061: Time Management for Smart Homesteaders

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Homesteading will definitely keep you busy! But in order to run an effective homestead, you need to manage your time effectively. So let’s dig into some tips about homestead time management. (Did you check out the first part of this episode about time assessment? It’s a good place to start!)

(Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!)

Summary of today’s episode:

Write down your to-do list on paper or a dry erase board (daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally)
Have a family meeting so everyone is on the same page. (Did you forget about something else that was on the schedule already?)
Realistically prioritize your to-do lists
Keep a freezer inventory list, and check off what you use when you use it.
Make a master grocery list that’s in the order of the store you primarily shop at.
…or order your groceries online and schedule pick up for when you’re in town.
Plan your meals out. Seriously.
Keep a rainy day/snowstorm list made up of those inside tasks that should be saved for when you can’t be outside.
Understand your house will be messier in the middle of harvest season. It’s okay. You can’t be two places at once.
…but also understand that if your house is impossible to ever keep “picked up”, you need less stuff.
Keep a farm journal. It saves you time in planning.
Make your day as long as possible…without being ridiculous.
Determine what your priorities are on the homestead.
…and then realize what needs to go because it doesn’t line up with your homesteading priorities. (TV? Volunteering?)
Routine, routine, routine.
Do what needs to be done first.
Save the things that can be done when it’s dark for when it’s dark.
Farm out what you can. Ask for help when you need it.
Tap into people’s strengths and skills and give them the tasks they are best suited for.
Learn skills that make things run more efficiently – it’s the whole reason I learned to use a chainsaw.
Fix what’s broken.
Replace what’s not efficient.
Upgrade/automate when possible.
Streamline your systems.
Put away your tools!
Stay on top of the issues so they don’t become bigger issues.
Use available technology and modern improvements to tools. Don’t get caught up in doing things the old fashioned way.
Pay attention to and be honest about where your time is going.
Use a timer if you have a problem with rabbit holes.
Multi-tasking doesn’t always save time.
Understand each season on the homestead has it’s own chaos and calm.
Don’t kid yourself that life will calm down in the next season.
You. cannot. do. it. all. Make sure to take time for you.

Links referenced in today’s show:

060: How Much Time Do You Actually Have for Homesteading?

Episode list of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast

The Survival Podcast episode 2500: The Audience Speaks

My Three Things from Living Free in Tennessee

Homestead Menu Planning Tips

How to Do it All

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