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These are the words of the sample results shown on the website, for screen readers and for anyone who prefers text. Both examples are fictional and in English, like the product. Anna is preparing to move: her decision is Not yet, because two of her five checks are still amber. Sam decides to stay and change something where they live: the decision is Go and change where I am, with two checks still amber.
Every decision shows the status of five checks: money, papers, people, place and Plan B. The PDFs show each check as a light, green or amber. Amber means the check still needs work. Each PDF counts its own pages. Charts are written out as text and tables.
- Anna: My Working Direction
- Anna: My Explore Summary
- Anna: My Decision
- Anna: My Blueprint, Phase 1
- Sam: My Working Direction
- Sam: My Explore Summary
- Sam: My Decision
- Sam: My Change Plan
Anna: My Working Direction
Anna (fictional) is preparing to move. This is her first result, dated 20 October 2026. Open the PDF.
Page 1
The Made Real Blueprint / Step 1
I want to wake with the light in a small house with land, and work three mornings a week at the bookkeeping I am good at.
I want two hours outside every day and people close enough to eat with. I want to stop being afraid of January.
Anna · 20 October 2026
My working direction
What I am choosing between
- Option A: Rent a small house with land near Góis for a year. Not sure yet: whether winter there is bearable alone.
- Option B: Buy a cheap place inland and renovate slowly. Not sure yet: the real renovation cost, and whether I have the skill.
What I want to protect My three clients. My sister. My morning hour. Being able to say exactly what I think.
FREEDOM · NATURE · PEACE OF MIND · HEALTH · FAMILY · SIMPLICITY · INDEPENDENCE A direction to investigate. Let go for now: Buying and renovating inland: I do not have the skill or the stomach for it yet. And the Algarve: the price and the crowds are the opposite of what I wrote down.
Page 2
My starting point
What I want more of Work and money are steady; free time and home are where the gaps are. Family and friends is the one area I would not want to trade for anything.
| Life area | Today | In one year |
|---|---|---|
| Home and surroundings | 3 | 9 |
| Fun and free time | 4 | 8 |
| Health and energy | 5 | 8 |
| Work | 5 | 8 |
| Love and relationship | 4 | 7 |
| Personal growth | 5 | 7 |
My own scores, 1–10. The second mark is where I want to be in a year, not something already achieved.
Time I decide for myself
Time I decide for myself: now 32 of my 112 waking hours a week (29%); what I want is 60 hours (54%).
32 of my 112 waking hours a week are mine to choose. The second figure is what I am aiming at.
The first block I take back
Thursday. I will ask in the next two weeks to make it a home day, and use the morning for the house search instead of the evening.
I have managed a difficult change before: I coordinated my father's care for two years while keeping every client. Lotte's directness and Hendrik's loyalty are things I can lean on again.
Page 3
Money and momentum
A first money picture These are my own figures for a month in the new life, and the income I can count on.
Monthly costs €2,245. Income I can count on €1,650. Short each month €595, on the costs and income recorded here.
€11,000 is recorded for the change itself. €20,700 is left to live on after the one-time costs, deposits and a €8,000 reserve.
What my new life must give me
Outside space of my own · Fast, reliable internet · A doctor within 30 minutes · Reachable from the Netherlands in a day · Neighbours, not isolation · A town with a market
My next small step, within two weeks
Book an eight-day visit inland in February and ask for Thursdays at home
Questions to settle: That the internet is good enough to keep my clients. That €780 really rents a house with land. That I can bear February there alone. That my clients do not mind the address.
Review / 1 March 2027, after the visit
Continue if I can work my days there without a single apology to a client, and if February does not frighten me. Change direction if the internet fails. Stop if eight days alone there make me lonely rather than quiet.
Dealbreakers I carry forward: Somewhere I cannot work because the internet drops. Being more than a day's travel from my sister. A place where I would be the only person for a kilometre.
Anna: My Explore Summary
Anna (fictional) is preparing to move. This result is dated 14 March 2027. Open the PDF.
Page 1
The Made Real Blueprint / Step 2
A rented house with land in the Serra do Açor, inland from Coimbra — around Góis, Arganil or Pampilhosa da Serra.
Portugal · Coimbra district · around Góis Anna · 14 March 2027
The life around the house
- Hospital: 40 minutes (checked)
- Family doctor: 25 minutes (still an estimate)
- Shops: 12 minutes (checked)
- Airport: 2 hours (checked)
Travel times as I recorded them, not measured on a map. A green dot is something I checked; an ochre dot is still an estimate.
