# Overwhelmed!



## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

Ok...I am a bit overwhelmed..I have too much going on..planting massive garden..baby goats..baby chickens in all ages not transitioning well...broiler babies in my room (too cold at night) all kinds of chores now with my new dehydrator with stuff I got on sale that I don't want to lose...and work is crazy now as well. Fencing that needs to go up like yesterday...and 1700 square ft of flooring that needs to get put down....and..and..Am I the only one going through this craziness right now or is it just me...How do yall handle all the many projects you have..maybe you have ideas that will help me get it together..lol


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

I've found every spring to be the busiest time of the year what with planting, new babies and all the new ideas that require time & energy that seem to come along with spring.
I've found the only way I can get things done is not to look at the whole picture but take things one at a time. If I get tired, I find something else that needs doing but doesn't require a lot of energy. I also prioritize, and try to stay focused, but remember that a lot of spring is interruptions. 

Remember this too shall pass - until next spring. :sing:


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## Lazydaisy67 (Jan 28, 2008)

Spring is crazy here too. I have projects that need to be finished and projects that need to be started. It's best to prioritize and tackle what's most important but be willing to switch gears if something comes up that needs immediate attention. Get as much sleep as you can, eat right and drink enough water. You don't want your health to slide when you need it most. Any time you feel overwhelmed stop what you're doing, close your eyes, take 3 deep breaths and relax. Then get back to it. It will get done, maybe not on your original time frame, but it will get done.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Same here. One day I need to light a fire, the next day not. MUD. Then the field gets too soft so Dh ruins my "yard" feeding the cows.We have to buy bales. Pulling calfs, lost a cow with twins and 1 calf from a 1st timer, so neighbor has to dig holes. Sticks/bramches every where from the storms.Pruning. Plants all over the kitchen under lights, because glass broke in the greenhouse. Build more raised beds, pot up rasberrys I got, cut potatoes on the Harvest table drying. 3 buckets with all the seed packages I have to go thru , to plant on schegual. Waiting for the weather to break so I can move everything out of the living room, to strip down wall paper and paint-then lay the Ash flooring instead of this carpet.Baby Bunnies, tend my ageing parents 2 hours away, and the Cabin that needs trees cut down so we can get insurance that was cancelled-because of Trees. Chickens giving me so many eggs, I need to make noodles.drying cloths inside on hangers, dragging hoses, because the outside spiket broke in the over frozen ground-that needs fixing.....


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

See..I knew ya'll would make me feel better seeing that we are all in the same boat..lol..okay..one thing at a time...first things first though..broilers out of my bedroom..chicken tractor building on the agenda today.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

What I&#8217;m reading is that you are on an adventure and your life is interesting.


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## logbuilder (Jan 31, 2006)

When I was in the business mgmt world, we used to use this grid to prioritize.

This is a link explaining how to use it to prioritize.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_91.htm








Follow the steps below to use the matrix to prioritize your activities:


The first step is to list all the activities and projects that you feel you have to do. Try to include everything that takes up your time at work, however unimportant. (If you manage your time using a To-Do List or Action Program , you should have done this already.)
Next, on a scale of 1 to 5, assign importance to each of the activities. Remember, this is a measure of how important the activity is in helping you meet your goals and objectives. Try not to worry about urgency at this stage.
Once you've assigned an importance value to each activity, evaluate its urgency. As you do this, plot each item on the matrix according to the values that you've given it.
Now study the matrix using the strategies described below to schedule your priorities
More at the link above.


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

logbuilder said:


> When I was in the business mgmt world, we used to use this grid to prioritize.
> 
> This is a link explaining how to use it to prioritize.
> 
> ...


This is really great..thank you..that's been my issue..deciding priorities


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

I use something similar to that matrix, but a bit simpler for my little brain. I list all those things that need doing, then take a critical look at the list and assign an A, B, or C, depending on how important it is to get each one done. A is the most critical, C the least. If I can knock off a couple of A's in a day, I'm doing GREAT! Sometimes an A is something simple, but something I haven't been able to get to and it's just bugging me. Sometimes it's a biggie that HAS to be done ASAP.

