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We are lucky that in today’s world when we have a question, we can instantly get an answer by typing it into a search or ask AI. You can even find a YouTube video on how to complete almost any task, and you can follow your favorite YouTubers for more information, or just entertainment.

Even for homestead or farmsteads, with so many content creators out there you almost don’t need to come up with your own ideas anymore… you can simply follow a dozen homestead groups, and the ideas will keep streaming to you. This can be a benefit and a curse, because not all ideas will benefit you in your climate, with your specific time or financial limits, and be the best option to meet your goals.

When we first started our own farm back around 2001, it was a much different experience. We purchased books, read magazines, and chatted with other experts to get the best ideas for building fences, keeping farm animals healthy, and growing produce. Through trial and error, we eventually learned a lot from our own experiences that has only grown since starting out.

Since times have changed, we have adapted over the years to take in the blast of information through social media. I have noticed the algorithm has changed recently and the videos have become much more targed, with sponsored adds and videos increasing in frequency and add posts. For example, I watched a post the other day about a farm in Washington state that is selling farm fresh meet. It looks pretty amazing… they package fresh and ship in dry ice to you at your home. The catch is that now, every third video in my feed is now from this farm.

If you let it, this amazing resource can become a huge time suck. When we do research by reading from a book, we are focused only on that one type of learning that will meet our goal we have set out to accomplish. When we use social media to do research we are exposed to an endless stream of distractions and advertisements specifically designed to keep us plugged in and distracted from our task. Am I saying that using social media is bad? No, not at all. I am pointing out that if you use social media to learn and get ideas be aware of becoming caught up and loosing track of time and focus.

Another issue I have come across with being able to do a search for information with immediate results is there are so many resources and not all have the same information. This can be a problem when you get contradictory information from different websites. How do you know what resource to trust? My suggestion is to ask someone you know that has hands on knowledge of what you are trying to do. Another great way to identify a good resource is to check their references. Most times you should be able to scroll to the bottom of the page, or if it's a video check in the video description. This should provide enough information for you to determine if they are legit or if you should look elsewhere.
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<Here is where I give ourselves a little plug> Groups like 1StrongHome are a great recourse because there isn’t only a constant stream of information coming at you… there are options to engage and ask questions. During our livestream videos twice a week you can tune in and ask your questions and we will answer in real time. We also have membership options through www.Patreon.com/1stronghome that you can select to gain access to individualized consultation. Other ways to engage are through responding to our Blog, messaging us directly, or even on our 1StrongHome Facebook or Instagram page. We have worked hard to create a usable service that provides next-level support through your homestead journey.
 
-Terri

Throughout my life I have had many “seasons.” Periods of time that transitioned into a different phase for one reason or another… marriage, having children, kids in sports, medical issues, new jobs, new neighbors, or even literally the season changing from winter to spring. At each of these different seasons it always seems like I’ve filled my time, with very little time left over for recreation or downtime.

Kris and I happen to be hard workers and put in 100%, 100% of the time, but I think this will apply to most adults. The more time you open in your schedule, the more you will fit into your day. A great example was resigning from teaching last June. I was maxed out as a teacher… I missed out on family outings, never kept up on tv shows, and was simply burnt out. Leaving teaching was one of the most difficult choices I have had to make (that is a story for a different blog), but it was necessary. So, you may think that I now have a bunch of free time and am enjoying my “early retirement.” Oh man I wish that were true. I have replaced teaching with tutoring, bookkeeping, office management, substitute teaching, and writing blogs. 😉 A major motivation is paying bills, but ultimately, I keep myself busy because I feel driven to meet my goals, and that takes this kind of effort.

How does this transition into helpful advice? Although I have always been a person that keeps busy throughout each season of my life, the quality of life and the satisfaction received from the efforts I have put in has not been consistent. At different busy points in my life I’ve had times that have been stress-filled and very difficult. I have also had seasons that have felt more comfortable where I’ve been more successful with meeting goals. Now, I realize that some of the difficult periods were unavoidable and necessary to getting to the next stage or period, but there has been times that I have had to pull myself through or find help to simply make it out.

