I Chose a 'Third Option' That Is Neither Changing Jobs Nor Starting a Business
──Usually I talk about note x AI or accounting, but today I'm coming from a slightly different angle
It started with 'I want to move to Okinawa'
At first, it was just a vague hope. I thought, 'It would be nice if I could move to Okinawa.' However, I also knew that it would be difficult in reality. I have a family, my children cannot transfer schools, and I have a mortgage.
Even so, I felt that there must be a 'freer way of living' somewhere.
Until I realized my true wish
While thinking about 'moving to Okinawa,' I couldn't even organize for myself why I felt that way. Through conversations with my family and dialogues with friends, I began to realize it little by little.
What I was really seeking was not a 'place' but a 'way of life'.
The true wish hidden behind the word Okinawa was the desire to 'live more freely and at my own pace'.
Actually, I longed for a 'traveling lifestyle'
Going to Ishigaki Island alone, traveling around Hokkaido. I had always longed for a life where I could record such travels on YouTube while living.
But my family doesn't want that kind of life. So, instead, I tried discussing 'moving to Okinawa.' Perhaps that was a compromise token where I converted my desire into a 'socially understood form'.
That's when I realized. What I really wanted was a 'freer way of working'.
I was a 'person who gained freedom without quitting their main job'
Looking back,
Come to think of it, I currently have an income that allows me to live on a 4-day work week, and I can freely engage in side jobs. My family is understanding of travel, and I am realizing solo trips. I have note, I can try YouTube, and I have time.
And there was a clear design in the process of obtaining that structure.
Behind the scenes of the negotiation: Why I chose neither changing jobs nor starting a business
At one point, I seriously considered changing jobs. Telework, side jobs allowed, flat organization—I looked at various job openings and even received a few offers.
But I realized. Every company ultimately assumed a 5-day work week. 'Devoting 5 days a week to gain a little freedom' would not lead to the life I wanted. So, I used the job offers as leverage for negotiation.
After getting the job offers, I told my main employer I was 'quitting.' What was proposed instead was my current working style: '4-day work week + side jobs allowed'.
This was not a coincidence, but a clear strategy to realize my own desires.
At first, I worked three days a week. From there, I found my "optimal balance."
Initially, I worked three days a week. I genuinely believed that by using AI, I could finish five days' worth of work in three, and in fact, I did (this is where the accounting x AI topic finally comes in).
However, the company's evaluation was based on "number of days worked" rather than "quality of work." So, I slowed my pace and adjusted my work schedule to four days a week.
Both my income and my time are just right now.
The 'name' for the thinking I found later
Actually, just recently, I encountered a custom AI called a "Dialog-based Life Design Assistant." And I was surprised.
The structure of the thinking methods and choices I had been practicing all along was right there. Finding the essential hope ("I want to live more freely") hidden behind superficial desires ("I want to live in Okinawa"). Searching for a "third option" to break out of binary thinking (changing jobs or starting a business).
It was a way of life I had been practicing without even knowing it. The name "DDA" was simply attached to my thinking OS after the fact.
The moment I found a name for the way of life I was already practicing, I felt a strange sense of relief. It was like, "This is okay."
This way of life might not be imitable. But—
I used my uniqueness as a bargaining chip. I didn't entrust my responsibility to anyone else; I chose for myself, decided for myself, and made it this far.
This way of life might not be imitable. But I want to record the fact that such an option "exists as a structure."
And that the DDA thinking method I found later confirmed that my choices up to now were "correct."
Finally, I want to leave you with a question.
Have you ever negotiated your own time and way of working? A "third option" that is neither changing jobs nor starting a business might exist for you, too.
Perhaps you, too, are already practicing your own unique "third option" without even knowing its name. In such times, a dialog-based AI might help you put a name to your own thoughts.
While this account usually focuses on technical topics like accounting x AI, I wanted to share this perspective for a change. I hope it serves as a reference for those of you searching for your own "third option."
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