I know what you mean about feeling overwhelmed this time of year...it's the same here. There's only one of me, and enough work for a whole crew!


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

Anything food related is priority during growing time, then heat(fire wood) allowing for drying time, later Fall...winter...early Spring for indoor projects....

And in the mix I decide what I can delegate to 12yo, DH must run the tractor as needed, and then the two in college get jobs when they are home....I save the bottle returns for them as a job so they get gas money and the bottles go away!
DD18 is a pretty decent pastry cook...so I let her cook when she is around! DS 19 is amazing with the tractor and a chainsaw.

And, yes, it is overwhelming most of the time.


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

Chicken tractor is done...check...now those noisy smelly critters can go outside..yay! Feeling much better..I almost never get any animals that I am not set up for but I was in tracto supply and they sold me these Cornish for $10 for 40...and I just couldn't resist


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

mpillow said:


> Anything food related is priority during growing time, then heat(fire wood) allowing for drying time, later Fall...winter...early Spring for indoor projects....
> 
> And in the mix I decide what I can delegate to 12yo, DH must run the tractor as needed, and then the two in college get jobs when they are home....I save the bottle returns for them as a job so they get gas money and the bottles go away!
> DD18 is a pretty decent pastry cook...so I let her cook when she is around! DS 19 is amazing with the tractor and a chainsaw.
> ...


Ohy. Kids. They could have an awesome summer if they want to do a bit of traveling and help out some of Us that have none...


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Oh, yeah! I've occasionally thought about making my spare bedroom available for a homesteading apprentice...room and board in exchange for hard work and education on how to "do". I have a lot of knowledge to share, and not as much stamina as I had in years past. Having an eager assistant or 2 would be helpful for me, and they'd be able to learn a lot about gardening, animal husbandry, canning and other preserving, building, and lots of interesting projects, along with being able to target practice on the property, go hunting in the fall, fishing in season at the nearby lake and river, and even horseback riding. Hmm, that actually sounds like something I might be willing to offer someone from HT. Wonder if I'd get any takers?


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

manygoatsnmore said:


> Oh, yeah! I've occasionally thought about making my spare bedroom available for a homesteading apprentice...room and board in exchange for hard work and education on how to "do". I have a lot of knowledge to share, and not as much stamina as I had in years past. Having an eager assistant or 2 would be helpful for me, and they'd be able to learn a lot about gardening, animal husbandry, canning and other preserving, building, and lots of interesting projects, along with being able to target practice on the property, go hunting in the fall, fishing in season at the nearby lake and river, and even horseback riding. Hmm, that actually sounds like something I might be willing to offer someone from HT. Wonder if I'd get any takers?


I will! But I gotta finish my chores here first.


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I wouldnt call them "eager" exactly......but they like to eat and I know it....so I use it for all its worth!


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

mpillow said:


> I wouldnt call them "eager" exactly......but they like to eat and I know it....so I use it for all its worth!


Lol..true...that's my best weapon


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

I felt overwhelmed about a month ago with feeding bottle babies, caring for chicks, trying to get the garden planted and weeded, etc. My 'to-do' list was way too long, but then it's like that every spring. I'm slowly getting caught up though and certainly glad I didn't sell the place and move into an apartment like I thought I wanted to!


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## PrettyPaisley (May 18, 2007)

logbuilder, that graph is awesome. Thank you! 

I'm with everyone else. I wander around trying to figure out what is the most important thing to do. To the point I find myself hiding on the couch crocheting because I just shut down. 

I used to wonder what people who "farmed" did all day. Boy - I had no idea !


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Every night I make a list, then number everything in order of importance. It's really just updating my daily list.
Next morning I start working on #1, then #2, and on down the list getting as many completed as I can.
I never get them all done, but at least I've done the most important things.


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Getting overwhelmed can lead to burn out so be careful. The old saying about building a bigger fire or pulling out your irons (branding) makes sense. Being overwhelmed for a few weeks is okay, you'll get thru it. However, if you are constantly overwhelmed, then you need to get rid of some of your projects to get your life back under control. 

