November resolution wrap up and introduction of December’s goal
November’s resolution was to take one complete day off from work. Until November, I had not taken a full day away from work since August 2008. It wasn’t that I had put in an eight hour workday every day since August 2008, but that I had done at least some kind of work every day — respond to Unclutterer email, delete spam comments from the Forums, check in with a client, make a few edits to my writing.
Working for a lifestyle business has many advantages — I can work from anywhere, have flexible hours if necessary, I was home to witness my son’s first steps and hear his first words, and I’m able to be home to take care of him when he’s sick. Additionally, I get to write and help people and do work that I genuinely love. My work and my personal life are deeply connected, and I like it that way.
The one disadvantage of having a lifestyle business is that if I shut off from work, I directly feel any and all negative repercussions. The most obvious of these are the financial repercussions that can impact my family’s well being (e.g. if I don’t answer a call from a client, the client fires me and hires someone else). Every job has disadvantages, and thankfully the advantages of my job far outweigh the disadvantages, it’s simply difficult to walk away for an entire day.
I eventually was successful at taking a day off from work, but I have to be honest and admit that it wasn’t my intention to take that specific day. I accidentally didn’t charge my cell phone while on vacation and so I was forced to take the day off from work. I also spent the entire day fretting and stressing out about not doing the work I had planned. Had it been done on the day I had planned, I think I would have enjoyed it more than the way it happened.
It is fair to say that although I technically completed my November resolution, the resolution was not a pleasant success. Or, more precisely, I realized I made a resolution I didn’t enjoy achieving. I discerned from this experience that I am a person who is okay with doing a little work every day. This may change in the future and I may grow to be someone who wants more time being disconnected, but right now I’m not that person. I enjoy the peace of mind I get from checking in for a few minutes to make sure the proverbial ship isn’t sinking.
For December, my goal has been to create new resolutions for 2012. I sincerely believe that the one resolution per month system has been the most beneficial resolution-making method for me. I was able to achieve — at least in a technical sense — every resolution I set for myself. I have never had this positive of a success rate in previous years. I can look back on 2011 and know I changed myself for the better.
With 2012 only weeks away, how are you doing with your 2011 resolutions? I hope you have had as positive of an experience as I have enjoyed.
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Erin’s 2011 monthly resolutions: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, and November.
10 comments posted
Posted by lisa - 12/19/2011
You had your day imposed upon you instead of you being able to plan and execute your day the way you would have liked. That stinks because I think you could’ve enjoyed it had it not happened by accident! I’m working on trying to breathe through those accidents and to try to let go of what I thought I was going to do that hour/day/time period and find something else to fill that void that I can fling myself into and feel good about. It’s not easy—it’s hard for me to deal with last minute change, but just being aware of my feelings and choices is good for me. I, too, work from home and check in at least, every day. Sounds like it’s a resolution you find you may not need to make, as you may already be keeping everything in good balance. Thanks for reporting, Erin!
Posted by Jodi - 12/20/2011
I have enjoyed the “technically” met goals you achieved this year. My favorite was the” finish a project” goal where you hired someone to finish it for you. That concept (That “YOU” still finished it by making the arrangements, earning the money, giving instructions etc) was a huge step in motivating my husband. He agreed to hire a contractor friend to work with him in getting some 2-man remodeling projects finished.
The interesting part, that motivated my husband to begin gathering the materials needed, researching some details he still needed on specific codes for our area, etc. The person we hired to help isn’t scheduled until after the holiday season, but my husband is about 1/3 finished already!
He has started evaluating other projects with this concept…is it worth hiring someone to finish this? If not, is it worth keeping the project around at all? His to-do list has been sooo productive, largely because of the inspiration your “technical” success gave him!
Looking forward to following your resolutions next year! I am glad you are doing them again!!
Posted by Phalynn - 12/20/2011
I had great success with the “one a month goal” and I know I accomplished a lot more this year by breaking it down monthly, Much thanks! I am repeating it in 2012 with a spin of an overall theme. Maybe water…swimming makes me happy which leads to fitness, competition, taking an actual vacation via beach time, increased social time of being on a swim team, less work more life balance, etc. I will be ringing in the New Year 26 lbs lighter and little taller from the confidence of all I got done this year. Look out 2012! Thank you for your site and your vulnerability about life!
