== 2026-08-16 Sunday ==

===== Retirement planning =====

I'm now 60 years old and have done the same work since leaving
University in 1988.

My employer has changed hands several times since then... and in
2012 I actually left full-time employment and have been
contracting/freelancing ever since. Doing the same work, for the
same company...

I now think "enough's enough" and I'm starting to think seriously
about retirement - perhaps in 12 months' time... late 2027. 

I got to thinking how my life would simplify, and what things I
could change once I'm not at someone else's beck-and-call 24 hours
a day, 365 days a year.

And the thing that I'm looking forward to is to be able to ditch my
permanent attachement to a smartphone.

I rely on being given work at random times and need to be
contactable at ALL times... day/night/weekends/holidays...

I've wanted to switch to a "dumb phone" for ages, and tried it a
couple of times. But it's so inconvenient when your livelyhood
relies on a client being able to contact you by phone & Whatsapp &
email. By the need to be able to receive emails, PDF files, Word
documents and spreadsheets while "on the road". Sadly, the work
requires me to have the functions of a smart phone at all times...

So...

after I no longer need to be contactable - need to able to respond
within minutes - I no longer need to have a smart phone on my
person 24 hours a day.

I can use a dumb-phone for calls & SMS messages. And can leave it
at home when I go for walks without fearing I'll miss something
"important".

I "de-googled" recently - I have no Google account, I use a
Fairphone6 with de-googled Android "e/os".

But could I ditch the smart phone altogether?

I hope so!

J