I've found the older I get the easier it is to get overwhelmed. Its also easier to say the heck with it and move on.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

terri9630 said:


> I will! But I gotta finish my chores here first.


LOL, you know your chores are NEVER gonna be done, right?


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Oh my gosh ... overwhelmed? What kind of life are y'all living? It don't sound like the simple life to me! 

I divide my life into the three things I need to be doing right now and I dedicate time to those three things.

I get up in the morning and read my bible, then may enjoy some time looking at the internet while I drink some coffee. Then I go out and work in the garden before it gets too hot. When it does start getting crazy hot, I go up to the workshop and work on what needs working on there. I have a list of items, sorted by their ship date, that I need to get out and so each day usually has a knife attached to it.

When it starts cooling off again in the evening, I wander back down to the garden and work on some more there. 

There's plenty of goofing off, reading, or playing with the kids mixed all through that. 

I think a lot of what y'all do DOESN'T need to be done. You do it because of some perceived notion that it's what homesteaders do, or because you read about some other homesteader doing it. 

If you want to be that busy throughout the day, give up homesteading and go get a city job. It'll pay more and someone will be there to show you how to account for every minute of your time. Plus there will be air conditioning. 

Really, guys. Just slow down and enjoy things. This life is a blessing.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Ernie, how does your wife handle her day? I'm curious because mine is quite a bit more busy than what you described (not being inflammatory here, just interested). If I'm not fixing a meal, I'm cleaning up from one. Laundry, assorted farm work, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, canning/dehydrating, working on my to-do list (I try to get one thing per day done, like today it was power washing the poop stuck in the rabbit cages and putting wire patches on the parts that had corroded away), working in the garden, feed the chickens and fill their waterers, etc. etc. etc.

And add in that we aren't just a farm family - our kids go to a school that doesn't have busing, the boys play baseball 8 months of the year (driving to practices and games, washing uniforms), then football. Driving to buy groceries, online shopping for clothes and necessities in order not to have to waste half a day driving and shopping, paying bills online.....my day is jam packed most days!


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

Not everyone stays home. I get up, get the kids up and get us all ready for school. I drive the bus so I take everyone to school then go home take care of the animals and garden. Then I eat lunch, do breakfast and lunch dishes and get ready to go back to work. When I get home we have to feed animals, do home work, dinner and whatever practice is going on that day. Somewhere in there i have to get laundry done and put away, get supplys/feed bought and put away and all the other little things I can't think of right now.

Just thinking of how much time I will have when the kids are grown and on their own..... I may be able to take an uninterrupted nap! If I turn the phone off.


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

Ernie said:


> Oh my gosh ... overwhelmed? What kind of life are y'all living? It don't sound like the simple life to me!
> 
> I divide my life into the three things I need to be doing right now and I dedicate time to those three things.
> 
> ...


Of course you are right...and my husband agrees wholeheartedly...Part of it is that I still have that day job so my play time is still limited but a large part of it is that I am very driven and it is a fault that I work on everyday of my life..even when I am off work..I line up so many projects because I just have yet not learned to slow down...Not to mention Im easily distracted..like today out picking wild blackberries that have to be canned when I have so many canning and dehydrating projects already that they both are going non stop..its genetic though..my father was the same


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Mom_of_Four said:


> Ernie, how does your wife handle her day? I'm curious because mine is quite a bit more busy than what you described (not being inflammatory here, just interested). If I'm not fixing a meal, I'm cleaning up from one. Laundry, assorted farm work, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, canning/dehydrating, working on my to-do list (I try to get one thing per day done, like today it was power washing the poop stuck in the rabbit cages and putting wire patches on the parts that had corroded away), working in the garden, feed the chickens and fill their waterers, etc. etc. etc.
> 
> And add in that we aren't just a farm family - our kids go to a school that doesn't have busing, the boys play baseball 8 months of the year (driving to practices and games, washing uniforms), then football. Driving to buy groceries, online shopping for clothes and necessities in order not to have to waste half a day driving and shopping, paying bills online.....my day is jam packed most days!


