How Homesteaders Engaged in Organic Farming Can Manage Their Busy Lifestyles
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A life of sustainable homesteading that focuses on organic farming carries a unique allure. It emphasizes self-sufficiency with minimal environmental impact and maximum health benefits.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that nearly 188 countries worldwide practice organic farming. The US is also witnessing a growth rate of 10.53% in organic agriculture between 2024 and 2032.
While there are different types of homesteading, most suburban and large-scale homesteaders use organic farming methods. If you're among them, your daily life is far from easy. The manual labor, crop rotational needs, soil building practices, etc., are laborious and lengthy processes.
If it feels too overwhelming, pause and rethink your time management strategies. This article shares four tips to manage your busy lifestyle so that there will be no idle hours or unproductive days.
Plan Your Days
As a full-time sustainable homesteader, you have more on your plate than just organic farming. Plus, you must fulfill all your daily duties in light of good environmental stewardship. This is to emphasize that you cannot afford to go with the flow.
Take initiative and plan your days diligently, leaving some room for interruptions and self-care. This means you must know how to prioritize your daily or weekly chores.
Successfully planning one’s day usually starts with sleeping on time and waking up early. Try to stay in step with your rooster! If that's not possible, just ensure you're up before the rest of your household.
The morning hours can be used for planning the day. Consider using a planner to sort out your tasks based on their priority. As you list down your to-dos for the day, try identifying potential gaps or conflicts in your schedule to make adjustments accordingly. Let's see how an effectively planned day would look -
● There will be a fixed morning routine that works for you.
● Tasks would be scheduled based on priority and season.
● Similar tasks would be grouped or batched for easy transition. Examples include weeding and watering.
● Heavy work days will be alternated with lighter ones to avoid fatigue.
● Meal times and breaks will be strategically scheduled.
● There will be room for constant trial and error.
Make Use of Modern Tools
There is no walking around the fact that organic farming depends on an iron-clad work ethic. However, the silver lining is that technology has helped make the process more efficient, from soil sensors that measure nutrient levels to drones for crop monitoring.
You can invest in a few of the most useful ones to save time and boost yield while staying eco-friendly. Since you wish to maximize time, why stick to modern tools only for farming? There's scope to outsource technological help in other aspects of homesteading.
Take the example of a modern pressure cooker. This kitchen appliance can save not just time but also fuel in the kitchen. Plus, you don't have to prepare full-fledged meals. Many homesteaders use them to prepare healthy vegetable/bone broth, stews, rice/quinoa, and fresh steamed eggs.
Just remember that all tools come with the risk of malfunctioning. To put things into perspective, can a pressure cooker explode? Yes, and it happens due to manufacturing defects or improper use.
TorHoerman Law shares that modern pressure cookers do come with safety features designed to prevent explosions and injuries. However, malfunctioning parts and design defects make such features futile. So, no matter the tool, equipment, or appliance, check it thoroughly and use it as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Below is a helpful list of tools and appliances you can use in your sustainable homestead -
● Drip irrigation systems that lead to efficient use of water with minimal supervision
● Raised bed kits for better drainage and improved soil quality
● Heated waterers that prevent freezing in winter
● A solar power system to power your home off-grid
● Rainwater harvesting to reduce reliance on municipal supply
● An aquaponics/hydroponics system for efficient water usage
● Dehydrators to preserve fruits and vegetables safely
● Vacuum sealers that extend the shelf life of preserved goods
● Cordless electric tools to replace gas-powered options
Learn to Say No
Sustainable homesteaders focused on organic farming can only redeem their time when they establish healthy boundaries. We must realize our physical, mental, and emotional limitations. Off-track obligations have no room as they only prove to be a chase after fleeting distractions.
Psychology Today shares the importance of setting boundaries while also admitting that some can be more difficult than others to establish. The simple truth, no matter how challenging in practice, is that you need to do what you need to do. Let's look at some ways to set healthy boundaries for effective time management -
● Define your daily and weekly priorities. This makes it easier to identify what doesn't align with your values and goals.
● Structure your day around your homestead (organic farming or miscellaneous needs). Allow this rhythm to guide your commitments and availability.
● Practice saying no respectfully but firmly. There is no need to over-explain yourself.
● Do not allow anyone to overstep your boundaries. Keep in mind that boundaries only work when you uphold them, even at the cost of disappointing others.
● Guard your downtime like you would your crops.
Get the Whole Family Involved
Sustainable homesteading, let alone organic farming, can never be a solitary adventure. It relies heavily on collaboration and community support. To make this venture a roaring success, all family members should play a part. Let everyone pitch in based on their age, skills, physical strength, and more.
Even children as young as three or four can be assigned regular chores that ease the overall workload. Teenagers can go as far as helping on the farm with soil management or crop rotation. The younger ones can collect kitchen scraps for composting or simply water the plants.
If your kids don't seem too excited at the prospect of working, apply some healthy tricks. For instance, assign certain tasks that require no supervision while you're preparing lunch or supper. This should work as a good motivation because nobody wants to be late for their meals.
Here's a rundown of how to make this tip work in your favor -
● Always assign age-appropriate tasks so each member feels their work is a contribution, not a chore.
● Involve even your youngest in the decision-making process. Ask them for ideas on what to grow in the garden, what color to paint the fence, etc.
● Use opportunities to help your children understand the importance of a sustainable lifestyle.
● Try to make tasks as fun as possible. A game of Who Finds the Biggest Potato? will accelerate the harvesting process.
● Celebrate everyone’s wins and milestones.
● Be flexible and patient, accepting that not every day will go smoothly.
So, are you ready to steward your time efficiently to run a homestead that counts on its organic farm? It may take a lot of trial and error, so extend grace to yourself and your household.
Amid setting goals and planning, don't go to such extremes that you get discouraged. The Harrowsmith Magazine recommends having realistic deadlines or no deadlines at all (at least sometimes).
Finally, there will always be tasks that seem distasteful until they get done. Keep the bigger picture in mind and help your family visualize it as well. Do the best that you can to get the important stuff done and leave the rest for another day.
