Let’s face it…
Homesteading can be tough sometimes.
Last week I asked the crew over on The Prairie Homestead Facebook page about the biggest obstacles preventing them from homesteading. Naturally, I got a diverse set of answers, but one kept popping up over and over again: lack of time.
I totally get it.
Since starting this homesteading gig years ago, time has been my biggest nemesis. When I worked full-time at my job in town, it was a challenge to find enough hours in the weekend to chip away at our over-zealous project list. Once Prairie Girl came along, I had to figure out how to balance a newborn baby, naptimes, and feedings with planting the garden, milking the goats, and cooking semi-edible food. Now my cheese-making and canning efforts directly compete with my ability to run this blog and keep up with my essential oil team.
For a while, I kept waiting for that season when “life would get easier.”
Newsflash:
It doesn’t.
At least not when you’re a homesteader.
I’ve flopped. I’ve failed. I’ve thrown temper-tantrums because of my chaotic days. I’ve wished for extra arms. I’ve grumbled. And I’ve envied folks who didn’t seem to be trying to cram a super-human amount of tasks into a single 24-hour period.
And then, somewhere in the midst of it all, I came to peace with it.
I’m not sure exactly when it happened. There wasn’t a flash of light, singing angels, or a voice from heaven.
But I guess I sort of figured it out. Well, at least as much as one can figure out this messy thing we call homestead life. Even though my to-do list is as long as ever, my days feel less stressful, my kids seem more content, and my husband has even noticed I’m more at ease. I’m definitely not claiming mastery over the topic of time management, but things feel more balanced and less crazy.
When I get emails from folks asking how I “do it all,” my initial reaction is to yell out “Oh… but I don’t... I really, really don’t!” And that’s the truth.
However, I’ve seem to come to a happy place where managing a family, homestead, and two businesses no longer makes me feel as though I’m drowning. Unfortunately, like most things in life, there isn’t one particular magical tip to make everything instantly better. Rather, I’ve learned to employ a rag-tag collection of life lessons, mindset changes, and miscellaneous strategies to make it “work.” And here they are >>>
My Top Homestead Time Management Tips
1. Being Able to “Do It All” is a Myth And a Dumb One at That
No one can “do it all.” Really, what does that even mean? I mean, yes, I do homestead, blog, raise my kids, and cook from scratch. But no, I don’t sew, or have a perfectly clean house, or throw Pinterest-perfect parties, or go to tons of playdates in town.
Be realistic with the expectations you place on yourself. Striving for excellence in the most important areas of your life is great. Striving to be everywhere and do everything is impossible. The dried watermelon juice that’s been on my floor for two weeks is evidence of that.
2. There Will Never Be the Perfect Time to Homestead… Do It Anyway
There will always be something preventing you from the perfect homestead scenario: jobs, kids, finances, space, lack of land, naysayers, and the list goes on…
When we started homesteading, we were both working full-time jobs in town, had just purchased a tumble-down property covered in trash and broken fencelines, were short on cash (because we had just bought aforementioned property), and absolutely no clue what we were doing.
Sounds like a recipe for disaster, huh?
But it wasn’t.
Yes, we made mistakes, but that was just a part of the process. (Yes, even the fencelines we ended up moving three times *wince*)
I’m glad we jumped into this lifestyle when we did–if we had waited for the “perfect” time to get started, we’d still be waiting…
3. Make a Plan to Help with Homestead Time Management
Those of you who’ve read Your Custom Homestead know-how fanatic I am about making plans and writing things down. Get painfully specific with your plans and goals for your homestead–both short-term and long-term ones. Write down what needs to be done today. Write down what needs to be done this month. Write down what needs to be done in the next five years (and everything in between).
Map it, scribble it, edit it, and hash it out. Your goals and plans will always be evolving (which is a good thing) but having at least a semi-clear direction as to where you want to go is priceless. And it makes my brain very happy.
4. Use a Paper Planner to Organize Your Homestead
One tool that has been a lifesaver when it comes to homestead time management is my paper planner, I truly would be lost without it. You can organize your entire life within the pages of a good planner if you know how to use it. Learn How to Organize Your Homestead with a Planner so that you will be able to manage your time more efficiently.
My planner is where I keep track of everyday life things like doctor’s appointments and soccer practice to homesteading things like breeding dates and garden planting. Let’s not forget about making time for work stuff and also time for myself.
A paper planner has been my go-to homesteading time management tool for years, but I never could find just one that fit my lifestyle needs. So… I decided to create my own; The Old-Fashioned on Purpose Planner was designed for busy people like us, looking for a way to simplify life and find time.