Go further with this place It does not give me a market town on the doorstep. The nearest proper market is twenty-five minutes away, and I have decided I can live with that.
Page 2
From research to real life
What I learned here Eight days in February gave me what the research could not: an ordinary winter week, with laundry, bad weather that disrupted the internet connection, and nothing special happening.
Countries / my scores out of 20
| Country | Score out of 20 |
|---|---|
| Portugal | 16 |
| Spain | 12 |
| Netherlands | 17 |
My own scores on the workbook’s ten factors. The highest total is not automatically the right answer; it is a way of seeing where they differ.
The visit / in my own words
An ordinary week
“On the Wednesday it rained all day, I worked until two and then walked to the village in the wet, and it still felt like my life.”
What I would rather not have seen
“How quiet the valley is after eight in the evening, and how far away everyone I know would be.”
What changed
The house: the cold old places I had been looking at are not workable, so I am looking at newer rentals.
The language: fewer people spoke English than I expected, so I start lessons now.
The distance: Lotte would be a flight away, not a drive.
Page 3
The next checks
More real than the guess
Step 1, what I guessed a month would cost: €2,245. Step 2, what I found: €2,360.
What I found is €115 more than I guessed. About €2,360 a month, checked against real bills in February rather than brochure figures.
Short by €710 a month, on the income I can count on.
€1,650 confirmed from the three clients. Everything above that is hoped for, not counted.
Open before the next decision
Whether the fibre holds in a storm.
What the house really costs to heat in January.
Whether I will still want this in my third winter.
My next small step / review on 1 May 2027
Book a second visit, alone, for ten days: 12 to 21 April 2027 My legal route, as I recorded it: Residency as a self-employed person. I must prove steady income, health cover and an address.
Anna: My Decision
Anna (fictional) is preparing to move. Her decision on 1 May 2027 is Not yet, because two of her five checks (money and people) are still amber. Open the PDF.
Page 1
The Made Real Blueprint / Step 3
Not yet Am I ready to rent a house with land near Góis for twelve months, from September 2027?
A twelve-month rental, not a purchase. My flat here rented out, not sold.
Anna · 1 May 2027
My five lights / as I recorded them
| Check | Status | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Amber | Two new clients in writing, or €200 off the costs |
| Papers | Green | Residency route checked with my lawyer |
| People | Amber | The dates I come back each year, agreed with Lotte |
| Place | Green | The April visit confirmed the house and the village |
| Plan B | Green | Lotte's spare room if I come back before the flat is free |
These colours record my own assessment on this date; they are not an independent verification. Any amber or red checks still need attention before I commit.
The conditions still open
- Money, due 31 May 2027: two new clients in writing, or €200 off the costs.
- People, due 31 May 2027: the dates I come back each year, agreed with Lotte.
My first step: Move the bookkeeping fully online, so the address stops mattering, before 7 May 2027.
Page 2
02 / money
What my budget allows
Monthly costs €2,360. Income I can count on €1,650. Short each month €710, on the income I can count on today.
Step 1 guessed €2,245 a month. Step 2 found €2,360, 5% more.
How €42,000 becomes €16,100 to live on
Savings available €42,000, minus €600 deciding costs, minus €11,000 moving costs, minus €2,300 tied-up deposits, minus €8,000 emergency reserve, minus €4,000 return fund, leaves €16,100 for monthly shortfalls.
Runway: 22 months at €710 short a month, against 18 months I want.
If monthly costs rise by 30%, they become €3,068. With income of €1,650, the monthly shortfall is €1,418. The €16,100 available for shortfalls would last about 11 months.
This calculation uses the €16,100 left after the deciding costs, moving costs, tied-up deposits, emergency reserve and return fund have been set aside. It does not use the full €42,000 in savings. Nothing here is advice; these are my own figures. This check uses the numbers you enter. It shows what your numbers say; it does not predict what will happen. Prices, taxes and rules change. Before you commit money, for example by selling a home or signing a contract, ask a qualified professional.
Page 3
Risk and a way back
What I will watch Not yet: continue preparing for a move. The money carries it, 22 months once the reserve and the return fund are set aside, and the place held up on a second visit alone. What is missing is the income in writing and the dates with Lotte. I am not giving notice before both are done.
Risk 1: The quiet turns into loneliness
Warning sign: Two months where I do not want to leave the house
Portuguese lessons from week one, and the market every Saturday whether I need anything or not.
