Why I Worked this Weekend
Do you love your work? Many of you spend more time with co-workers and at work than home with friends and family. For that reason alone, finding a way to love your work is imperative for health and happiness. In a recent note, I wrote about what happens when you love your work. I work for myself and my schedule changes all the time. Sometimes I work less than usual, and sometimes more. I even worked over the long holiday weekend. I didn’t have to work, but I did anyway.
I worked for 2 reasons:
- I took last Thursday off for a special date-day with my husband
- I love my work
I didn’t work 9-5 or stay up late, but instead focused on a few projects that make my heart sing.
my work
- Leo Babauta and I are releasing the Clutterfree Course soon for self study and I am editing and preparing the content.
- I’m beginning a new blog at Your Lovely Life with Tammy Strobel. Our site has some great content, but we know you want more. From a recent reader survey, I learned that next to simplicity and decluttering you want to read and learn about joy and happiness.
- The minimalist fashion Project 333 Quick Start Course needed my attention too. The next session, beginning September 17th will be announced tomorrow at The Project 333!
- I also worked on my new book this weekend. I can’t wait to share more about this, especially the title which I am sort of crazy about. I am going to need your input and help along the way and hope you’ll be on board.
The other thing I learned from my recent reader survey is that most of you don’t want to talk about simplicity in business. That’s why I created a separate Be More with Less site just to write about productivity, starting your own microbiz, blogging, business resources and other work related things some of you are interested in. I don’t write there as often, but love the community that is growing there.
While I did work that I enjoy, I also played this weekend… as I do almost everyday. That included:
- reading You Can Buy Happiness (and It’s Cheap) and Happier at Home (reviews coming soon!)
- going to the movies
- road trips
- hiking
- pizza night (if enough of you comment with interest in my vegan pizza recipes shown above, I’ll publish them later this month)
This weekend and summer have been full of playful, joyous moments
road trips, beach days, sunsets
lazy days, farmers markets, mornings on the mat
walks in the woods, diners off the beaten path, football games and salt flats
wildflowers, warnings and perfect picnic spots
This summer was filled with family time, simple meals, hikes, joy and love. That combined with doing work I love resulted in a more relaxed, happier me. I can’t wait to see what fall has in store.
- How has loving your work changed you?
- If you don’t love your work, what will help you love it more?
- If it’s time to look for or create something new, what do you need to get started?
Please share your feedback and responses to these questions in the comment section.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to Be More with Less and connect with me on Twitter.
P.S. I snapped each of these photos with my iPhone (my camera that happens to make phone calls). I posted some of them on Instagram and then arranged them with Diptic to share with you on today’s post.
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Wow. Busy weekend. I’ll be following you on some of your other projects as well.
DSG
Thank you.
Can has vegan pizza recipe?
Yep! I post the recipes later this month.
Courtney,
Just looking at the first images gives me a dash of joy! I’m so delighted that you are so happy in your work and know how to have fun too! These are important questions you have posed. I love my blog to bits! Do I love all my work? Need to reflect on that one.
Sandra, make a list of things you don’t love about your work and see what can go. I’d be glad to help with that.
I’ve had two jobs (finance exec for 25 yrs. and blogger for 2). I LOVE the work I do online which makes it hard to stop at night and on the weekends/holidays.
While I’ve been on the hunt for my next finance job, I’m starting to see how I can combine the two jobs. As I attend networking meetings, I’m seeing a big need for business owners to keep their original focus on why they created their businesses and structure their businesses around their values. By doing these things, their businesses can support their chosen lifestyles. I see so many business owners whose businesses have taken on a life of their own and are being dragged through the mud because of it. Their businesses own them and they don’t know what to do about it.
My new offering is to support business owners in creating successful businesses that they love, where they can be happy doing things in a way that brings them happiness. Now I just have to get out there and market it!
I love all the projects you’re working on!
Awesome Paige! Sounds like you can help a lot of people and do what you love! Win.Win.
I like your blog, but today I comment regarding something different: I saw the picture of your dog and was puzzled: he looks exactly like our dog! As we have our dog from the animal shelter we know nothing about him, what mixture of breed he is, ect. What breed is your dog?
I am just curious what special something we have laying on our couch
Hello Mila, My dog Guinness is a shelter dog too so we don’t know what he is. We suspect shepherd, lab, doberman and a few other things.
Okay, so I think we will never really know
We suspect shepherd as well, maybe a little huskey… It doesn’t matter, he is the best 
Isn’t it wonderful to love what you do, and do what you love?!
YES!
I left my PhD education in July, because it was destroying my health. The situation required me to stop before I found another career path. I’ve figured out that I want to write, and share my experience in the hope that I can help others. I am very much interested in writing therapy, and am in such a group. One day, I’d like to run my own (and potentially train to become a writing therapist)
I guess to get started I need to feel security in my financial situation, before I can devote the time I want to writing. I feel like without it, I can’t commit so many hours to it, because I need to be looking for work that will pay the bills. I’d love to know a way to get started with a website (related to a health condition) and knowing where to put it so that it reaches the people that need it. my health is also the reason I’ve embarked on a journey towards a simpler life, and started Project333.
Hi Linda, I have a few ideas that might be helpful. If you email me: bemorewithless at gmail dot com, I’ll reply with some hopefully helpful advice.
Hi Linda. Your comment really caught my attention, because I’m also doing a PhD which has been a very rough challenge, and has also had some negative effects on my health. I’m trying to finish, but afterwards I’ll change my career path. I’ve actually (very recently) created a blog where I write about my experience. I can really relate to what you’re going through, and I wish you all good in this new phase of your life…
Courtney, thank you for another inspiring post. And the pictures are wonderful!
Thank you Mopsa! I agree, PhDs are very difficult and very draining.
I’ve had a look at your blog, and am now following. I like your approach! I’ve left some comments on your posts. Best of luck with finishing your PhD!
Thank you so much, Linda
Beautiful photography! …and I’d like to add myself to the list of those requesting you post the vegan pizza recipe…please
Wow, your vegan pizza looks amazing! Can you share the recipe please?
Hi! I love my work because I’m musician
Loving my work made me so much productive. Sometimes I work all the day, more than 8hours/day because in Portugal its not financially stable. But I prefer to work longer and in something that I like, than otherwise. I become more happy than before…
I would love the vegan pizza recipe. I’d also love to figure out how to help my husband find work he loves. He feels stuck in his current job, mostly because he borrowed money from his employer to follow another dream, buying a building to try his hand at owning real estate. Unfortunately the payback plan has him giving back his Christmas bonus over 5 years, and this December is only year #2. Some renovations to the building ended up costing more than he had budgeted, so we emptied out our savings to pay for those, and the building’s income won’t likely result in enough money to pay ourselves back for about two years. So, it’s not as if he could quit and pay them back some other way.
I’m sad for him, because I remember how miserable and stuck I felt before I left work to become a stay-at-home mom and now home educator. I feel so lucky to be doing what I love, and I wish he could find a way to do the same. We have kids to support though, so my fiscally freak-out side doesn’t want him to do anything else that might be risky to our safety/stability in that way. My husband did just sign up for Leo’s Finding Your Awesomeness course, in hopes that that might help. Anyway, thanks for “e-listening”.
I enjoy each post and your pictures. They continue to remind me that life is not work and work is not life. Thank you for sharing your journey!
Ed
Courtney,
as always, your posts just make my days a little brighter! thanks for sharing your photos!
To more vegan pizza nights!
Paula