Homesteading and schedule setting do not necessarily go hand and hand. It can be difficult to set a strict schedule. To be honest I have learned over the years that I do not thrive on a minute by minute schedule. Some people do I am not one of them.
To many things not enough time
As a homesteader there are so many things to do. Most homesteaders have an endless running list of to do’s. There is never really a time when you feel like you have “arrived” that you are settled or done. There is always a project or dream of a project or well lets face is things always in need of repair.
Some days as I walk outside it can seem so very overwhelming. I don’t quite know where or when to start. In our house I mommabear am in charge of most of the stuff. My husband is kind like the owner and I am like the foreman.
One of my most important job on most days in almost all areas is the organization of people. Big people, small people and everyone in-between. I’m not the type of foreman that points a finger but rather works together with my family. I try to take into consideration talents, likes and dislikes. But just like a real job there are jobs that one may not thoroughly enjoy.
So how do I go from the overwhelmed to the organized?
The Lists
Large families make for a unique situation as there are so many people and ages to account for. So there are lists for household and lists for homesteading. We are going to just focus on homesteading.
I found when I over planned these things I struggled to maintain then felt like a failure. Which if you saw all that was accomplished you would see we were not failing. Here are some list types I use. Personally I have a seasonal type list then a daily list.
Seasonal Lists
Seasonal lists are list that include seasonal things after awhile you don’t really need a list as it almost becomes a rhythm. Lets see here is just a general idea of what your list may look like.
January– Sewing, crochet, spinning wool, household wood chores, cutting trees
February– Usually for us the above items then adding in Maple tapping. This takes up a huge part of the latter part of the month. Pigs start having babies.
March– all month is maple season along with the other Jan and feb tasks. We also start seedlings this month. We continue to have piglets. We also add in lambing and some years calving.
April– the maple season is over. More seed starting occurs. More baby animals born. We also start planting in the high tunnel. High tunnel being the main focus this month.
May– Planting and gardens take over this month. Mending fences all over the homestead. Building new buildings. Running new fence. We are also working on bucking logs and splitting wood. Clearing land and trying to make out land improvement. We also go fishing for herring and canning a years supply.
June– planting those hot crops in outside the beginning of the month. Continued projects around the homestead. We also usually butcher our meat birds this month.
July– Same as above, planting, building, running fence. Add to this starting to harvest some things. End of the month is blueberry season so we usually go somewhere to rake blueberries. Then the canning and dehydrating blueberries for the year
August– WOW August is busy! Fall planting is on in the high tunnel. Blackberries and some apples are ready! We spend many days finding little spots to pick both things come home and preserve them.
September– Much of the same as in August we also usually have first frost this month so I am canning usually almost every day this month. Also lots of apples and squash and pumpkin things.
October– Things start to slow down in one area the canning. But still is steady when we add on some butcher of animals like lambs and pigs. Start homemade Christmas projects.
November – This month is a huge month for butchering
December– Switching on to winter chores. Lots of sewing, crafting, sharping tools, spinning wool, reading aloud.
Daily Lists
I keep a white board in my kitchen and write down things that need to get done. I try to once a day take a walk around outside after I do the chickens to see the immediate needs of what needs to get done. My white board is usually filled. Then I tend to write numbers or peoples names next to things that need to get done.
Then I decide what needs to be done that day!
Rythm of the day
The rhythm of the day I set up starting with meals.
I start with 3 meal times then work my schedule around that with a somewhat generalization feel. It looks like this.
- Before breakfast chores time before 8 am to feed and water animals and get dressed and ready. We also tidy the house during this time.
- Breakfast form about 8-9 little can have fruit prior to this
- Bible after breakfast
- Then morning project this will be tackling those daily chores I tend to focus this time of year on gardening chores in the morning.
- Lunch 11-12
- Quiet time 12-2 Is a time where older girls take turns reading and studying there Bible and we rotate reading to younger children. Bookwork type stuff also happens during this time.
- Snack 2
- Afternoon animal chores
- Afternoon project usually a building or wood type project. But really could be gardening.
- After about 4 in supper prep and free play tidy up time.
- 5 Supper
- super clean up sometimes if I need to do one on one with someone or need a few computer mins the kids go outside and rollerblade off the porch.
- Ready for bedtime around 8 it use to be at 7 before my husband changed jobs. Read stories, play games, dads days off usually a movie.
- 9 bedtime
Large Family summary
The real key to having a successful schedule is to make it your own. Leave room for error. Leave room for change and things to go wrong. Make sure you are not so overscheduled that you cant be engaging with the most important parts, your children. Make time to make memories and traditions. How do you schedule? Leave a comment below so others might also be blessed!
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