Risk 2: A client leaves over the address
Warning sign: A quarter-end where Hendrik asks to meet in person twice
Fly over in March every year at my own cost, and say so before I go.
Risk 3: My mother's health worsens while I am four hours away
Warning sign: A second hospital visit in one month
A flight budget kept separate, and the dates I come back fixed with Lotte in advance.
My own judgement of what could go wrong. The warning signs are things I will look for, not predictions.
My way back
Keep a home.
Protect a return fund.
€4,000 kept apart: the van home and a first month somewhere. Lotte's spare room is where I would land.
I plan to rent out my flat for the first year rather than sell it. I will stay with Lotte if I need to return before I can move back into my flat.
The alternative still on the table
A four-day week in a cheaper Dutch town, with the garden allotment and Lotte twenty minutes away.
Page 4
From decision to action
The order I will do this in Nothing I cannot undo until the lights are green: the two client agreements and the dates with Lotte before I give notice, the flat let and the internet tested before I sign, and the €8,000 reserve untouched.
A commitment I keep for later
I rent for a full year before I even look at buying.
By 7 May 2027
Move the bookkeeping fully online
What must be true first: Nothing — this one I can do on my own
Let from 1 September 2027
Rent out my flat, rather than sell it
What must be true first: An agent who will manage it while I am away
1 June 2027, last day 31 August
Give notice at the office, three months
What must be true first: Both conditions met: the clients in writing, the dates with Lotte
By 31 July 2027, for 1 Sep 2027 to 31 Aug 2028
Sign the twelve-month rental near Góis
What must be true first: Notice given, the flat let, the internet tested on site
By 30 September 2027
Apply for residency
What must be true first: A signed rental contract as proof of address
Page 5
From decision to action
What I come back to
Look again / 1 April 2028, after the first winter
If neither new client has signed by 31 May 2027, with costs at €2,360, I postpone by six months rather than start on a shrinking runway.
Decided with: Lotte knows and agrees in principle; we still need to agree the dates by 31 May 2027. Hendrik has confirmed the work continues wherever I sit.
Anna: My Blueprint, Phase 1
Anna (fictional) is preparing to move. Her decision on 1 May 2027 is Not yet. Open the PDF.
Page 1
The Made Real Blueprint / Phase 1
I want to wake with the light in a small house with land, and work three mornings a week at the bookkeeping I am good at.
I want two hours outside every day and people close enough to eat with. I want to stop being afraid of January.
Anna · 1 May 2027
What I am choosing now
A rented house with land in the Serra do Açor.
Not yet.
Nothing I cannot undo until the lights are green: the two client agreements and the dates with Lotte before I give notice, the flat let and the internet tested before I sign, and the €8,000 reserve untouched.
One year to test an ordinary life. Two conditions still open. First action: 7 May.
My own answers across the three steps of Phase 1, gathered on one document. It shows what I think today, with the open work visible.
The Blueprint is self-study. It is not coaching, therapy, or legal, tax, immigration, financial, medical or psychological advice, and it cannot promise any result.
The three steps and their dates: Picture, 20 October 2026; Explore, 14 March 2027; Decide, 1 May 2027.
Page 2
What I am choosing
Keep the life in the plan Freedom, Nature, Peace of mind, Health, Family, Simplicity, Independence. The move is only worth it if ordinary days make more room for these.
Time I decide for myself
Time I decide for myself: now 32 of my 112 waking hours a week (29%); what I want is 60 hours (54%).
32 of my 112 waking hours a week are mine to choose today. The second figure is what I am aiming at.
What I need / what the research found
| What I need | Fits | What the research found |
|---|---|---|
| Outside space of my own | Yes | Known |
| Fast, reliable internet | Yes | Unknown |
| A doctor within 30 minutes | Yes | Known |
| Reachable from the Netherlands in a day | Yes | Known |
| Neighbours, not isolation | Partly | Estimate |
What I protect / what I accept
My three clients. My sister. My morning hour. Being able to say exactly what I think.
The car. The storage unit. Half my clothes. The idea that leaving means I failed at staying.
I will know it worked if I am outside two hours a day, if January 2029 does not frighten me, and if someone in the village knows how I take my coffee.
Page 3
03 / money
What my budget allows
Monthly costs €2,360. Income I can count on €1,650. Short each month €710, on the income I can count on today.
Step 1 guessed €2,245 a month. Step 2 found €2,360, 5% more.
