The rules, they are a-changin'

Over the last three weeks I've been making various changes to my personal contract, as the need has warranted. Various things, like needing to make a doctor's appointment, have made me experiment with ways to move requirements around to make room. Taking up judo turned out to complicate things a bit, because all told it takes four hours out of my day. Some days have seen me skip it, and others have involved late nights catching up. (Another complicating factor has been my inability to get out of bed as early as I should.) I've had to account for the couple of nights when, for one reason or another, it just wasn't a good idea to stay up as late as it would take to finish everything. I made a lot of changes, sometimes several times in the same day as I thought of better ways to implement what I had in mind. My desk contains a decent stack of the different versions I've printed out and signed.

All that said, I consider this contract a success. It's given my days structure and forced me to be productive most days to a degree that I used to be pleased with achieving once a week. It's kept me from going stir-crazy. I've managed to keep to the essential rule, that I would amend it and sign a new copy rather than violating it, and that has kept me from blowing the contract off. Even if I meant to lighten the load a bit, having to sit down and write out what I intended kept me from taking the sort of advantage that I would regret later.

Today I made the biggest change to the contract, and cleaned up and streamlines the other provisions along the way. The main change was to make room for judo by removing two hours of work from the days when I practice, and adding an hour to my Saturday requirement. I cleaned up the language concerning holidays and days when I missed my quota. If the exact language is of interest to you, here it is:


I intend, upon signing, to follow the terms set out in this contract. I will not act contrary to this contract without first amending the contract and re-signing an updated copy. I will not abolish this contract without printing and signing a statement to that effect.

In case of an emergency I can suspend this contract for no more than the current day. (The contract can be suspended on subsequent days by a decision made on that day.) Barring cataclysm, I will resume or amend the contract promptly and in good faith.

I. This section will apply while I am not employed at a regular job.

A. Definitions:

1. “Pursuing work” means:

a. Searching for or reading job listings.

b. Preparing job application materials.

c. Applying for jobs.

d. The aforementioned activities in regard to health insurance, if I have no health insurance or need to change it.

e. Searching for or arranging paid writing opportunities. This does not include the actual writing of the projects or their pitches, which would fall under I-A-2.

2. Writing and editing.

a. “Edit” means to examine material I have written while making improvements, marking improvements to be made later, or taking notes of improvements to be made.

b. “Write” refers to the production of new words, whether drafting, freewriting, outlining, or rewriting.

c. Research, online or otherwise, is permitted, provided it relates directly to a question that arises during the course of writing or editing, and I return promptly to writing or editing when the question has been resolved.

3. “Reading” refers to reading fiction or nonfiction, for pleasure or edification. It includes the reading of physical codices, e-books on an e-reader, or printed material. It explicitly does not include the reading of material on a computer screen.

4. “Appointment” means a scheduled task or meeting outside the home which, including travel, takes two or more hours. Events which may be considered appointments include doctor visits and martial arts classes. “Appointment” may also include attending to business with bureaucratic entities such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, whether or not scheduled, if the task, including travel, takes two or more hours. It does not include regular errands such as shopping trips, regardless of duration.

B. On weekdays when I do not attend an appointment:

1. I will spend no less than two hours pursuing work.

2. I will spend no less than four hours writing or editing.

3. I will spend no less than one hour reading.

4. I will not browse the internet recreationally, play video games, or read (as defined in I-A-3) beyond the one-hour requirement until I have met the requirements of I-B-1 through 3, except that I may do these things during a one-hour break, which I may only take after completing at least two combined hours of the tasks in I-B-1 or 2.

C. On weekdays when I do attend an appointment (normally Tuesdays and Thursdays when I attend a martial arts class):

1. I will spend no less than one hour pursuing work.

2. I will spend no less than three hours writing or editing.

3. I will spend no less than one hour reading.

4. I will not browse the internet recreationally, play video games, or read (as defined in I-A-3) beyond the one-hour requirement until I have met the requirements of I-B-1 through 3, except that I may do these things during a one-hour break, which I may only take after completing a combined two hours of the tasks in I-B-1 or 2.

D. On Saturdays:

1. I will spend no less than three hours writing or editing; or, I will spend no less than two hours writing or editing and one hour pursuing work.

2. If I have not posted to my blog since the preceding Saturday, I will do so before midnight. Time spent writing or editing a blog post will count toward time spent writing or editing that day.

3. I will not browse the internet recreationally or play video games until I have completed at least one combined hour of the tasks in I-D-1.

E. For the purposes of completing the tasks required in this section I, a day is considered to end when I go to sleep for the night.

F. In the event that, after midnight, I cannot reasonably or should not complete the tasks required in this section I before going to sleep for the night, one-half of that day’s total requirement in any uncompleted task will be added to the requirement for the next nonexempt day.

G. Exempt days. I will not require myself to perform the tasks required in this section I on exempt days. Exempt days are:

1. Any Sunday.

a. When it is clearly helpful (and not merely to accommodate a lack of motivation on my part) I may make Saturday an exempt day instead of Sunday, for that week only, and perform the tasks required by I-D on Sunday instead of on Saturday.

2. Valentine’s Day, Easter, Girlfriend's birthday, my birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

3. Days when I am on vacation. “Vacation” refers to periods where I stay overnight somewhere other than my regular home, and the days spent traveling to or from the place of the vacation. Days spent attending a convention, such as PAX, will also be considered vacation days even if I stay overnight at my regular home.

H. Half days. On half days I will reduce the time required for all tasks by one half; except I will not reduce the amount of any time requirement carried over or transferred from a different day as permitted by I-F or I-G-1-a. Half days are:

1. School holidays when Girlfriend has the day off from work, not including Summer Vacation.

2. Independence Day, Election Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.

II. This version of this contract supersedes previous versions. I activate and engage the contract by signing below.



Other than that, not much to report.