5. No Swirling Allowed in Homestead Time Management
Not to be confused with a “swirly,” swirling is the term I’ve come up with to describe the phenomenon that occurs when you have a big fat to-do list spinning around and around in your head until you feel like you can no longer put together a coherent sentence and you want to scream, “Make it stop!”
The best remedy for swirling? Write it down. I know, it sounds too easy, but writing down the crazy, spinning to-do list gets it out of my head and lets me focus on other stuff. And the added bonus? You get to cross the things off after you complete them. Best thing EVAH.
6. Getting Up a Little Earlier will Help with Time Management
If you’re already getting up at 4am, feel free to skip this one, but I’ve discovered time and time again, the entire day goes SO much smoother if I set my alarm and get up just a wee bit earlier. That way, I get my chores done before the kids wake-up (BIG bonus…) and feel more focused and organized as I start my day. Sometimes just 30 minutes is enough to make a marked change in the course of my day.
7. Know Your Busy Homestead Seasons
As the seasons change so do a homesteader’s list of projects and things to do. Managing what you are accomplishing throughout the year based on the seasons is a huge homestead time management help. For example, spring and fall tend to be very busy times of the year. these are not the best times to undergo big projects that can be done in the summer or winter.
Plan around garden planting and harvesting. Plan around calves being born, and chicken butchering days. Try and anticipate when each seasonal chore will need to be done and what you can plan around them.
8. Prioritize Your Tasks for Better Homestead Time Management
I used to be so bad at this… I’d be waist-deep in canning and gardening, yet I would let myself stress out about the barn renovations that needed to be done. Or I’d decide to repaint the living room while the garden was in full swing. Um, hello? Those things can wait! Train your brain to focus on the most important tasks at hand (aka canning the overripe tomatoes sitting on the counter) and ignore the things that can wait until later (aka cleaning out the cupboards).
9. Limit Your Distractions for Better Time Management
We live in an age where technology plays a huge role in our daily lives; cell phones, computers, and tablets can be found in almost every home. These things can be helpful necessary tools, but they can also distract us from what needs to be done.
It is ok to surf the web or scan through social media but don’t let it monopolize your time. Set aside a specific amount of time for these things, once your time is up move on to your daily must-dos. One thing that I have found useful when it comes to my phone, is to set it to do not disturb and keep it out of reach. This is kind of like the out-of-sight-out-of-mind saying at work when I am busy working I can’t hear it and I can’t see it so the job gets my total focus.
Don’t be afraid to unplug to create better homestead time management skills. It can be a challenge, but wait till you see the results!
10. Comparing is Bad For Homestead Time Management
We all do it, and we all need to stop. Comparing ourselves/lives/experiences with others is a surefire way to make yourself miserable. Comparison will smash your productivity, ruin your motivation, and leave you in a sniveling heap worrying about how many chickens the Joneses’ have. Then obsessing over, if you should drive to town to get more. I only know this because I’ve been there. Focus on watering the grass on your side of the fence, and pretty soon you’ll no longer care about the grass on the other side.
11. Embrace A Full Life When Homesteading
I’ve come to accept that my life will always be full. Do you know why? Because I like it like that. Yep, I’ll admit it: I like having a full schedule.
Not a crazy-out-of-breath-I’m-going-to-throw-a-fit schedule, but I am most comfortable having a pleasantly-full to-do list that I can work on throughout my day.
As a homesteader, you’re always going to have a never-ending to-do list. It’s the nature of this lifestyle. Embrace it– it’s not a bad thing, as long as you manage it correctly and don’t allow it to control your life.
12. Homestead Time Management Requires Flexibility
It is no secret that Homesteading is time-consuming and having a plan can really help prioritize want needs to be done. There is nothing better when a plan comes together and everything gets exactly right.
I am here to tell you that is not always the case. Homesteading is full of unexpected surprises and even the best plans will need room for some flexibility. Chickens get in the garden, milk cows have tantrums when it’s time to milk, kids get sick, a freak snowstorm comes early…you see where I am going with this?
Unexpected things are going to happen there is no way around it, you can’t control the things that happen but what you can do is control how you react to them. Allow yourself some flexibility, and don’t stress about the things that you can’t control. A good way to improve your time management is to set aside some time (30 minutes to an hour) throughout the week for things that might not get done due to unforeseen circumstances.
13. Ask for Help… Even if it Hurts
This was sooooooo hard for me. I’m stubborn and for the longest time, I just knew no one could do what I do as well as I can.
Wrong.