Heh. I think I see one of your problems there. 

Right now my wife is finishing up one of her books (in the editing process) so she's pretty focused on that. That means she's in more of a supervisory role. 

She fixes breakfast, but one of the two teenage boys is going to cook and serve lunch. The homeschooling assignments right now are mostly reading (and math) so the kids get their reading assigned and then she'll ask them questions about what they read later on to make sure it really got read. Woe unto the child who claims they read something but can't explain it to her.

Washing rabbit huts? Your kids have all that energy to chase a ball around the field but they can't do that? I don't think I've fed or watered the chickens in two years ... that's a perfect job for a young child, and the older children then follow up and make sure it got done. 

The garden is mine to deal with and so about all the help I really get down there is watering and weeding, but that's all the help I really need. I enjoy all the rest of it enough to do it on my own. 

We don't do organized sports and we don't have television. Our family is pretty well focused on the farm. Everyone has their tasks and there is a routine.

When my wife isn't absorbed in her writing, she runs the household like a medieval monastery ... by the clock and everyone has their tasks and appointed place to be. When she's absorbed it falls to me to run things and then it sort of works like a poorly organized gypsy camp. 

Everyone's got one mouth and two pairs of hands around here and all calories consumed on this farm go back into the support of this farm. Even the littlest one (3) can tag along behind Daddy and help water the beans.

It's simpler for us because we don't have outside jobs, but that's a choice we made. When we had to run a farm AND maintain outside jobs then things just never worked. The farm was just a hobby at that point and wasn't required to really run efficiently because our household income was so great. But now the farm HAS TO provide so we have to focus on it. That's just the new normal.

And if laundry or clean bathrooms interferes with the farm or knifemaking or book writing, then well ... we're just going to have dirty clothes and dirty bathrooms. Some things just get cut off the vine when we get pressed for time and attention and ain't no kid died yet from wearing yesterday's shirt.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Aintlifegrand said:


> ...but a large part of it is that I am very driven and it is a fault that I work on everyday of my life..even when I am off work..I line up so many projects because I just have yet not learned to slow down...


I can totally identify with that. I used to have 10 projects going all at once and none of them ever got finished. 

In my own personal philosophy right now, the only thing that matters is my bible study. ALL of the rest of the crap I do is just so we don't starve to death WHILE I do my bible study.

My life has become incredibly focused in recent years. Ain't got money to go messing around with any project that isn't going to save us money, and there's enough to do here from dawn to dusk that I can just focus on that. 

I've still got to carve out time to go sit down and read my bible, which is a real problem for me. I can pull weeds and grind steel all day long listening to audiotapes and sermons, but there's no substitute for doing the reading yourself.

I feel for ya. I really do. It takes an enormous amount of effort to switch gears ... especially going to a lower gear. Especially when we've been taught by the world to go, go, go at full speed from cradle to grave.

Ok, back to work for me. I'm the busiest dang unemployed person I know of. I've got one knife to finish today for shipping tomorrow and it's already 6pm! I'd better get to it if I plan on going skinnydipping at sunset. 

Busy, busy, busy!


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

[YOUTUBE]zE7PKRjrid4[/YOUTUBE]


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Skinnydipping accomplished. That was the highlight of my day. I was so dirty though I think I left a ring around the pond.

Want some more worthless Ernie philosophy or have y'all had enough? 

I'm aware that not everyone thinks like I do or has the same goals in life or goals for their children. I can only offer advice for someone who DOES wish to get off the treadmill. Not for someone who is happy and content with that treadmill, or for someone who doesn't yet realize that the treadmill exists.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

ernie said:


> skinnydipping accomplished. That was the highlight of my day. I was so dirty though i think i left a ring around the pond.
> 
> Want some more worthless ernie philosophy or have y'all had enough?
> 
> i'm aware that not everyone thinks like i do or has the same goals in life or goals for their children. I can only offer advice for someone who does wish to get off the treadmill. Not for someone who is happy and content with that treadmill, or for someone who doesn't yet realize that the treadmill exists.



preach on !!


