Life return on investment review
All my EAJs are waiting on further information from the clients, and I've seen all of Wiseguy Season 3, so I have a temporary lull. Today I'm going to finish hand-weeding a 4 acre paddock, exciting!
I liked this article fabu linked to recently about getting the most out of life by prioritising and organising, and have been thinking about the things I do in terms of point 4: determine what matters most to you.
There are things that give me way more enjoyment than the time or effort or money I put into them:
1. Slash fandom. When I'm in the grip of a new-fandom high, it's almost impossible to overstate the return I get from a great scene in an episode, or an excellent, entirely free online story, or a great vid, or even one excellent line from a story. On top of that, I've usually got people to share it with. How lucky am I!
2. My property. This takes large amounts of time and money, especially at this time of the year, but it pays me back in spades. I love having space and trees and rocks around me and I love seeing the improvements as a result of my work. Each year the trees are bigger, the weeds are fewer and I try to do a better job of managing grazing and mulching and erosion. I wouldn't like to live without the sense of peace I get from the nature around me here, and when that isn't enough, I get on the horse and ride in a nearby reserve. Owning this land is absolutely central to me. I bought it as a place to keep the horses, but it's the land itself that means the most to me now.
3. The horses, which are mostly self-sufficient. I'd still have them if they cost me more or required more time to look after, but they'd probably fall down into the next category.
4. Informal, low-cost socialising like the monthly slash gatherings or evenings at someone's house.
Things that provide a good return:
1. LJ, especially for people's personal news. I really like being able to keep up with what people are doing/thinking, even if I may not see them often. This would be in the category above, except sometimes I let it eat up too much time (though I'm much better about it than I used to be).
2. Running, when it's over 10km distances or less, no more than three times a week. Except to complete an occasional longer event, I don't think I get enough out of it to do more than that on a regular basis.
3. My accounting work, at least when it's only two days or so a week. For most of this year Normal Accounting Job has been in the negative return category due to interpersonal conflicts, but it's settled back into its normal place now. I get a kick out of numbers and spreadsheets and I'm lucky people will pay me well to do something I generally enjoy.
4. My hoofcare work, in the winter. In the summer, it probably edges down into the next category and is saved only by the compulsory fitness it requires of me and the bragging rights it gives me to be able to do it at all.
5. Weights and core strength fitness exercises: especially since they can be done in front of the TV and hence combined with fandom!
6. Baking sourdough bread (now part of my weekly routine and the big winner so far from the year's New Things) and preparing vegetable-intensive food from scratch. I wouldn't say I like to cook, but I think the health benefits are worth it.
Things that don't pay their way:
1. The alpacas. I like having something appealing to populate my paddocks, but the pleasure I get from that doesn't compensate for the cost and effort, even in a year with fewer vet bills and deaths. I either need to get more involved and learn to get more enjoyment out of the experience, or put the brakes on so I don't end up with even more of them.
2. Serving on the alpaca association committee. Yesterday's meeting was five hours of weekend daylight time, with an hour's travel each way. A slash gathering is worth that, an alpaca meeting is not! Like it or not, I am now more involved, so by the end of my term on the committee I should have a better idea of whether I want to continue breeding alpacas, or just keep a few as pets and lawnmowers.
3. Maintaining contact with a few friends (nobody who will see this) and family members I have little in common with.
It's an interesting exercise. I could stop doing the things in the last section, but I probably already do enough of most of the things in the first two. There's a point of diminishing marginal returns, even with things you love. The time I could free up could go into other things altogether, that I currently don't do much of at all: travel? New personal relationships? Read more books? Weekends away?
I liked this article fabu linked to recently about getting the most out of life by prioritising and organising, and have been thinking about the things I do in terms of point 4: determine what matters most to you.
There are things that give me way more enjoyment than the time or effort or money I put into them:
1. Slash fandom. When I'm in the grip of a new-fandom high, it's almost impossible to overstate the return I get from a great scene in an episode, or an excellent, entirely free online story, or a great vid, or even one excellent line from a story. On top of that, I've usually got people to share it with. How lucky am I!
2. My property. This takes large amounts of time and money, especially at this time of the year, but it pays me back in spades. I love having space and trees and rocks around me and I love seeing the improvements as a result of my work. Each year the trees are bigger, the weeds are fewer and I try to do a better job of managing grazing and mulching and erosion. I wouldn't like to live without the sense of peace I get from the nature around me here, and when that isn't enough, I get on the horse and ride in a nearby reserve. Owning this land is absolutely central to me. I bought it as a place to keep the horses, but it's the land itself that means the most to me now.
3. The horses, which are mostly self-sufficient. I'd still have them if they cost me more or required more time to look after, but they'd probably fall down into the next category.
4. Informal, low-cost socialising like the monthly slash gatherings or evenings at someone's house.
Things that provide a good return:
1. LJ, especially for people's personal news. I really like being able to keep up with what people are doing/thinking, even if I may not see them often. This would be in the category above, except sometimes I let it eat up too much time (though I'm much better about it than I used to be).
2. Running, when it's over 10km distances or less, no more than three times a week. Except to complete an occasional longer event, I don't think I get enough out of it to do more than that on a regular basis.
3. My accounting work, at least when it's only two days or so a week. For most of this year Normal Accounting Job has been in the negative return category due to interpersonal conflicts, but it's settled back into its normal place now. I get a kick out of numbers and spreadsheets and I'm lucky people will pay me well to do something I generally enjoy.
4. My hoofcare work, in the winter. In the summer, it probably edges down into the next category and is saved only by the compulsory fitness it requires of me and the bragging rights it gives me to be able to do it at all.
5. Weights and core strength fitness exercises: especially since they can be done in front of the TV and hence combined with fandom!
6. Baking sourdough bread (now part of my weekly routine and the big winner so far from the year's New Things) and preparing vegetable-intensive food from scratch. I wouldn't say I like to cook, but I think the health benefits are worth it.
Things that don't pay their way:
1. The alpacas. I like having something appealing to populate my paddocks, but the pleasure I get from that doesn't compensate for the cost and effort, even in a year with fewer vet bills and deaths. I either need to get more involved and learn to get more enjoyment out of the experience, or put the brakes on so I don't end up with even more of them.
2. Serving on the alpaca association committee. Yesterday's meeting was five hours of weekend daylight time, with an hour's travel each way. A slash gathering is worth that, an alpaca meeting is not! Like it or not, I am now more involved, so by the end of my term on the committee I should have a better idea of whether I want to continue breeding alpacas, or just keep a few as pets and lawnmowers.
3. Maintaining contact with a few friends (nobody who will see this) and family members I have little in common with.
It's an interesting exercise. I could stop doing the things in the last section, but I probably already do enough of most of the things in the first two. There's a point of diminishing marginal returns, even with things you love. The time I could free up could go into other things altogether, that I currently don't do much of at all: travel? New personal relationships? Read more books? Weekends away?