Hiring help has been one of the best choices I’ve ever made. I currently have an assistant who helps me with behind-the-scenes website stuff, and a fabulous babysitter that watches my kids two mornings each week. They are both worth their weight in gold and have allowed me to focus my energies on the most vital parts of my business, so I can be fully present with my kids (or in my kitchen/garden/barn) during the rest of the week.
If you don’t have a business, and just need help with your homesteading efforts, it’s still OK to ask for help with big projects. Have a bunch of chickens to butcher? Toss a tasty lunch in the crockpot, then invite the neighbors over to help. Really need an afternoon to wrap-up the last of the canning? Find a friend that you can kid-swap with. (You watch her kids one day, and she watches yours on a different day.)
Neighbors helping neighbors is a beautiful part of rural living and a lost skill for many of us who grew up in town. If you are new to homesteading life, then figuring out How to Cultivate Community While Homesteading can be a bit tricky. Finding “your people” is a great way to start.
14. Giving Yourself a Break, Helps with Homestead Time Management
I used to fight it like crazy.
“Time off” was a foreign concept to me and seemed incredibly unappealing. I mean, good grief! How can you just “waste” a day when there is so much to do??
Wrong again…
(Can you see a pattern here?)
This year I finally learned how to take a purposeful day off, for the first time ever. (I’m a slow learner…) And a miraculous thing happened: the homestead didn’t blow up, the blog kept running, and the earth stayed on its axis.
Who would have thought?
I now devote at least one full day (Sundays) to complete rest and relaxation. That means, I pretty much do whatever I want, and eliminate all requirements that I place on myself during the week. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I nap. Sometimes I go ride my horse. It’s less about the actual activity and more than I’m giving my brain a break. The best part, I always come back on Monday with fresh inspiration, ready to dive into the week.
Are You Ready for Homestead Time Management?
There isn’t one magical formula to effective time management, it’s more about figuring out what works for you and then sticking with it. I’m still on my journey, and some days are better than others, but life is definitely feeling a little smoother than it used to. Homesteading is a crazy, messy lifestyle, and as long as we can embrace that, rather than resent it, I think we’ll be just fine. 🙂
More About Building a Homestead:
- How to Start a Homestead From Scratch
- Homesteading With Kids: How We Do It
- Top 6 Money Principles for Homesteaders
- Practical Ways We Save Time On Our Homestead
Jill,
Thank you for this post. It’s helped us to take a deep breath and focus! We are 6 months into the homesteading scramble and there is just SO MUCH TO DO! It’s so relieving to know that we’re not the only ones trying so hard to find balance in the canning, goat milking, fruit and nut harvesting, etc, etc! Your post is perfectly timed as I have those tomatoes to can that I’ve been procrastinating about….
Thanks again,
Katie and Mark
This is such a great and timely post! Since recently adding a small jersey herd to our place, our days are very full. My husband and I run a business from home, so between that and two babies under 2, we are busy! During our daily walk to the barn each morning, my husband reads our bible study. It helps us both center on Christ before the kids are awake, the barn needs cleaned and the phone starts ringing. You are so right about having a plan that is on paper, it is very calming to a busy mind to know you are not going to forget anything! Thank you so much for this post, it is great to know somebody else wrestles the same problems as yourself!!
How awesome. I could never read and walk at the sametime so that alone it impressive and then to be “washed in the word” by your lover on an early morning walk! whew breathtaking!! LK
I Think that is just awesome doing the Bible study on the way to the barn!! A real blessing looking into God word first thing in the morning !! C.S.
Nicely said! That getting up just a little earlier truly does help. I have just started blogging and looking around the WWW for people who also farm/homestead…glad to have found your blog.
Jill….I use this one the most! Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize! My list is always a mile long, so I break it down in three section to how important it is. I LOVE your “no swirling allowed” and I feel such an achievement when I cross things off! Great post!
Your best blog yet. One tip I learned from being a waitress ( my favorite job ever and the one I learned the most from , those crusty old Flo types are the greatest sages!!) When your on your way Upstairs, to the barn, to the kitchen, to the garden look around is there something you could take with you to put back in it’s place, or can you do something along the way to multitask. For ex. your heading out to the garden, you grab your watering can and water the houseplants and deck plants along the way. you need to head upstairs or out to the barn ,Is there anything that needs to be put back in it’s place along the way. your making biscuits make a double batch and freeze em (never do this with cookies though The other thing I learned was to simplify One day a week I do dairy I take some of my milk and culture it with buttermilk (thermophlic) and yogurt mesophlic I use what I need that day and freeze the rest in icecube trays for the next week,. God bless LK
What a great post, and just in time here… We realized a few weeks back that our first attempts at fall/winter gardening were going to be a big fat failure because we were lacking nutrients which would cost more money to amend before fall which would mean credit or my poor hubby pulling OT… you see the dangerous slop right? So we just stopped and thanked the Universe for what we were able to produce this year and decided to use this fall to plant cover crops to make our beds extra happy for next year… It’s just impossible to do it all at once…
I accepted the peacefulness a few months ago.
