Have you ever read about a person who quit their job and took to the open road, then envied their lifestyle? Do you feel like you're living in a repetitious, unsatisfying rat race? Maybe you could benefit from a little more financial discipline, which would allow you to work less and enjoy life more. It's not an impossible feat, but it would require careful consideration and diligent planning.

1. Ask A Financial Planner, First

What looks doable on paper may not be realistically applicable, so before you hand in your notice at work, sit down with a financial planner. Confess your dream of being able to enjoy more of life by working fewer hours. Ask them to help you put together a long-term saving plan and how to facilitate an easier, but sustainable lifestyle. You'll still need to have an active retirement plan going, along with health insurance and other necessities, so plan on spending quality time with the planner and covering all your bases.

2. Trim Your Budget

A financial planner can assist you in putting together a disciplined budget; however, they cannot implement it for you. Trimming the budget takes self-control, meaning you may have to make some hard sacrifices. If you travel or dine out often, for example, those non-essentials may have to go. Learning to live with less is the fastest path to financial success, whether you want to work less or not.

Warren Buffett, perhaps the world's most frugal billionaire, still lives in the same home he purchased in 1958 for $31,500. Although you might not want to pinch pennies that tightly, the less money you spend on items you don't need, the more likely you'll be able to spend less time doing the nine-to-five grind.

3. Sell Off The Luxuries In Your Life

If you've accumulated a number of luxury items over the years, even if they're not million-dollar purchases, you could sell some or all of them in order to fund a solid savings account. Your financial planner will advise you on the best type of account for your needs and what the minimum requirement would be. By selling an extra car, your jet-ski, jewelry, or other things you can do without, you could give yourself a big head start in the race to reduce your working hours.

4. Have A Backup Plan

As carefully as you might plan for your future, since there are no guarantees, it's important that you have a backup plan. Ask your boss, if applicable, if reducing your hours can be done on a trial basis or if another position in the company could be waiting for you in the future if something with your plan goes awry. Keep as many doors open as possible, even though you have high hopes of being able to live life far away from the rat race. 

Maybe you can't quit your job and head for the nearest mountain range or jet off to a tropical island, but if you plan right and maintain a high caliber of financial discipline, you may be able to start working a lot less so you can enjoy life a lot more. Talk to a financial planner, and see what dreams you can make come true. Life is simply too short not to at least find out what your options might be.