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Anyone who spends any time in my social media circles might have heard something about Embrace Happy or #embracehappy.

Every year at this time of year there is an influx of NY Resolution pages, feel good sites and more and apart from the usual cursory glance I let them wash over me and crack on with whatever is at hand. This year is different. Firstly Embrace Happy isn’t new and it isn’t happy clappy.  The Facebook page is populated by like-minded individuals who have one thing in common, namely that they they have all decided to indeed embrace the good things in their lives and celebrate successes, support each other with goals and targets and make this year, and subsequent years as good as they possibly can be.

I like the idea of a group of like-minded people striving side by side to achieve their goals and over the past week or so I’ve taken this way of thinking and pointed it towards my work life too.

For anyone who doesn’t know me very well I work full time (for myself) as a freelance copywriter. I love my work, the variety, the independance, the flexibility and of course the odd benefit like being able to work in slipper boots. I do however have a tendancy to work silly hours, have suffered an inability to say no to any assignment even when the deadline is so short it should make me laugh out loud and I’m an absolute beggar for too-easily giving up my evenings for work.

So, in order to keep enjoying my work, my health and so that my hair doesn’t get any curlier than it already is I will be:
1. Saying “no”
Ok, I’ll be saying no sometimes because if I said no all the time people would stop asking, and besides if I might miss something a bit new and diferent if I constantly say no. I will be trying really hard though to say no to anything I feel I should do rather than I want to do and most definitely to anything with a stupidly short deadline.

2. I’ll Manage My Time Better
This one is a given. I’m an early riser (a ridiculously stupidly early riser) and so may often be found tapping away at the computer at 4am with a bucket of coffee and a large blanket over my knee. This is fine. I can cope with this and to be honest quite enjoy these silent and super productive hours while the rest of the world sleeps.
Weekends are usually a no-work zone anyway however there have been times when I’ve taken on a project knowing full well that I’ll have to half kill myself to do it and that has meant working over the weekend.
See no.1
Evenings are fair game work-wise although I am going to try and pull back on the number I’ve been working.

3. There Will Be Defined Switch Off Time
Over Christmas and New Year my inbox remained closed, the notifications from work apps and work social media accounts were muted or removed and not once did I check my inbox on my phone (the first few days were a struggle, I’ll admit). I haven’t switched any of these on as yet and don’t intend to. Famous last words? I don’t think so. I’ve quite enjoyed the firmer distinction between work and homelife (not always easily defined when you work from home).

There you have it. I’ll work like a demon as per usual, I’ll still pull silly hours from time to time however will do these because I want to and certainly won’t do it as often as I have in the past.

These aren’t New Year Resolutions, this is me embracing happy in my work life.