When I began working for myself in 1998 I read a book — I can't remember which — that made an important distinction between hard work and difficult work. I've never forgotten it.

Hard work is about being persistent, disciplined, committed and, sometimes, working long hours (especially in the case of starting a business). Difficult work is complicated, confusing or highly technical — it takes a certain level of intellectual or specialist "grunt" to achieve the desired outcome.

If there was ever a good example of "the space in-between", it would be now, during the months of December and January. There's a strange, almost contradictory, feel of winding down and finishing up, yet beginning anew and preparing to wind up again.

And, even deeper, there's a space in-between the space in-between: a time of rest, restoration, renewal and revival — time to take stock, reflect, make changes and adapt.

Dare I say, it's a space and time for growth and decay.

I wrote back in November about not having a lot to do. I’m still grappling with it.

That said, looking over my financial records for the period 1 Sept—31 March over the last three years, my income is tracking at 72% of the same period ending 31 March 2013, 2012 — 77%, and 2011 — 161%.

I cringe using income as a measure of comparison, because I don’t do what I do for money (well, of course I do, though not predominantly), but it’s the standard measure of value. It’s interesting to be aware that I'm providing three quarters of the value, economically, compared to the last two years, and over one and a half times that of three years ago.