Time management while homesteading is essential if you want to accomplish all of your goals. The right time management will help you to fit homesteading into your busy life. With a little know-how, you’ll be surprised at what you can do.
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How do you do it all? That’s the question I hear the most. Time management skills aren’t something I’ve ever felt good at. However, this question keeps coming up in conversations.
The methods that work for me, might not work for everyone. However, there are some foundational time management skills that can help you achieve a successful homestead. So, here are a few ideas that can help you with time management while homesteading.
I manage 4 busy kids, a full-time job as a high school teacher, a job as a registered nurse at a busy hospital, my farm duties, and a healthy lifestyle. So how do I fit it all in?
By using time management I’ve managed to reach many of my homesteading goals. The to-do list will never go away, but there are little things you can do to increase productivity.
Time Management While Homesteading with Busy Kids
As my kids get older they definitely get busier. The time you use to spend chasing toddlers has been exchanged for after school activities, homework, and social lives. It can all be very overwhelming and leave you feeling like you don’t have much time..
One thing that helps me manage the chaos is choosing favorites. Not a favorite child, but a favorite activity. For example, have your child choose one organized after school activity at a time.
You may want your kids to try new things, but they can only focus on one activity at a time. Extracurricular actives can take up a lot of precious time at home.
Sometimes I see other moms carting their kids around from one activity to the other and I feel exhausted for them. While it may work for some families, it’s hard to do while running a farm.
Try having a conversation with your family and talk about your goals together. You may be surprised to learn that your kids are feeling overwhelmed with commitments too.
Homesteading With Busy Jobs
When I began teaching, I would take my school work home to finish on the weekends. It seemed like I could never get ahead. My work commitments plus managing my farm became very overwhelming.
I decided to start allotting a certain amount of time everyday for the tasks I needed to complete. During this time I would focus completely on what I needed to do. If I have an hour for housework, I focus on only housework for that hour. Committing small chunks of your day to chores and work will add up to a lot over a period of time.
This is a game changer! Instead of stopping to scroll social media on your phone, or working on something for the entire day, focus for a certain amount of time and then leave it be.
Don’t bring your work home unless it’s absolutely necessary. You will be amazed at how much you can get done when you aren’t distracted.
If you’re a visual organizer like me ( I love a good list), get a planner and write your time blocks down. That way you can plan your focused time around other commitments. This is also a way to look ahead at your weekly tasks and monthly tasks so you know what needs to be done.
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Learning To Say No
This one is the hardest one for me, and the one that takes the most effort. I’m a “yes” girl by nature because I don’t like to disappoint. However, this has caused me a lot of stress over the years.
Plans can pile up very quickly if you say yes to every offer. Saying no has given me a lot of freedom. I’ve said no to dinner plans with friends when I know I need rest, and after school commitments when I need to be with my children.
However, this will help you to say YES to the things that matter to you. Saying no will give you the freedom to choose where you spend your very valuable time.
Maintaining The Home
I’ve spent many weekends cleaning the house. The ever-growing list of chores have caused a lot of negative feelings toward my children for making messes, and anger at my husband for working weekends.
I finally said enough, and hired someone to help me fill in the gaps. I’m not ashamed of this at all, and it has honestly been the best investment in my time.
We have someone come in once monthly and do the big stuff while I maintain things during the week. I’ve developed some routines help keep things in order daily.
I clean the kitchen every night after dinner, and straighten the house before going to bed. Items that belong to the kids are gathered to be put away.
These small things only take a few minutes of my time, but I save big on the weekends when I don’t have to play catch up.
Maybe it’s not housework that’s overwhelming you. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Hiring how jobs like yard maintenance or laundry can really make a difference in your available time.
Meal Planning Ahead To Manage Time
Being that this is a farm blog my next time saving hack may offend a lot of you. I order grocery pick up, and I LOVE it. The last thing I want to do is spend hours in the grocery store on the weekends.
This was my life before the pick-up option, and it was a miserable chore. With grocery pick up, meal planning is done for the week ahead and the groceries are ordered and picked up. The pick-up option saves a ton of time, and money (which is really one in the same) .
I do make most of our meals from scratch but there is something to say for convenience. Grocery pickup is a major tool in managing time.
It also helps to save time if you have a little bit of a plan. I plan on having leftovers on busy days when I don’t have time to cook. This also keeps us from eating out.
Make frozen pizzas and or meals ahead and have them on hand for really busy nights. Breakfast for dinner is also a great time saver. Learning how to get dinner on the table quickly is so helpful on a homestead!
Time Management While Homesteading Takes Teamwork
You may have noticed that I rarely mentioned laundry above. That’s because my husband does his share of laundry and other chores. Honestly, there isn’t a specific task that belongs to only one of us.
