When is it time to look for a new job?
I am currently a full stack developer but I'm barely working throughout the week. This past month I've probably put in about 3-4 hours a week and its been like that for the past 6 months. Don't get me wrong I'm basically getting paid to barely do any work and I have a ton of free time but I feel like I'm not living up to my potential and not even growing as a developer. Ive thought about going the freelance/contract route since I have all this time but I'm not even sure where to start.
What would you do in my situation?
Start looking for new work when your current work is burning you out. You seem to have the opposite of that problem.
Keep your current job, and start using your surplus time more effectively. Take some classes to pick up new skills and résumé candy. Contribute to some open-source project. Find somebody to mentor.
I usually leave either because (a) company, team or manager culture is bad, (b) unexpected opportunity or (c) bored/restless. This sounds like c.
I recently moved because I was bored and there were no internal options. I had been content for a while because I had young kids that took up a lot of my mental capacity but I reached a point where I needed more from work. I guess for me it was weighing up the risk v reward and I took the chance.
It was worth moving, but it has been a lot of work and challenging myself.
It sounds like a rare opportunity to self train. This is a good time to pick up some hardcore courses like EdX, or learn something new like functional or a new language. Contracting is fine, but it has a habit of taking up to 40 hours/week and make you neglect your actual job. I don't think they help much in a career, but it's better to try out new code in a contract than for free.
I had a similar situation a few years ago and had the same feelings. I was a little burnt out and gave the org a ton of work over the years, so I enjoyed the down time doing side projects and gaming. Then after a year or so, I found a new job.
If you're looking to chill for a bit, this is your best opportunity. As long as you're not lying to anyone, I don't think it crosses any ethical boundaries.
You got the dream job. Spent that extra time working on your hobbies or side projects. Many people would kill for your job.
When you're in love, you don't need to ask yourself the question, "am I in love?" - you just know intuitively. And if you work in tech right now, you can absolutely afford to change jobs until you're doing the one you love every single day, without doubt.
Check if you can make another cash flow while staying employed, if yes you got the a nice room for experimentation.
Maybe take the opportunity to focus on yourself, family, personal projects, open source..