Tiny go Lightly

Living sustainably and designing my lifestyle to be meaningful and low impact. My story of building and living in a tiny house, in Gippsland, Victoria

  • About
  • Book a visit
  • Events & Media
  • Gallery
Living  /  August 30, 2018

Staying slow in the rat race – is it possible?

by tinygolightly

For the past 16 months, I’ve had the luxury of working three days a week, often from home. As of Monday this week, I’m officially back in the rat race. Working part time for me means having extra time and energy to spend on things that are a priority to me. The part time dream is one that I think feels unattainable to many people, due to financial commitments that require full time work. Luckily, my tiny house has enabled me to choose part time work that I love, without financial strain.

Over the past year I have had more time to spend with my friends and family. I’ve volunteered, worked on my house, on the garden, on my music and in my community. I’ve worked to set up a meaningful and sustainable lifestyle for myself and I’ve shared my experiences in alternative living to help others do the same. Working part time has provided me with opportunities I will find hard to let go of.

Maybe you’ll wonder why then, I started back in a full time job this week? To be honest, I’m still working through that decision myself.

One thing I know is that despite wanting to slow down, to appreciate my time and health and family and the small joys in life, I am also ambitious. I’m hungry for a new challenge. Working three days a week has allowed me to throw myself into many side projects. It also allowed me to set up my lifestyle to reflect my values – something I was desperate to do and desperately hope won’t be affected by my new job. But I think it is one of the many flaws in our current system, that in order to take on a role with responsibility and to progress in your career, you’re often expected to work full time hours. I took this job because it is a chance for me to grow professionally, to learn, to stay in Gippsland and also increase my opportunities for future employment in an area I’m passionate about. For those reasons, it seemed like a sensible choice.

On the flip side, the full time ongoing aspects of the job I find confronting. Not because I’m fickle, or lack commitment or scared of hard work. But I value my limited time here on Earth. I refuse to be sucked into the notion that I have to spend my days in front of a computer doing something that doesn’t bring me joy just because that’s the way society says things should be. And I’m lucky enough in all the ways that count, to know that I have other options.

Yet, without insurance or a fixed home for the tiny, security is another reason. I know that my financial freedom has more to do with luck and privilege than skill or my hard work (not to discount the hard work of my parents and other family members). I don’t want to take that for granted and I don’t want to live in the insecure margins of society forever. I want to start planning the next steps for the tiny. This will be an ongoing and long term process, but more money certainly opens up those options considerably.

Finally, I don’t see my tiny house as a gimmick or a gamble, or as a home that is only suitable for someone who is willing to forsake modern society. I don’t think it’s extreme to commit to reducing my footprint while working full time. I don’t even think it’s unachievable. I don’t think it’s unrealistic for more people to downsize their house and their lives and still be ambitious, successful, comfortable and happy. I’ll prove it. It’s a big shift for me, moving back into this space. I see it as part of the process of questioning norms, part of the ‘journey’ if you like. Are there ways we can fuse slow, meaningful living with modern Australian society and the roles we’re expected to play? Can I hold onto the lifestyle and person I want to be while committing so much of my time and energy to this job? I guess it’s time to find out.

For anyone accustomed to working full time, these questions and reflections might seem dramatic. For me, it’s important to challenge what’s viewed as ‘progress’ or ‘success’ in our society and what we sacrifice to get there. I do know that there can be positives to full time work as well – new relationships, a sense of pride and satisfaction in your work, personal growth and learning opportunities. As I work through some of my fears and doubts I’m sure the shift will seem less monumental and I will find new and unexpected positives as well. But I also know how easily we adapt and shift our perspectives based on our situations. I don’t want to lose sight of the new ‘normal’ I have created for myself with the tiny: days filled with love, small joys, time and life.

Tags

  • balance
  • future
  • slow living
  • sustainability
  • work

Post navigation

May Day: the realities of living on solar power
Increasing your influence – what more could you be doing?

Related posts

Dumpster diving
Food, Living, Uncategorized  /  February 12, 2017
by tinygolightly  /  3 Comments

Dumpster diving

May Day: the realities of living on solar power
Living, Solar  /  July 24, 2018
by tinygolightly  /  2 Comments

May Day: the realities of living on solar power

Moving in!
Living, Uncategorized  /  April 3, 2017
by tinygolightly  /  2 Comments

Moving in!

1 comment

  • Julie Esdaile
    August 30, 2018

    Appreciate you sharing your experiences and ponderings. Hoping to help with reducing the ‘marginalisation’ of tiny house living… we’ll see how it goes.

    Reply

Share your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook feed

1 year ago
Timeline Photos

After a week offline with family and snow, we came home to this tiny mystery living in our front yard. I still have no clue who or what she is...any suggestions?

#mystery #naturelovers #spider #frog #noidea #winterwonders ... See more

LIKE
LOVE
HAHA
WOW
SAD
ANGRY
View on facebook
1 year ago
Timeline Photos

After a lovely weekend spent working hard, we left without much to show for it. This weekend was one of those all-prep-no-results trips, which are both productive and mildly unsatisfying...especially when you leave the place looking less built than when you arrived! 😂🤦🏼‍♀️😉

BUT. Despite there being little progress to show for our work (just yet), I’m reflecting on the skills and patience that are going into these finishing details. I look now at decisions I made, cuts I made and the home I made with more experience and knowledge. I would do so many things differently, but doing what I could at the time is exactly what got me to where I am now. There’s no way I could’ve taken on the task of finishing the tiny any moment sooner than it arrived. I am so much more confident and capable than when I started and I am proud of seeing my skills develop. And so, even on weekends like this, I’m remembering to enjoy the time spent learning and my ability to hone in on the finer details.

While I can’t always see the progress in front of me, I feel it in my hands. And I know that regardless of what I see, that experience is mine to keep. 💜🏡🤲🏻

#woodworking #womenwhobuild #experience #progress #tinyhousebuild #finerdetails
... See more

LIKE
LOVE
HAHA
WOW
SAD
ANGRY
View on facebook
1 year ago
Timeline Photos

Only 2 more sleeps till a tiny weekend! 🙌🏻

Bring on some sunshine and handiwork, possibly the best combo ever created ☀️🔨💛

#livingfortheweekend #womenwhobuild #handiwork #diy #sunshineplease ... See more

LIKE
LOVE
HAHA
WOW
SAD
ANGRY
View on facebook
1 year ago
Timeline Photos

In a world where we often feel powerless, community is an empowering space to start for making change. It’s bigger than the individual, so the changes are more effective. But it’s also within our reach and we can all have a strong influence on our community right away.

Relationships and conversations help ideas to grow and spread, this happens naturally in a strong and well connected community. But these connections can be few and far between in our modern, busy lives, where money and faceless shops now provide us with most things people used to trade or share. Without the interdependence, the sharing of resources and the relationships that villages and small towns used to have, we have to find new ways to connect with our communities.

I could write so much on the power of community - it’s my source of hope among the despair at the moment. Last night was our first community dinner - 17 people from all walks of live coming together to share a space and a meal. We made new friends, reconnected with old ones and shared conversation and connection with those in our community. When we open our homes and ourselves to make these kinds of spaces, magic happens. 💜

#warragulcommunitydinner #buildingcommunity #socialchange #sustainability #magichappens
... See more

LIKE
LOVE
HAHA
WOW
SAD
ANGRY
View on facebook
« ‹ 2 of 77 › »
  • Elara Pro by LyraThemes.com
  • Made by LyraThemes.com