How €42,000 becomes €16,100 to live on
Savings available €42,000, minus €600 deciding costs, minus €11,000 moving costs, minus €2,300 tied-up deposits, minus €8,000 emergency reserve, minus €4,000 return fund, leaves €16,100 for monthly shortfalls.
Runway: 22 months at €710 short a month, against 18 months I want.
If monthly costs rise by 30%, they become €3,068. With income of €1,650, the monthly shortfall is €1,418. The €16,100 available for shortfalls would last about 11 months.
This calculation uses the €16,100 left after the deciding costs, moving costs, tied-up deposits, emergency reserve and return fund have been set aside. It does not use the full €42,000 in savings. Nothing here is advice; these are my own figures. This check uses the numbers you enter. It shows what your numbers say; it does not predict what will happen. Prices, taxes and rules change. Before you commit money, for example by selling a home or signing a contract, ask a qualified professional.
Page 4
My next chapter
Prepare, check, then commit
| Check | Status | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Amber | Two new clients in writing, or €200 off the costs |
| Papers | Green | Residency route checked with my lawyer |
| People | Amber | The dates I come back each year, agreed with Lotte |
| Place | Green | The April visit confirmed the house and the village |
| Plan B | Green | Lotte's spare room if I come back before the flat is free |
These colours record my own assessment on this date; they are not an independent verification. Any amber or red checks still need attention before I commit.
Open conditions
- Money, due 31 May 2027: two new clients in writing, or €200 off the costs.
- People, due 31 May 2027: the dates I come back each year, agreed with Lotte.
My first action
Move the bookkeeping fully online, so the address stops mattering, before 7 May 2027.
If neither new client has signed by 31 May 2027, with costs at €2,360, I postpone by six months rather than start on a shrinking runway.
My way back
€4,000 kept apart: the van home and a first month somewhere. Lotte's spare room is where I would land.
I look at this decision again on 1 April 2028, after the first winter. Dealbreakers I carry forward: Somewhere I cannot work because the internet drops. Being more than a day's travel from my sister. A place where I would be the only person for a kilometre.
Sam: My Working Direction
Sam (fictional) decides to stay and change something. This is the first result, dated 21 September 2026. Open the PDF.
Page 1
The Made Real Blueprint / Step 1
I stay in the town I know, and I get my evenings back.
I work four days, and the fifth day is outdoors. I am outside every day, even when the weather is bad.
Sam · 21 September 2026
My working direction
What I am choosing between
- Option A: Four days a week here, Friday outdoors. Not sure yet: whether my manager agrees, and whether four-fifths pay is comfortable.
- Option B: Move somewhere greener and cheaper. Not sure yet: whether I would still have anybody to eat with.
What I want to protect My job and the people in it. My flat and the rent I can afford.
My sister ten minutes away. The Thursday market. Knowing the chemist by name.
HEALTH · FREEDOM · FAMILY · NATURE · SIMPLICITY Build the life I want where I am. Let go for now: A fifth of my pay, evening email, and the idea that the life I want is abroad.
Page 2
My starting point
What I want more of Nine hours a day in an office, two of them on things that could wait. Sixteen hours a week that are mine. A flat I like, with no outside space, in a town I do not want to leave.
| Life area | Today | In one year |
|---|---|---|
| Fun and free time | 3 | 8 |
| Health and energy | 4 | 8 |
| Personal growth | 4 | 6 |
| Work | 6 | 7 |
| Love and relationship | 5 | 6 |
| Home and surroundings | 6 | 7 |
My own scores, 1–10. The second mark is where I want to be in a year, not something already achieved.
Time I decide for myself
Time I decide for myself: now 16 of my 112 waking hours a week (14%); after the change 26 hours (23%).
16 of my 112 waking hours a week are mine to choose. The second figure is what I am aiming at.
The first block I take back
Two evenings a week to start, then the whole of Friday. That is about ten hours back, every week.
I keep small promises. I am good at the work. I know everyone in three streets.
Page 3
Money and momentum
A first money picture These are my own figures for a month in the new life, and the income I can count on.
Monthly costs €2,210. Income I can count on €2,360. €150 left over each month, on the costs and income recorded here.
€690 is recorded for the change itself. €6,710 is left to live on after the one-time costs, deposits and a €6,600 reserve.
