I’ve got a secret number: 3000 12 16. You might find it on my fridge at home or on a post-it note on my computer at work. No, it’s not my computer password, social security number, or PIN code. This number represents a goal that only a few people know about.

They say writing down a goal is the best way to achieve it, so that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve turned my goal into eight numbers that I display everywhere. I know what it means, but no one else does. It serves as a daily reminder to keep moving forward with my plan.

What’s my goal? I want to earn enough money from home to quit my day job.

The first part of my goal is to generate a certain amount of monthly income. People in the Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement use their financial assets and a safe withdrawal rate (SWR) to calculate this. For instance, $1,000,000 in financial assets at a 4% SWR will give you $40,000 a year or $3,333 a month.

For me, I estimate I’ll need around $3,000 a month to quit my job. This would be equivalent to having $900,000 in financial assets with a 4% SWR. However, I don’t have that kind of money in assets, so I plan to create multiple income streams to reach this goal. Those first four digits represent my monthly income target.

To achieve this, I have a few strategies. I run a website that helps people who need money, which generates income through ads like Adsense and affiliate sales. I also have a carpentry hobby that brings in a little extra cash. Additionally, I aim to start a small side business within the next year. Hopefully, these three sources will help me earn the $3,000 a month I need.

The challenge with making money from home, compared to earning from investments, is consistency. Investors in the FI community can rely on their SWR, but working from home doesn’t offer the same reliability. So, the numbers 12 and 16 in my secret number relate to time. I aim to make $3,000 per month consistently for 12 months straight.

Once I achieve this consistency, I’ll feel confident quitting my day job and leaving my steady income behind. This is a significant mental hurdle, similar to what many FI enthusiasts probably face when giving up their primary income source.

My goal is time-bound, with a clear target date: December 31, 2016. By then, I want to quit my job. To do that, I need to be earning $3,000 a month from the start of 2016 and maintain that income level for the rest of the year. It’s not an easy task.

The latter parts of my secret number are somewhat flexible. Since I’m already earning some money from home, I’m building a decent emergency fund. Even if I don’t reach a full 12 months of consistent $3,000 income by the end of 2016, I might still decide to take the leap if my emergency fund can cover any shortfalls for a while.

I’m incredibly excited about my secret goal and the prospect of working from home full-time. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my plan and if you have similar goals. I hope you enjoyed this post.

If you think you know me and my secret number, feel free to say hello, but please be discreet. I’d love to discuss personal finance and financial independence while keeping my goal under wraps.