Although I’m not a life coach, I have paid many people along the way to help me make it through. I have a few strategies that have helped me that I come back to when I need it.
 
Focus on the now:
This one came from a time when I was working with a counselor. I learned to focus on the present… so much worry and stress came from things outside of our control. We can’t change the past so dwelling on something that’s already happened won’t serve any good. The same is true about dwelling on the future… unless you’re Doctor Strange and you can travel into the future; you can’t control the future other than doing your best in the present and this is where your energy is best spent.

Time Audit:
The time audit is a great tool for busy people that want to prioritize time in a different way. My first time-audit was eye opening! I had no idea how to fix my busy schedule because I always felt like I had more to do than the time a day would allow me to complete. The to-do lists (the topic of my previous blog) would carry on from one day to the next. Once I completed a time audit, it helped me to recognize that my priorities were out of alignment, with most of my valuable time that I was putting into things lower on my priority list. By looking at how you spend your time you can make small adjustments that refocus on the things that are most important to you which will give you a much more rewarding life.

Self-Care:
This may seem like something you can skip when you are too busy, but skipping self-care will make you less effective and much more likely to burn out. Prioritizing self-care is essential to keeping up with a busy season of life. Self-care looks different to everyone, but generally self-care is when you take a moment for yourself to decompress. Exercise, reading a good book, getting a massage, taking time to go to the doctor, or spending time with a beloved friend or family member are all great examples of self-care that can help you maintain your productivity.
 
I don’t claim to be an expert on managing a busy lifestyle successfully, but I have the life experience at this point to say with confidence that these three things will help any busy person. If you recognize that you are in a particularly busy season of your life, and it feels like things aren’t going well, take a moment to self-reflect on how you are spending your time, see if it matches with your priorities, schedule that self-care, and always focus on the now.

Thanks for reading! 
<3 Terri                                                                         

We each wear a lot of hats and often find ourselves moving from one to-do list to another. Using a list to keep track of things you need to get done is a great strategy for staying on track, but it can also become overwhelming when you rarely reach the bottom of your list.
 
I use a couple different strategies which help me keep positive even when my list doesn’t get completed:

• Add things you have already done even if they weren’t on your original list.

​This is a great way to help yourself see all that you accomplish, even if you got off track, or if your list grew after you got started. A great example is when you’re cleaning out your chicken coop bedding, and then realize you have a sick chicken, so you set up an isolation area, run out of bedding and have to make a quick trip to the farm store, and remember you also need to pick up chicken feed, and meds while you are there, So, write each of those things on your list and mark them off as completed. This will help you see the true picture of everything that you’ve gotten done.

• Prioritize your to-do list.

​Sometimes I end of with a list that completely fills a page, with no hope of finishing my list even if I gave myself the whole week. There are different ways you can prioritize the things you know need done over the ones you just need to get to eventually. I like stars, 🌟 I will put a star next to the ones I want to prioritize. This will give me my starting point and a way that I can feel good about getting the most important things finished without feeling overwhelmed with my whole list. Another strategy is to number them from most to least important. Then at the end of your day use what you didn’t finish to make a new list for the next time you are working on your farm.
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• Focus on your “Done-List.”

This is the most important skill in my opinion. I think successful people recognize when hard work has been completed, and then they celebrate it. There is no benefit to being hard on yourself for not getting enough done. But by focusing on what you have completed let’s your brain feel all those positive chemicals that encourage happiness.

If you find that you are nagging on yourself for not completing enough of what you initially planned, then write a completely fresh to-do list filled with all the things you actually got done and then check off each one. Heck, give yourself a star for each one while you’re at it. 🌟

These three things will help you keep organized and more positive about all your hard work. Focusing on all that you accomplish, even when you have tons more to do, it will allow you to keep that satisfied momentum going a lot longer. Try it out and let me know how it works for you.
 
-Terri