In this episode I will teach you how and why you should plan ahead for the new year on your homestead or farm.
In this episode I will teach you how and why you should plan ahead for the new year on your homestead or farm.
Episode 18 PP
Why You Should Be Planning for 2023 Right Now
It may only be the middle of September, but right now is the time you should start planning for 2023 on your property or your homestead. In today's episode we're gonna talk about why you should start your planning for 2023 right now. Here we go.
Hi and welcome to the Prepping Positively podcast I’m Annie and today we're talking about planning for 2023 on your property, your farm, or your homestead.
So why would we start planning in the middle of September for something that is three months away? It seems like we have plenty of time right? Actually, when you come right down to it, we don’t.
Planning isn't a simple process. It takes time to figure out what you wan to to do on your homestead or farm. First you have to brainstorm all the ideas or tasks and projects you may want to accomplish for the new year. Then you have to figure out if those tasks and projects that you want to accomplish are feasible. You need to decide when during the year you're going to do them. And you may need to make a budget for them.
All of those things take time and if we rush them, chances are we won't have a good plan.
I'm gonna share with you a breakdown of how we plan our annual homestead plans so that you have a better idea of how you can get started doing the same thing.
Around this time of the year we start by thinking and brainstorming of all of the things that we want to accomplish in the new year coming up. We make a list, and jot them all down on paper. Once we have a list of everything we want to do, we go back through and we mark each item according to their priority.
When it comes to priority we use the numbers system. 1’s are items that are of the utmost importance or that absolutely must be done. 2’s are the items that really should be done but they aren't adamant. 3’s are the tasks and projects that we really want to do, but they really don't matter to whether or not our farm or homestead runs. They are the “I wanna’s” we dream about.
Let me give you some examples. A number one priority was for us to get new barns up for our horses and cows. That was something that had to be done for the safety of our animals. Another priority was getting a fence around the outer boundaries of our property. That fence had to be put up to keep our animals in, so it became a number one priority.
Number two priorities that we had on our list this year were things like an outdoor shower, a new compost bin, and painting our outbuildings. The outdoor shower was not adamant, it didn't have to be done. But putting up an outdoor shower meant less dirt coming into the house, and less cleaning for me.
We have two compost bins that work well, but I was kind of wanting another one. So it became a level two priority. And as far as painting our outbuildings, since we had painted the house I wanted all of the outbuildings to match.
This should give you a pretty good idea of how the priority number system works for us.
Once we list all of the projects and tasks that we want to do and organize them by priority, we can move onto the next stage of planning. In this stage we look at our priorities project by project, and determine which ones should be done first, second, third, and so on.
A good example of this would be the exterior fence that I told you about. That fence absolutely needed to be done so that the animals could not escape onto other properties. Since it was such a high priority and needed to be done quickly, we decided to schedule that for March, right after the rainy season quit.
I use a 12 month calendar on one page, and I fill in these projects at the top of the calendar month so that I know they need to be scheduled that month. Another way you can do it is to add the project to a sticky note, and put the sticky note on the monthly page of your planner that you know that project will be done in.
I repeat this process for all my number one priorities. Then I go through my number two priorities and list them each on the appropriate calendar page.
Now at this point I know all of the tasks and projects that I wanna do for the year. At this point I go into the first quarter and try to plan out each project allowing enough time for the project to be completed before starting another one. By the time I'm done with quarter one I know everything that needs to be done for January, February, and March of the new year.
I repeat this process for the other 3 quarters of the new year. What I have in front of me when I'm done is one year of planned projects and tasks for our homestead.
Once my year is planned according to calendar dates I go back to the first quarter and start planning each individual project as needed. Planning a project includes dates to start, materials I may need, materials I may have to buy, and a step-by-step to do list of how to complete each one. I do this on a separate paper that I attached to the back of the calendar so that when the time comes, I have the plan already set for that month. If those plans require a budget I create a budget and attach it also.
Now even though this sounds like a quick project to do, it is not. The brainstorming part we do over a weeks time. That gives us time to come up with new ideas or change the ideas that we already have. I then use a second week to split my projects and ideas into priorities. This is followed by another week of scheduling throughout the year the projects that we've decided on.
Breaking down the projects by tasks and materials or creating budgets can take sometimes an entire month. So by the time I have my year planned although I started in September, it may be the beginning November or even the middle of November, before we have a concrete plan.
The last week of the year, right after the Christmas holiday is over, we review our plan and gather what we need to be ready for the first quarter of the new year.
Now I hope you can see why we start planning so early for the new year. You need to allow yourself time to really think through what you need to do, what do you need to do it with, and time to plan when you will do it.
Please remember homesteading and farming is never set in stone. Things change, life happens, and adjustments have to be made. The more you plan in advance, the better the end results will be
If you feel a bit overwhelmed, or you've never really planned a whole year on your homestead or farm before, don't worry I got you.
If you're listening to this podcast during the month of September 2022, be sure to check my website on the 23rd of September, for a post about our three phase self-reliant plan that we've developed for our homestead in 2023. At the end of the post you'll be able to download some free worksheets to help you plan your 2023 year.
I hope that this episode helped you prepare for your 2023 year on your homestead or farm. Remember that it's always better to be prepared and planning your homestead for the new year is no different.
Well that's all I have for you today. Get out that notebook, those calendars, and your planner, and start planning your new year so you can be better prepared! See you soon