We both work and have always been a team in raising our children and taking care of things at home. We share a calendar on our phones of the kids’ activities, and share the responsibilities.
I feel very blessed to have this kind of marriage. I also believe that teamwork can be achieved in any relationship and is a great way of managing time. Homesteading can be hard without good communication.
Don’t be afraid to release control over certain things and designate tasks to other members of the household. You will also be surprised at what your kids are capable of if you give them responsibilities.
Managing Time Waking Up Early
The mornings are by far my most productive time of the day. I’m way too tired to get much done in the afternoons. I’ve never been a morning person, but this one small change made the biggest impact on my ability to accomplish the day.
Typically my morning routine consist of waking up an hour and a half earlier than the kids to have some quiet time, read a devotional, and get my workout in. I feel so much more prepared and productive when I get a jump start on daily tasks.
This is also the time of day when I’m most creative. I use this time to plan lessons, brainstorm, or write my thoughts.
Early mornings are the time when a lot homestead chores get done. I’d be lying if I said I love going out into the freezing cold before daylight to care for animals, but it’s the best time to do it.
Shave Off Your Schedule to Create Margins.
You can’t achieve your goals if you have a full plate. Sometimes you have to just shave things off the schedule. Take a good look at your commitments. The hard truth is you’ll never have enough time to achieve your homesteading goals if you’re always away from home.
If you want to cook your own food from scratch, raise animals, and have a large garden it’s going to take time.
Look at your schedule and see what you can get rid of. Even if something is a “good thing”, it may not be serving your ultimate purpose on your homesteading journey.
Get rid of things that aren’t helping you reach your goals. I like to think of it like monthly subscriptions. Each individual commitment might not be that much, but as a whole, they’re costing you precious free time.
I’ve found that a lack of time can sometimes be because we’re committed to things that aren’t really serving us. I promise that working with your hands, growing food, and raising animals will fill your cup so much more than some of your meaningless commitments.
It’s also important to have activities that fill your cup. Maybe you can take an honest look at the ones you enjoy the most and keep only a select few.
Build Systems to Help You Save Time
Having systems in place will save you a lot of time while homesteading. This is also a way to give you more time to work on a big project.
If you have a massive garden, a drip irrigation system on time is an absolute game changer. You’ll love not having to spend any extra time watering your garden. If you live in an area like mine, you might not always be able to depend on rain.
I use large bulk waterers for our animals. This makes evening chores a lot easier to manage at the end of the week. I also have an automatic watering system for our ducks that hooks directly to the hose.
Bulk feeders are also very helpful. Especially when we’re away in the evenings. Not only is this great for time management, but also animal welfare. Our flock always has access to plenty of food and water.
Several years after purchasing chickens we invested in an automatic coop door. Now we don’t have to rush home in the evenings to close the coop up. It also saves time on morning chores.
These are just a few of the systems we have in place, but I’m sure if you think hard about your own setup up there are things you can do to make maintenance easier.
Consider alternative means of food production that need less weeding. Using a good mulching system or no-till gardening methods will save you a ton of time on pulling weeks.
You Don’t Have to Grow and Raise Everything
I once thought that I had to raise everything myself to be “self sufficient”. This put a lot of stress on me as well as consumed my life. It wasn’t until we started selling at local farmer’s markets that I started sourcing quality food from other local farmers.
Not only is this great for saving time, but it’s also helping other producers and keeping your food source local.
Growing food like fruit trees, blueberries, and other perennial plants will also save time. Planting a garden every year is a lot of hard work. By growing things that produce year after year you’ll spend less time planting. Just maintain them and they’ll provide for you with very little effort.
FAQs about Managing Time While Homesteading
How do I balance homesteading with a full-time job?
It’s all about planning! Try to make a weekly schedule that includes time for work, homesteading, and relaxing. Break tasks down into small steps and focus on one thing at a time. Early mornings or evenings can be great for quick homestead chores.
How can I get everything done without feeling overwhelmed?
Prioritize! You don’t have to do everything at once. Focus on the most important tasks for each day. Sometimes, just doing the basics like feeding animals or watering the garden is enough. Let go of perfection. Good enough is good enough!
How can I save time on meal prep while homesteading?
Batch cooking is your friend! Cook larger portions and freeze meals. Also, use your canned or preserved food to make quick meals. Planning meals for the week ahead saves time and stress.
Is it possible to take breaks or vacations?
Yes, but it takes some planning. You can ask a trusted friend or neighbor to take care of your homestead, or hire a farm-sitter. Try to schedule vacations during slower times, like after the harvest season.
Wrapping up
These are a some of the strategies I use to manage my family, my work life, and my farm, but it’s going to look different for everyone.
Take some time to evaluate your time and get creative with the goals you want to accomplish. Over time, you can create habits that leave plenty of margin in your day for the things that matter most to you.
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