"The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want."

So I'm back at the day job already. My time off seemed like a huge stretch in the weeks leading up to it, but now its been and gone, it feels like the blink of an eye. So many great works undone! So many ambitions unfulfilled! So many emails I don't understand/care about in my work inbox right now! I have this problem with taking time off work: I really love it. So much so that coming back to work generally leaves me a in a state of near-depression for a week or so afterwards. This past week I got to split my time between writing (I currently have three small projects on the go), perfume orders/shop management, and general lazing and self-indulgence and it was amazingly satisfying.

And then suddenly it's Monday morning, the alarm is blaring, the cat has peed on the carpet in the night, and work is inescapably in my face.

I can't do it anymore.

I mean, I can, because I have bills to pay and a horrible cat to feed, but I don't want to take it anymore. I've never been career driven. I work an office job because I have to and I have no interest in climbing the corporate ladder. I've always said that, and I've always said that one day I'll be able to quit. But, you know, it's really easy to say that when you're 25 and the rest of your life seems like a really long time in which to achieve certain goals...And then suddenly you're 31 and you haven't actually achieved them and how the hell did we get here so fast?

I'm not actually looking to quit the day job entirely; I like the security of a regular paycheck and having been in the position of choosing between bills and food once, I never want to be there again. But going part-time? That sounds good. That sounds awesome in fact.

So the next step is figuring out how to make it happen. At the moment my plan is a bit like this:

1. ???
2. Go part-time.
3. ???
4. HAPPINESS.

I think I need to work on this a bit more...