Why I Left the Rat Race for a Simpler, Minimalist Life

Originally published 26 August 2024 · Updated 20 October 2026

The last job I had, before I went self-employed, was working for a well-known international manufacturing company. I provided technical support for the production floor. It was a salaried position, and I was reasonably well compensated for a 44-hour week.

I was assigned to a team of equally qualified people. We all had the same goal: keep the production floor running with minimal downtime. We worked well together because each of us had different skills. Mine was diagnostics. When something happened on the floor, I was usually the first person to assess the situation and relay what I thought the problem was.

I felt like a model employee. I showed up on time. I finished my tasks before leaving, which sometimes meant staying an hour beyond my scheduled shift without extra pay. I got along with my fellow team members. I was content with the job and happy with the company.

That all changed in a matter of minutes during my third performance review.

Apparently, doing my job wasn’t enough

My supervisor had a list of complaints. I arrived only a few minutes before my shift. I didn’t volunteer for enough extra shifts. I didn’t answer my personal phone when the company called after hours.

I asked about the work itself. Was I finishing my tasks? Was I doing them properly and on time? The answer was yes.

But I was supposed to arrive much earlier to socialize and team-build. I should also stay later, for the same reason, and not rush out the door. I should make myself available when the company needed me, whether I was scheduled to work or not.

I asked if I would be compensated for working extra shifts and answering my phone when I wasn’t scheduled to work. His answer was no, but I would be helping the company out.

Now, get this. He went on to explain that working for the company should be a priority in my life. I should be happy and grateful to be employed here.

After that, all I heard was more B.S. I let him finish talking, but my mind was already made up.

I had heard enough

Once he finished, it was my turn. I went over what I had just been told: I was supposed to come in early, stay later, be available when called, and work extra hours without extra compensation. His answer was yes.

I ended the meeting by saying I was taking my two weeks of owed vacation and giving my two weeks’ notice. I then looked at all of them individually in the eyes, and said to them all – “You’re all fired”. I collected several personal items from my desk and walked out without looking back. Yes, I actually fired my employer.

It was a sudden exit. It was also my decision, with consequences I had to take responsibility for. Before making your own move, check your employment agreement, your finances, and what you would lose by leaving. My way out doesn’t have to be yours.

What stayed with me was how quickly a job I had been happy doing became an arrangement I no longer wanted. The work hadn’t changed. The expectations had.

Another interview made the decision easier

After a few weeks off, I started applying for work again. One interview went well until we got to the schedule: 12-hour shifts on a rapid rotation.

The company had a programme to help employees organise their home lives around those shifts.

That was enough for me. I had just left one job where life was expected to fit around work. I didn’t want to sign up for the same thing in a different building.

I turned it down and chose self-employment. That still meant work, bills, and responsibility. It also gave me more say in how I used my time.

Leaving the rat race meant looking at my spending too

Changing how I earned money was only part of it. I also had to look at the life that money was paying for.

The bigger home, the vehicle, the latest phone, the meals out: each came with a cost. Keeping everything meant continuing to earn enough to maintain it. I started asking whether I actually wanted those things enough to keep making that trade.

That’s where living with less began to make sense to me. I wanted fewer payments and fewer things to look after. I wanted to enjoy the time I was working so hard to pay for.

I explain what changed in how living smaller gave me more financial freedom.

You can start before you leave

If any of this sounds familiar, look at what is making you unhappy. Is it the job, the hours, the employer, or the pressure to keep paying for a lifestyle you no longer enjoy?

Work out your essential monthly costs. Look at the benefits you would need to replace. Test another way of earning before depending on it. A different employer or fewer hours might give you what you need without a dramatic exit.

I was happy to do my job and do it well. What I wasn’t prepared to do was make the company my entire life. That meeting made the difference very clear to me.

And once you do have more time, there’s another question waiting: what are you going to do with it?