We were recently traveling in Europe with some good friends and came across a number of these Renaissance town clocks that featured only one big hand.  They have 12 hours like every other clock, but they lack a little hand to point to the exact minute between the hours.

My friend just retired about five months ago and we first noticed one of these clocks on the hilltop town of Siena in Tuscany.  It’s the one in the picture above.  I thought they were perfectly uncomplicated.  He wasn’t sure their usefulness given their relative inexactness.

As I thought about it, perhaps these clocks are the perfect symbol for early retirement life.  With all day to goof off, why do we really need to be so precise?  I can look at this clock and tell if it’s noon, a little after, about halfway to 1 o’clock, or even closer.  After all, a lifestyle of FIRE (financially independent & retired early) is about enjoying time, not squeezing productivity out of every minute.

Simple, uncomplicated, and unpressured.  That’s life in FIRE.

• Related: Daily Schedule in Early Retirement?

Image Credit: MrFireStation.com (c)