What my new life must give me
Daylight after work, most days · One whole day a week outdoors · Rent I can pay without counting · My sister within half an hour · Work I am good at · A patch of ground of my own
My next small step, within two weeks
No work after six on Tuesday and Thursday for four weeks, 22 September to 15 October 2026, plus one unpaid Friday on 9 October.
Questions to settle: That my manager will discuss four days at all. That I can live on four-fifths of my pay.
That I will actually go outside when the evening is free.
Review / 16 October 2026
If I am outside on most of those evenings, I ask for the four-day week. If I work through them anyway, the hours are not the problem, and I look at the job instead.
Dealbreakers I carry forward: A week with no daylight in it. Moving away from my sister. Rent I have to think about on the first of the month.
Sam: My Explore Summary
Sam (fictional) decides to stay and change something. Open the PDF.
Page 1
The Made Real Blueprint / Step 2
Four days a week in the same job, with Friday outdoors.
Daylight after work and one day a week outside. I keep the job, the flat, my sister nearby and the market.
Sam · 28 October 2026
What I am checking
The change, and what it rests on Most of what I need is already here. I do not yet have outdoor space of my own, so I will test whether sharing a neighbour's allotment meets that need. The test worked on six evenings out of eight. Moving would cost me the people I stay for.
What it does not give me
It does not give me land of my own. A corner of a neighbour's allotment does for now, and places on the allotment waiting list may become available in spring.
What is still unknown
What the lower pay does to my pension over ten years. Whether I keep it up in January.
Money after the change
€2,360 a month after the change, against €2,210 of costs. €150 left over, with the €6,600 emergency reserve untouched.
My week
About 16 hours a week now and 26 after the change. I plan to spend three of those 26 hours at the allotment.
Page 2
What I found out
The rules, the people, and the test
Rules at work or home
The handbook allows the request after two years; I have nine. Two months' notice, in writing.
HR is still checking what the lower pay does to my pension.
The people involved
My sister would like a week's notice before we spend a Friday together. My manager wants a month of it working first. My team wants to discuss any questions with me on Thursdays, before my day off.
What my test showed
Six evenings out of eight, and the unpaid Friday spent outside. Nothing at work went wrong.
What I choose now
Go further with this change
My next small step, within two weeks: Have an initial conversation with my manager by 7 November 2026.
I review what I learned: 28 December 2026. Step 3 checks this change with the five green lights and ends with the plan that goes with it.
Sam: My Decision
Sam (fictional) decides to stay and change something. The decision on 2 November 2026 is Go and change where I am, with money and papers still amber. Open the PDF.
Page 1
The Made Real Blueprint / Step 3
Go and change where I am Do I change my life where I am, or do I move?
A written request for four days, with my notice period, and the first Friday off.
Sam · 2 November 2026
My five lights / as I recorded them
| Check | Status | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Amber | One month with the difference between my pay and €2,360 set aside (€590), and €2,360 covering what I actually spend |
| Papers | Amber | Written agreement on my hours, my pay and the option to return to five days |
| People | Green | My sister knows, and my manager has agreed to a meeting |
| Place | Green | I stay in the flat I know, at the rent I know |
| Plan B | Green | If the request is refused, the two evenings stay and I ask again after six months |
These colours record my own assessment on this date; they are not an independent verification. Any amber or red checks still need attention before I commit.
The conditions still open
- Money, due 4 December 2026: one month with the difference between my pay and €2,360 set aside (€590), and €2,360 covering what I actually spend.
- Papers, with the written request on 1 December 2026: written agreement on my hours, my pay and the option to return to five days.
My first step: Have an initial conversation with my manager. No decision is needed yet; I will test the budget before submitting a formal request, before 4 November 2026.
Page 2
02 / money
What my budget allows
Monthly costs €2,210. Income I can count on €2,360. €150 left over each month, on the income I can count on today.
How €14,000 becomes €6,710 to live on
Savings available €14,000, minus €690 for the change itself, minus €6,600 emergency reserve, leaves €6,710 for monthly shortfalls.
Months I want: 6.
If monthly costs rise by 30%, they become €2,873. With income of €2,360, the monthly shortfall is €513.
The €6,710 available for shortfalls would last about 13 months, with the €6,600 emergency reserve kept separate. I would go back to five days for a season rather than spend it.
This calculation uses the €6,710 left after the change itself and emergency reserve have been set aside. It does not use the full €14,000 in savings. Nothing here is advice; these are my own figures. This check uses the numbers you enter. It shows what your numbers say; it does not predict what will happen. Prices, taxes and rules change. Before you commit money, for example by selling a home or signing a contract, ask a qualified professional.
