Jill Asked me

How do you get it all done?

The short answer is  I don’t! I am always behind and some thing do not get done.

The longer Answer is Lists..  SO MANY lists!

Line them up.. write it out, set it down so you can see it..  don’t worry to much on the order at the Beginning.  But just like the photo above.. you should end up with the bigger project, the next size down and then the little guys…   You see the photo above.. its perfect.. its all lined up.. HAHA right

At this point.. you can start to sort them in your head so they match up..  See above.. on your lists if after you write it out, you can see that certain things should go together.. so clump them.. just as I clumped the colors here..

Start moving that list around.. so the light blue and green, those are best things done in cool.. so move them to morning or evening..  sometimes in the hard part of heat in the afternoon, move to the house things, but maybe you can do the smaller things outside if they are short and you can get it done.. MIX that list up.. and stack and re-stack as needed..

Now at times you need to split out, clump them up and for those big ones..  Split it again into pieces of your time and your ability..   The key is knowing that you can’t get it all done.. 

Hubby and I are both in general are tidyish people but we are not super clean nor are we outstanding at keeping things in straight and narrow lines..  we are outside the line people lol

We are.. put that there, we might need it later.. tomorrow, next month, next year.. a couple years from now..

In the long run this saves a great deal of money but it sure does not add to the “order or white picket fence” ideal of a small farm..  It works well with a frugal small land holder that does not spend money on powered equipment.

Ok on a more detailed note.. I roll with it, I roll with the seasons and while I love to learn new things I work the same things over and over year after year.

Farmgal Tip:  Learning a new skill is great BUT!! you need to work it into your routine..  Its one of those things I consider important.. work the new skill till you are happy with were you are at.. then find its place and timing..  and make it happen.. pick up the skill again and work it.. monthly, seasonally or yearly depending on the skill but do it every single year..

Till it can be weeks or months between uses but it still becomes muscle memory.. this is one of the biggest keys to getting a good amount done..  You will start to flex that memory.. this is due NOW, I have this many days to make it happen or I miss it this season..

This type of information in your head is what also you to read your lists and clump things down..

Live example, I looked at Dear Hubby and said..  I must do another nine trays of elder flowers, I want to put up another quart jar of flowers for tea making..  and he said, tonight and I went yes.. because I knew that we were pushing the tail end of the flowering season and It was now or never..

Its that kind of knowledge of timing that lets you say.. not today, it can wait and we can do this.. or say.. NO.. Now!

I have had friends say things seem smooth on things but its not true.. its a bumpy ride where we move from this to that and on to there all the time.. but its our norm and so we are calm and steady.

And as there is two of us.. WE TALK.. we have our quiet moments but we always have a chats on.. what are the plans, is this the best use of our time at the moment, should we be doing something else?  Sometimes it very short and we are good to go and other time its longer as we are not on the same spot on what or were that time and energy should be going..

Ok. I hope that helps answer your question on how do we get all done..

We work hard to get ENOUGH done and we let the rest go!

Ps, ya I know I used lunch it from Tupperware to get my point across.. sometimes you need to be create when you are looking for photos to go with your words..