Posted by Renee - 12/20/2011
Hi Erin:
I’m sorry that you didn’t have the day off that you wanted, but had it forced on you. I agree with Lisa – that stinks! Unfortunately the rest of us probably would have taken the planned day off for positive reinforcement. If you look back on the comments we made when you planned this day off, we all agreed that your clients would allow even you a day off once a year or so!
I hope that you will plan to have a day off again in 2012 and that it might be a more positive experience.
Posted by Chris - 12/20/2011
Erin – I can see why the forced day off would be very stressful, and the opposite of fun and enjoyable! I agree with the others above, that you might want to try it again one day in 2012…when you can fully enjoy it and not have it be stressful. I also work at home, and work is sort of always there…some days are very long, some days I use the flexibility that working at home gives me, to work just a little and use the other time to get things done around the house or run some errands…in between checking email, etc.!
I want you to know how much you and your site have inspired me and made me re-think things. When I am out and considering purchasing something, I think “What would unclutterer say/do? Can I picture myself giving this to Goodwill in 6 months?” These 2 questions have forced me to pause when considering bringing something into my home, and for that I am grateful to you. I still have a ways to go, but there is a marked difference in my closet, our home, and our garage!
I like your monthly goals/resolutions and think that is a better approach for me than year-long goals. Happy 2012 to you and your family, and all the unclutterers out there!
Posted by Rebecca - 12/20/2011
Hi Erin! I am inspired by your resolution-a-month approach — it allows you to really focus on meeting the goal and you only have to live with the resolution for one month if you find it doesn’t suit you. I’m planning to implement 12 months + Lent of a combination of activity + deprivation all focused on helping me to live a better life and better identify what is important to me. I’m on a clothing diet right now (can’t buy anything without giving ten clothing items away) and that will go until 10/31/12, and I’m planning to give up Facebook for Lent in a few months. I’m also planning to go without sugar again for a month, without caffeine another month, run regularly for a month, go without TV, read every day for a month (an actual book of some sort), etc. I’m going to try to get my hubby to play along (especially with the TV business). Looking forward to it! Happy holidays!
Posted by Carol Swedlund - 12/20/2011
I used to be a very structured person, not very successfully flexible with the “surprises” in my day or week … until I fell in May and sustained a very bad knee injury. After 6 weeks in a straight leg brace and four months off work, I’m STILL healing and going to therapy (surgery was in May!) … so I’ve learned a lot this year about not planning too much, or being too disappointed if my plans change and goals aren’t met. Part of my summer off I did get to organize photos and that was something I wouldn’t have gotten done otherwise, but once I went back to work I haven’t been able to get much else done. I’ve discovered that healing takes a lot of energy and time!
Posted by bytheway - 12/20/2011
I made one resolution for the year, which was: not to take my work home with me. I work for a non-profit (church) and of course we are under-resourced in a big way, and I personally have lots of daily interruptions in my role as the minister. I threw away the tote bag, even. Did I have 100% success? No. But I had about 75% success, which I am pretty proud of. If I had not set this goal, I would have taken work home essentially every night, which I had been doing for 10 years in this particular workplace. I realized…wow…even tho I had been doing some work at night, it would take me twice as long as if I had just waited ’til morning, because of fatigue and general inability to focus. Wishing everyone a happy and merry season, and the best in 2012 with whatever you choose to undertake!
Posted by Rondina Muncy - 12/23/2011
I think part of the day off problem is that is was forced on you, as another poster mentioned. But, I also think that you don’t really view some of the things you do as “work.” Some of your daily activities are things others would leave behind at the office. If you work for yourself at home, some pieces of work become part of your lifestyle. My morning bowl of cereal followed by email, for example. Yes, the email is “work,” but this is my routine; I’m comfortable with it; I’m happy with it. You are looking at work and personal as black and white. Life is gray. You don’t have to pigeonhole. And BTW, someone noted that clients would not hold taking one day off a year against you. If that’s the day they really needed you I qouls, they WILL hold it against you.
Posted by gypsy packer - 12/24/2011
I’m a commercial cleaner, contract to a motel, and the only days I get off are forced on me by lack of business. I get one every couple of months, if then. Erin, you have me beat. We who love our routine, though, feel a little lost when we are idled.
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