Page 3
Risk and a way back
What I will watch Most of what I need is already here. I do not yet have outdoor space of my own, so I will test whether sharing a neighbour's allotment meets that need. The four-week test worked on six evenings out of eight. Moving would cost me the people I stay for.
Risk 1: I get the time and fill it with work again
Warning sign: Two Fridays in a row where I do not leave the house
A standing Friday with my sister, so somebody is expecting me
Risk 2: My manager says no
Warning sign: The meeting keeps being moved
Keep the two evenings, ask again after six months, one unpaid day a month meanwhile
Risk 3: Four-fifths pay turns out to be tight
Warning sign: The first month ends with nothing left over
Live on the lower figure for a month before I sign anything
My own judgement of what could go wrong. The warning signs are things I will look for, not predictions.
My way back
Keep a home.
Protect a return fund.
Not needed. The equivalent is the reserve, and a written option to return to five days.
Before changing my hours, I will ask whether I can return to five days and get any agreement in writing. My reserve of €6,600 stays untouched.
The alternative still on the table
Nothing changes, nothing is risked, and the money stays where it is.
Page 4
From decision to action
The order I will do this in For one month, set aside the difference between my current pay and €2,360 (€590 a month) and check that €2,360 covers my actual spending. Written agreement on my hours, my pay and the option to return to five days before I sign anything.
A commitment I keep for later
I rent, and I keep renting. A four-day week is not the month to take on a mortgage.
4 November 2026
Have an initial conversation with my manager
What must be true first: Nothing yet. No decision is needed at this point
2 to 30 November 2026
Set aside the difference between my pay and €2,360 for a month
What must be true first: Last three months of spending in front of me
1 December 2026
Put the request in writing, with two months' notice
What must be true first: A yes in principle, and the result of the budget month
January 2027
Take a corner of a neighbour's allotment
What must be true first: Tools and boots
5 February 2027
First Friday outdoors
What must be true first: The four-day week in place
Page 5
From decision to action
What I come back to
Look again / 28 December 2026
My employer refuses the request and cannot offer an alternative, or a month on the lower pay that does not add up.
Decided with: Me, with my sister. We agree.
Sam: My Change Plan
Sam (fictional) decides to stay and change something. The decision on 2 November 2026 is Go and change where I am. Open the PDF.
Page 1
If I am staying
My change plan Four days a week in the same job, with Friday outdoors, and two evenings a week that end at six.
In place by 1 February 2027.
What I keep
My job and the people in it, the flat, my sister ten minutes away, and the Thursday market.
The small test I run first
Already done: four weeks of evenings that ended at six, 22 September to 15 October 2026, and one unpaid Friday on 9 October, before I put the request in writing.
Page 2
If I am staying
The order I will do it in
Money and buffer
€2,360 a month from 1 February 2027, confirmed, against €2,210 of costs. The €6,600 emergency reserve stays untouched. It covers just under three months at the planned monthly cost of €2,210.
Hours I decide, before and after
About 16 hours a week now and 26 after the change. Three of those 26 are at the allotment.
4 November 2026
Have an initial conversation with my manager
What must be true first: Nothing yet. This one is a conversation, not a request
2 November 2026
Set aside the difference between my pay and €2,360 for a month
What must be true first: Last three months of spending in front of me
1 December 2026
Put the request in writing, with two months' notice
What must be true first: A yes in principle, and the result of the budget month
January 2027
Take a corner of a neighbour's allotment
What must be true first: Tools and boots
5 February 2027
First Friday outdoors
What must be true first: The four-day week in place
Page 3
If I am staying
What it rests on, and the way back
Who I tell
My sister first, then my manager, then the team.
From my sister I need a standing Friday, so somebody is expecting me.
My first 90 days
4 November 2026, the conversation. By 4 December 2026, two evenings a week that really end at six and a month of figures. By 1 February 2027, the four-day week in place.
What is still uncertain
What the lower pay does to my pension over ten years. Whether I keep the Friday in January, when it is dark and wet.
My Plan B
Before changing my hours, I will ask whether I can return to five days and get any agreement in writing. If four days is refused, I keep the two evenings and ask again after six months, with one unpaid day a month meanwhile. If the lower pay does not add up, I go back to five days for a season rather than spend the reserve.
I look at this again on 1 May 2027, and again on 1 February 2028. Staying is a decision like any other, and this is the plan that goes with it.