....many many weeks....

    Then, I switched things up a bit and revised the question. A lot of folks work 60 / hour weeks, but they also get vacations and holidays. What if those perks were off the table?

    Revised question: Work 60+ / week EVERY week. No vacation. No Christmas holiday. You literally work 52 weeks a year.

    The Financial Journeyman said he's still game:

    I would still say yes even if it included no holidays off or vacations.

    Amy from LifeZemplified.com was still onboard:

    No change for me. When I had my restaurant business (about 10 years ago) for just over two years, I worked 90-100 hours per week every week.

    Financial Muse already puts in these hours:

    I already do. Part of working in the finance industry.

    Would you work 60+ hour weeks for two years if it meant immediate retirement? How about 80+ weeks? Or, if you already work an insane number of hours, what would be your maximum threshold? Would you work 12 hours a day, 365 days a year for two years to retire?

    S

    Steve Adcock

    774 posts

    Steves a 38-year-old early retiree who writes about the intersection of happiness and financial independence.