I started planting after Mother’s Day (which is the right time for our zone) and continued adding new seeds all the way through mid-July. Probably too late, but hey, I used up old seeds and shock – some of those plants will be harvested!
We already get up at 4 am, so I am glad you said that suggestion didn’t apply to us!
We – I – already use most of your suggestions.
Your post (and the replies) helped me realize that I am not alone out here with a HUGE laundry list of things that NEED to get done and not enough time!
Thanks!
Great post Jill. I feel like you read my mind! Wonderful tips. I too like it busy and am still learning to take time off. I did that Monday even though I did not think I could afford to and guess what? I could! Have a great day!
Good for you Debbie! It’s amazing how you don’t think you can afford the day off, but it all works out, huh? 😉
Your right on there never being enough time. 9 times out of 10, what you planned to do, isn’t exactly what happens for which ever reason. I’m a big fan of #3 and #5. I work 2 hours away from my home, so I live away for half the month. I stay in contact with my wife through my work week, and usually we can get a “plan” together for my weekends. Also, prioritizing works well when it comes to weather. I feel much better about getting some of my indoor projects done when the weather outside is a pouring down rain. I know may sound weird, but that plans my day. I guess growing up on a dairy farm for my first 20 years taught me to work around the weather.
Thanks for the awesome blog!
This is such a great list! I really need to work on #4. I know you are right, but mornings are not my friend. I agree with you on Sundays. I do the same thing and it is amazing how refreshed I feel for the next week. Thanks for the post.
Hi Jill,
This is an amazing post and I especially appreciate your honesty. Your thoughts have been so encouraging to me this morning for more than just the homesteading aspect of my life. My most favorite? Number 7. Well said. I admire you. Thanks for sharing what your life is about.
Awesome post and so timely for me. Thank you so much for sharing this! I tried to pick out one or two to start with but they all speak to me so I will start with “Make a Plan” and see where I go from there. Thank you again!
This was a great read! Not only were they great tips for homesteading but for life in general. I am a huge list person and planner, it really keeps me on track.
Jill,
Lots of wisdom in this post, for such a young country girl! (wink) I especially like the last one. Of course! If God took a day off after He created the world, it’s probably a good thing for us to take a day off each week, too!
I couldnt agree more!
This is a fantastic post! We are busy homesteading, homeschooling and raising six kids, and all of the many things that life is. Time management is also my biggest hurdle. I have been working on trying to prioritize and get what I can get done. Thanks so much for your encouragement! 🙂
Thank you for this post. I have experienced all of this. Your comment about the watermelon juice on the floor was priceless. I’m doing this stuff, but I also have migraines that can take me out for days at a time. Comparing to others and letting me to-do list put me in a swirl doesn’t serve me or my family well. Might as well be at peace with my limitations and enjoy this incredible opportunity!
Well said Kat! <3
Thank you Jill for the Invitation to the Summit.I had some issues going on for the past few months, which is finally over. I am now more focused on these things.I am sorry I missed the bundle sale but I am sure something else will come around. Regards!
Thank you for this post. I am not – and have never been – a slave to time management or over-committing. And when I need a break, my wee little brain will just stop sharing its toys and *make* me take a little ‘me time’. 🙂
But your line “Focus on watering the grass on your own side of the fence” really resonates with me. And the ‘not comparing’ – I am guilty of that. It feels wonderful to read you’ve recognized that in yourself and gave yourself permission to let those things go. I’m going to try to ‘be like Jill’. 🙂
We just got chickens in October and my youngest son and I cannot believe how much joy we get out of tending them – bringing them treats, letting them out of their huge yard to free range in our even bigger yard (with plans to make the even BIGGER pasture safe from predators this summer), and collecting those amazing, amazing eggs. We really do feel so connected to our food with just this small change from “store bought to homestead” eggs.
Very much enjoy the blog – keep up the good work. Steady on!
Thanks Stacy! 😉 And congrats on your chickens!
This was something I really needed to hear, I too often struggle with these things and it’s good to know that it’s okay, I’m not the only one, and it’s possible to find peace in the chaos I male for myself.
You’re most definitely not the only one! Keep up the hard work, and I’m really glad you’ve found this community to help inspire you! There are a lot of great, supportive people in this homesteading world. 🙂