Good morning Dinks. We are well into the New Year and let me ask you, how has 2014 been for you so far? As you know I have been through a rough few years with the market crash, the sudden loss of my best friend and the complete destruction of my family as a unit.
In 2013 I finally started feeling normal again after almost five years of not finding my place in the world. I am looking forward to 2014 because as I plant my feet on the ground and find both personal and emotional stability I am going start having fun and really, truly enjoying life… every single day.
My friend Shannon over at Frugal Beautiful recently wrote a post about wanting to save $20k this year for her wedding. Shannon’s life has also changed drastically over the last couple of years and she too is now finding comfort in life with a new job and a new fiancé. Of course Shannon has to make some sacrifices to meet her goal, but she is determined to hit her money mark of saving $20k in 2014.giving up
Shannon decided to close her social media company and scale back on her freelance gigs. I was definitely surprised to read this news because anyone who knows Shannon or reads Frugal Beautiful knows that she is a hustler. However, I was very happy to read about her giving up on her freelance gigs because I have the same goal in 2014.
This year I want to work less because the 1 a.m. nights to meet freelance deadlines and the mornings of getting up at 7 a.m. for my day job just aren’t working for me anymore. I know that my goal is a bit selfish and (it’s also not as glamorous as Shannon’s reason of becoming a wife) maybe it just means I’m lazy but this year I need to start working smarter, not harder.
What’ I’ll be giving up
Usually working less means having less money, but I’m hoping that isn’t true – because that sounds crazy for personal finance blogger, right? I will still be out there in the creative world hustling my services, but to a target audience; not just to anyone and everyone who will listen. Being involved in several communities and saying yes to absolutely everything and anything that comes my way is making me extremely tired and I don’t want to live my life tired any more. Four years ago I jumped into freelance work without any goals, but with the right business plan hopefully working less doesn’t mean making less money.
What I’ll be gaining
In a nutshell, I’ll be gaining more me time. Instead of spending my nights thinking, planning and writing I can focus on spending time with my boyfriend and finding new things to do in life. That hasn’t happened yet, mostly it just seems that I have a lot of down time – and that’s scary because I am left with all my own thoughts and demons to deal with. When I’m busy working I don’t have time to deal with the less than perfect issues in my life, but now I will. Although it may not be pleasant at first, it will hopefully be worth it in the long run.
Photo by mythicseabass
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
I think it is a matter of balance and it is so easy as a freelancer to get lost in our work, spend so much time doing it and have no quality of life. I think when you take a step back and take time for yourself your work improves and opportunities come.
Good luck with it. This year I decided to scale back on some of my work stuff to enable me more time to do things like go read at my daughters school and more charity work which I love.
For us self-motivating types, the temptation is there to always expand and do more. Good for you for realizing that sometimes “more” doesn’t actually make you happier. Be smart with your time and efforts – hope it works out splendidly for you!
@Kylie – I think it’s so important to take time for ourselves. Can’t wait to read all about your charity work. I love what I’ve been reading so far on your blog.
@Brock – I know the temptation to get better and make more money is always there, but honestly I just need some me time :-)
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