Last year was a very busy retic year for me. I said ‘yes’ to virtually every job possible and on the three days I allocate to my business I went at a frantic pace. I got a lot of work, earnt a lot of money and paid a big slab off the mortgage. That was part of the plan – to try and recover from that big hit we took a couple of years back.

We still had fun, enjoyed life and had holidays, but it wasn’t a pace I wanted to run at for any length of time. I also found myself becoming somewhat obsessive about the whole issue of reducing debt. In the end I became more concerned about the obsession, than the pace at which I was working. When you have a somewhat obsessive personality its easy to do…

However winter and spring have given me a chance to experience a much more sustainable pace of life and its one I’d like to keep rolling. Its been wonderful starting work at 8 and getting home by 2. When you know that’s all you’re doing 3 days a week then its not as demanding on the body – and my body was really beginning to tell the story.

I’m figuring I could well be a retic and turf bloke for many years to come, so I’m looking for a pace that allows me to enjoy work rather than just being a money spinner.

So as summer approaches i’ll be saying ‘no’ a lot more often. I’ll be referring work on, or just politely declining because I want to address the issue of ‘pace’. Yes, I could employ someone, develop the business etc – and there is plenty of opportunity for that – but at this point in time that isn’t my intent. It is very much a lifestyle business with good returns and low stress – if I choose to keep it that way. To employ staff would change that. Maybe in the future… but i doubt it…

So I have already been spacing work out and planning for easier more enjoyable times. Perhaps not as financially lucrative, but I’m guessing I’ll have a bit more fun