Sunny Valentines and Gardening

• Posted on 13 February 2020
• 0

A favorable Friday and Saturday; then guess what…more planning!

With no lengthy reprieve from rain for the near future, it presents us all with an excellent chance to get some planning work done for the garden and landscape.  Winter landscape projects should not be limited to perfect conditions; there is much to do in advance of what spring will surely supply.  Taking stock of what needs to be accomplished and developing a sense of priority to the individual tasks goes a long way towards breaking a large undertaking down into bite-size pieces.

Therefore, the first step towards your task is having a walk around and making a list.  While some much prefer the tactile approach of pencil and paper, making notes on your smartphone also works just as well.  Make sure and take the time to focus on the constituent parts of the project rather than its entirety.  I have the capability of defeating myself before I start simply because I fail to set realistic goals.  I do much better with many small tasks than I do with a single massive one.

The checklist approach helps me stay motivated.  It also helps me add/edit various steps as needed.  Things change.  With my checklist in hand, I may be able to talk myself into doing ‘just one thing’ on my list today.  I don’t know about you, but I am a lot more likely to accidently do something else, ‘since I’m already out here’.  To be sure, some days I am more motivated than others.  Sometimes the weather fails to cooperate.  Whatever the case, I usually am able to complete most ‘to-do’ lists on time and on budget; at least pretty close.

The widely variable weather conditions can make any project challenging.  When we equip ourselves with a plan, broken down into more manageable steps, we are able to raise assurity that really important tasks get completed at an appropriate time by elimination of tasks that have reduced priority, while elevating other steps to insure completion.  If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

David Bates