Keep the Homestead Running Smoothly

    Today's number one goal is to become efficient. To get organized. An organized homestead where I can stay on top of the homestead by whittling away the non-essential, so I can keep the homestead running smoothly. To help me not to get into a bottleneck, I keep a daily checklist of important items that need to be done to reach my goals for the week. This helps me to create the homestead life I want.

    So, what is a bottleneck? A bottleneck refers to a point in a process where the flow of work is slowed down or impeded. It's a constriction or limitation that reduces the overall efficiency of a system. Just as the neck of a bottle controls the flow of liquid, a bottleneck in a homestead can slow down the smooth flow of operations.

    My own personal bottleneck is making time daily to do the following 6 things: office work where I work on the computer, balance bank accounts, pay bills, write reviews, answer emails and more, laundry, dishes, clean floors, saving money, and making money. 

    Let me explain. Some days I will spend time doing nothing but office work all day and then when it gets time to go to bed, I will have a sink full of dirty dishes and laundry piled up that needs to be either washed or folded and put away. Then there are days when I spend time on getting the house cleaned and organized to a beautiful condition and then, at the end of the day I realized I should have responded to an important email or paid a bill that was due that day! 

    I have found that it works best for me to take daily steps every day in all of the 6 things that are my personal bottle neck items. Now, I do not do all 6 things with the same given amount of time! I may set a timer for 5 minutes to fold and put away as much of the laundry as I can. So for 5 minutes I am getting the heart pumping and getting that laundry done! Then I may move on to my office work and for that day I may have more things that needs my attention and will spend 30 minutes on performing that task. I find for me personally, that if I touch base with all 6 things on my daily to do list, my homestead runs much smoother. Now obviously, there are days when I can't get it all done.

     To help me see what I am getting done and what I am neglecting, I keep a daily check list of things I said I wanted to accomplish for the week. I mark it off each day when I am working on the task. This allows me to see what I am doing successfully every day, as well as see what task is not getting done. If the task is not getting done, then I have to decide is it important to me. If it is not, I will remove it from my list. If it is important, then I will consciously make it a top priority for the next day or break it down into smaller tasks so I can get some momentum to getting it accomplished.

My Current Daily Checklist

    My daily checklist changes weekly. Some items will always be on my daily checklist and some items come and go depending on what I want to accomplish or what my goals for the week are.  

    If you are not sure what you should be working on daily, then you must be writing or journaling every day. Writing helps me bring clarity to my goals and any problems I am having or solutions on how to run my homestead. 

    I wish you determination and action on getting your own homestead running smoothly whether you live on a farm or in an apartment. Ultimately, homesteading as a mindset is about taking control of your own well-being, being mindful of your impact on the environment, and seeking a more sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle, irrespective of your physical location.