What will your first step be?
Last week, we talked about the practice of showing up in the garden. I hope you were able to spend five minutes a day in your own space. Maybe you just sat there with your morning coffee listening to the birds sing, or you set a timer and did some quick pruning. Either way, I hope you found a renewed sense of peace there and felt inspired for the season ahead.
Me in my messy greenhouse aka Sunday church
Yesterday, I sat in my garden with a neighbor, and we sorted through the seeds and space she has and talked about what she wanted to grow this spring and summer. At each point in the planning, there was a bit of overwhelm we had to overcome, so we just kept breaking it down into first steps.
I feel that overwhelm myself when I take what needs doing in my garden and compare it to the time I have to accomplish it. This is when I remind myself that gardening should be a source of joy, peace and inspiration most of the time. Of course there’s going to be some frustration and failure involved, but it’s important to just take the first, most important step and go from there. Here’s what I do in my own garden and during client meetings when we hit this point of overwhelm. I hope it’s helpful to you as you start gardening this spring.
Step 1: Take Stock
This weekend, I was truly overwhelmed by the amount of seed starting, soil moving, weeding and organizing I had to do. When I’m overwhelmed, the first thing I do is make a list of what I feel needs to get done. I handwrite a list, and just that act alone makes me realize that all of the things I think I need to get done in my head aren’t completely necessary. If you feel like you’re behind in the garden, sit down for one minute and just handwrite a list of what your brain is telling you that you need to get done.
Step 2: Set Priorities
What’s the first most important thing on your list to get done? This feels impossible at first, but I like to put a check next to anything on my list that’s time sensitive. This weekend, it was seed starting. I knew the sooner I got those seeds into trays, the sooner they would sprout. Compare this to the weeding on my list, which I could put off to another day if I had to. I had to have seeds or plants to put in that freshly weeded area, or weeds would just come back, right?
Step 3: Estimate the Time
When I’ve prioritized my list, I like to estimate how long each thing on my list will take. These are loose estimates, and because I’ve prioritized, it’s okay if certain things take longer than others. Beside each item on your list, guess how long that task will take. Once you do, you’ll see what you can actually accomplish in the time you have, and if you don’t complete the list, it’s okay, because some items are low on the priority scale.
Step 4: Rinse + Repeat
Now, take that first item on your list, and if you need to, rinse and repeat the steps above to break it into smaller steps. I like to start with a simple task to build momentum. For example, I thought seed starting would take me a couple of hours yesterday, but once i started filling trays with seed starting mix, I quickly lost track of time. I truly spent 5 hours in my little greenhouse filling trays. In between that, I organized, sorted and cleaned up, so I was checking other things off my list.
In summary
The losing-track-of-time aspect is hands down my favorite part of gardening. I haven’t found another activity where I can truly lose myself in the motions of it. I had the radio on, my hands in the dirt and the sun on my face. It felt like what church is supposed to feel like.
If gardening is still overwhelming you, I’d love to talk. It’s my goal to help you grow confident as a gardener. Sometimes, that means changing the way your space is setup, and sometimes, it’s a mindset. Either way, contact me, and we can decide how to take your first step.