“Lifestyle” is an elusive and undefinable thing. We use the word to loosely describe how our life is put together from different parts—slices of work, leisure, family, hobbies, spiritual practices, and passions all coming together to form the pie that is a life we want to live. The issue that many of us face is flavouring and balancing each slice of the pie, or aspect of our existence, in a way that makes us excited to keep eating it (my analogy is getting a little stretched already).
Breaking outside of the typical modern work situation is terrifying in many ways, and being an employee has many upsides. However, leaving a “normal” job to pursue freelancing and contract work has meant more to my lifestyle pie than just getting rid of the commuting “slice”—that one was never very tasty. It has completely shifted my perspective on work, in a way that makes it all the more palatable.
Another sweetener in my lifestyle pie is community. Straight-up, old-fashioned community, meaning fostering great relationships with my neighbours and taking an active part in making my little corner of the city I live in better. Together, these two lifestyle choices are contributing to a life that feels bespoke and intentional.
Work that works around you
There’s no one way to classify this kind of work. For some people, it’s self-employment as a freelancer or contractor. For others, it’s being a remote employee with hours that can fit around your schedule. Shift work seems like a drag to a lot of us, but for certain night owls it’s the perfect set up. A 9-5 role is perfect and desirable for plenty of people.
When I talk about work that works around you, I just mean throwing out preconceived notions of what work entails and thinking a little outside the square. It’s an important part of the pie for most of us, due to money if nothing else, but perhaps it doesn’t need to be the largest slice of pie, dictating the size and the timing of all the others. Can you find a way to work around your Wednesday morning fencing practice that is one of the things that makes life worth living? In this world of remote work, unusual schedules, and the gig economy, maybe you can. Most importantly, what is the pursuit of money worth once it surpasses a livable income?
One major mindset shift I encountered when leaving my employment for self-employment was that work stopped being a place I had to go, and became, well, work—something I had to do. There’s truly no better motivation to get stuff done than knowing that once you have, you will be free to do something else rather than waiting for 5pm to roll around. The office I worked in was millennial and trendy to the core, with spacies machines, foosball, a beer tap, and futuristic coffee machine, but being in charge of my own schedule trumps all that. It was a nice place to work though, and for a time in my life, it was ideal.
It’s not a question of promoting a particular choice, but of realising that choice might exist. A major step in achieving the lifestyle you want—whatever that means—is being intentional about deciding how you’d like work to fit in to that. There are more and more opportunities available which mean you don’t have to slot everything around work as the deciding factor (in some situations, of course, work is the decider—and I wish there were more and varied options for everyone).
A return to community
Living collectively is more than just being nice to the people next door, but a value shift that takes the focus off nuclear families and households as the sole support structures, and extends it to friends, neighbours and, well, the community. It’s a slice of the lifestyle pie that is bursting with delicious flavour, and one which might just expand your palate a little too. Like finding the right work situation, finding a community is not just a single aspect of a great life—it has flow-on positive effects to other parts, too.
Community is a beautiful thing at all ages and stages. From impromptu babysitting, to help with building projects, to pet feeding services, to shared gardens, to borrowing all manner of pantry items, the practical benefits alone are amazing and make life logistics far easier, leaving more room for other things. The emotional support of having a strong community is even more valuable. A cup of tea and a bit of sympathy can be a lifesaver. I have met so many great people through engaging in my local area. The group of local mums I work out with are a huge motivation to get moving and stay healthy. Everyone wins!
Cherry tomatoes scavenged from a neighbour’s garden, after my own failed to produce.
A beautiful pairing
Why am I writing about two seemingly separate concepts? Because when it comes to lifestyle, they blend together in a spectacular way. Each creates space and flexibility, an invaluable tool in designing a life that’s fulfilling and filled with the things you want it to include. Remote and contract work with flexible hours means I have the capacity to be engaged in my community, particularly as I am not spending ten plus hours a day miles away in the CBD. I can work in local shared spaces and cafes, I can head out to a community event and go to my son’s daycare Christmas party. The “digital nomad” concept has become big, and I love that, but the reality for me with a toddler and a mortgage is not that my choice of career allows me to jetset my little heart out. It’s allowing me to grow roots instead. Ones that I would not be able to tend to, were I always in a bus or an office.
Engaging in my community, whether it’s neighbours, community activities, or local groups, brings me more than just warm fuzzies. It can be a sanity saver, and makes life a lot easier. When I have deadlines coming up, there are more people than just my husband to take some of the load. When daycares are closed or something comes up, we can work around our schedules—which are quite varied—to make sure everyone gets their stuff done. Basically, we look after each other.
Here’s to more community and less commuting. I believe they make each other possible.