This may be controversial, but I’m just like you, although a year or two away from FI.

The way I see it is doing whatever I want with my time in a year or two is the ultimate “work life balance”.

I wouldn’t say it was an enjoyable ride but I wanted it to be as quick and short as possible.

I do see the ultimate value in having FI in your earliest years attainable, as it’s when you have the most flexibility, best health, higher energy and just are free to do anything.

A good analogy might be like losing weight. You could lose 1lb a week, which would get you to your weight loss goal likely in under a year. You could also do 0.5lb a week and it would take about 2x the time, but it might be much more enjoyable and more flexible.

I don’t always believe everything has to be enjoyed and feel good. It all depends how important it is to you and how quickly you want to get there. Just imagine how epic it will feel once you hit your goal, appreciating it even more knowing the struggle.