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Ernie said:


> It's simpler for us because we don't have outside jobs, but that's a choice we made. When we had to run a farm AND maintain outside jobs then things just never worked. The farm was just a hobby at that point and wasn't required to really run efficiently because our household income was so great. But now the farm HAS TO provide so we have to focus on it. That's just the new normal.
> 
> And if laundry or clean bathrooms interferes with the farm or knifemaking or book writing, then well ... we're just going to have dirty clothes and dirty bathrooms. Some things just get cut off the vine when we get pressed for time and attention and ain't no kid died yet from wearing yesterday's shirt.


I'd love to have that kind of lifestyle, where we're more self contained and focus more on the farm. I seriously considered home schooling a few years ago, but we decided as a family that a Christian school was the best choice. And the reality for us is a working hubby, stay at home Mom who does a good portion of the home and farm stuff, and kids who have school and sports. 

Hopefully someday, when our kids are grown and gone, we'll be able to get serious about the farm. Until then, this is how it has to be.

P.S. Good luck to your wife with her book!


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Mom_of_Four said:


> I'd love to have that kind of lifestyle, where we're more self contained and focus more on the farm. I seriously considered home schooling a few years ago, but we decided as a family that a Christian school was the best choice. And the reality for us is a working hubby, stay at home Mom who does a good portion of the home and farm stuff, and kids who have school and sports.
> 
> Hopefully someday, when our kids are grown and gone, we'll be able to get serious about the farm. Until then, this is how it has to be.
> 
> P.S. Good luck to your wife with her book!


Well, then your family simply has a different goal in mind. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. If I were in your shoes with your goals, I'd just not stress out about that farm stuff. I would want my children to learn about the farm life and how to do certain things, but so long as the learning got completed then I wouldn't stress out about things.

You can learn how to can and preserve food if you buy it at the store just as well as if you grew it all yourself. And a couple of tomato plants are easier to take care of than fifty of them. Same with livestock. Get what you need and then offload them once the learning and experience is accomplished.

Life is a series of choices and each choice you make will then limit future choices. That's just the way it is. I'd love to tour the world in a live-aboard sailboat but that's not really going to happen in this lifetime and I just accept that fact. 

For some of you, a homesteading lifestyle may very well be nothing more than something you dabble in. Again ... nothing wrong with that. Just don't get strung out and stressed if you can't fit what I (or anyone else) do in 100% of our life in the 5% you're able to devote to your own homestead.


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## Aintlifegrand (Jun 3, 2005)

Well for some of us I guess we are drawn to the satisfaction of feeling overwhelmed as crazy as that might sound...I guess my OP was misunderstood for dissatisfaction..it was not meant that way...for we enjoy both worlds because it takes both to keep us so busy that we actually feel accomplished...we provide almost all but a few items that we eat from our little farm..we built the house we live by hand without incurring any debt...we both work full time...and do it because we are just wired that way. We live the life that God has placed us in at this time...because never once have I ever felt that I am not where I am suppose to be..even the day job I do is one in which God has placed me and until he places me elsewhere I feel compelled to remain in a job where our mission is to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ...so yes in part life is about choice..but one must listen to hear what choice God intends for them. So I suppose I should replace the word overwhelmed...with "really really busy..but loving it" ...lol


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## hengal (Mar 7, 2005)

PrettyPaisley said:


> logbuilder, that graph is awesome. Thank you!
> 
> I'm with everyone else. I wander around trying to figure out what is the most important thing to do. To the point I find myself hiding on the couch crocheting because I just shut down.
> 
> I used to wonder what people who "farmed" did all day. Boy - I had no idea !


 
Boy I understand this! I have to be careful not to let myself get too overwhelmed because this is exactly how I get - I'll get to the point that I'll be so stressed just thinking about it all that I won't do any of it....which of course adds to the stress! Then I think, people who did all these things years ago as an actual means of survival didn't have that option. That helps me get off my butt and back to work.


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