IN this episode I am going to share some great ideas on how to use that downtime you may find on your homestead in the most productive and rewarding ways possible.
IN this episode I am going to share some great ideas on how to use that downtime you may find on your homestead in the most productive and rewarding ways possible.
Season 2 Episode 12 PP
How To use Your Downtime on the Homestead
Between all the rain and the recent hurricane in Florida recently, we have actually had some downtime. The problem was not having the downtime though. The break was appreciated. What was tough was figuring out what to do while stuck indoors all day most days over two or more weeks.
Today I am going to share some great ideas for you to pursue if you get some much needed downtime on your homestead anytime soon.
Are you ready?
Hi and welcome back to the Prepping Postively Podcast! I’m Annie and today we are talking about what to do with any downtime you may be lucky enough to get on your homestead.
So like I said in the intro, we have had so many rainy days and even a hurricane lately. The weather made it next to impossible to even go outside for more than 20 minutes. And when we did, it was so hot and humid, we found ourselves right back in the house.
That said, I had to find things to do to occupy ourselves other than the normal day to day chores and tasks we normally do.
And here are some of the things I came up with to share with you.
The first thing I did was to turn to my yearly plan for my farm and businesses. You have one of those right?
I looked at my goals and projects and kind of reviewed each one to make sure we were either on track, or if anything had changed, and I needed to adjust my plans. Of course, many things changed so I decided to restructure the last quarter of this year to more suit our current situation, and what had changed.
This took a bit, but I now have a better plan going toward the fourth quarter of 2023, that otherwise I would have had to adjust as we went. So the downtime came in handy, I was able to focus on what I wanted to get done, and really look into the plans I had already made too.
Repurposing the fourth quarter meant I also had some time to do some brainstorming for 2024 too. I made lists of ideas I wanted to try next year, projects I wanted to get done, and even some new business ideas to bring in more income.
Once I was pretty happy with the rest of this years plans and having a jumpstart of plans for 2024, I decided to tackle some projects. I figured I couldn’t do anything outside so I may as well focus in my home.
I repainted my office and even got the baseboard up and painted. We also got some caulking and weatherstripping done too.
Being stuck in the house all the time sucks, so if you can spend time doing some projects that you couldn’t get to otherwise because you’re so busy, why not get some things off your list to pass the time more productively.
Another thing I finally got to make more time for was to read! I would just grab a book, curl up in a chair or on my bed, and lose myself in a good book. Having so much downtime meant more time for me. And I took advantage of it. I even took some courses online I had bought previously but never had the time to work on. Having downtime is a great time to lose yourself in learning new skills!
Although I usually talk to my family, specifically my three daughters daily, having the downtime allowed me to reach out to my nieces and sister more often. I even spent two hours talking to a friend that I hadn’t talked to in a few years. Downtime is a great time to catch up!
One of the most favorite activities I had time for was some good quality “me-time”. Us homesteaders tend to start tending to everything and everyone else and we tend to forget ourselves in the process.
So I had quite a few “me-time” moments. From long hot bubble baths, to a glass of wine and a good book, I made time for me. I even made the time to start writing in my personal journal again.
I spent twenty minutes one evening with a clay mask on my face and my feet soaking in a foot spa I bought from WalMart. My man was very amused at my look, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there isn’t an image floating around on Facebook by now, since he seemed to think it was so funny.
Sometimes we get so carried away with all the things we have to do, that we do not take the time to do for ourselves or with others closest to us. So the next time you get some well needed downtime on your homestead, make the time to do the things you never get to enjoy normally.
Spend more time with your significant other, play a game, watch a movie, have a spa day, read, watch the rain out the window and enjoy the peace.
I hope some of these ideas helped you! Til next Monday....enjoy some downtime!