Full-Time Working to Full-Time Living: My Simple 3-Step Plan

In this video on Work Play Have Fun, I walk through the simple three-step plan I used to work out whether I could move from full-time working to full-time living. It's aimed at anyone who's fed up with the nine-to-five and quietly wondering if the weekends could be five days and the work week just two. I'm not a financial adviser — this is just the back-of-an-envelope method that helped me: build an honest budget, add up what you've actually got, and work out the gap between the two. No compound-interest wizardry, no jargon — just the big numbers that get you thinking properly about what retirement would really take. 🛠 What's covered in this video: • Why so many of us spend the week "wishing our lives away" • The four P's a change plan needs: Planning, Perseverance, Persistence, Patience • Step 1 — building an honest personal budget (and salary sacrifice into your pension) • What retirement actually costs, using the Retirement Living Standards figures • Step 2 — adding up your pot: pension, savings, investments and property equity (the "bucket and tap") • Step 3 — working out the gap, and how much you'd need to save now to close it ▶ Watch Part 2 "My Story" to see how this actually played out for me — the plan, the setbacks, and where I ended up:    • I Planned to Retire at 56 — Here's What Ac...   📦 Equipment & apps used/mentioned (links coming soon): • Main Video Camera: Samsung S20 FE 5G Smartphone • Action Camera (wide shots): DJI Osmo Nano • Microphone: OSA Wireless Microphone Kit with Smart Charge Case • Small Rig Arm: SMALLRIG 10 Inch Magic Arm with Super Clamp • Smartphone Mount: SMALLRIG Universal Metal Phone Support with Cold Shoe Mount • Tripod/Selfie Stick: Neewer 59" Selfie Stick Tripod • Screen recording: OBS Studio 🌐 Links: • Website: https://www.workplayhavefun.com • Work Play Have Fun:    / @workplayhavefun   • GitHub: https://github.com/workplayhavefun/wo... • Retirement Living Standards: https://www.retirementlivingstandards... 💬 Question: Where are you on your own retirement planning journey — just starting to think about it, deep in the spreadsheets, or already retired? I'd love to hear how you're getting on in the comments. #retirementplanning #earlyretirement #over50 #lifevlog #workplayhavefun #moneytalk #fulltimeliving 📌 Chapters: 00:00 Wishing the week away 00:52 The 2-day week I negotiated 01:36 A change plan needs four P's 01:48 Step 1 – Your budget 04:44 What retirement actually costs 06:58 Step 2 – What you've got (the bucket and the tap) 08:59 Step 3 – The gap 12:47 If you found this useful 13:11 Coming next: My Story --- ⚠️ Disclaimer: This is my own personal experience and opinion only — it is not financial advice. Everyone's circumstances are different, so please do your own research or speak to a qualified professional before making any decisions based on this content.