The Hardest Part of a Project is Starting
There are some beautiful formulas, such as
Fstart=Fstatic+ma
and
Fmaintain=Fkinetic=µkN
That prove this point.
Take writing this article for example. It is intangible, so trying to assign a mass to it depends entirely on self. And this time, self said ma=impossible. Therefore Fstart was impossible. But self also reasoned that, as I have been writing this article for about year now, that technically weighed in start’s favor.
Ma=really hard
Fstart can work with that.
This applies to homesteading, or perhaps, is a key part of homesteading (and all real life!)
The hardest part of a project is starting.
One of my goals this year was to use up some of those boxes and boxes of fabric I have collected over the years to make clothes that fit and look nice for the family. After weeks of mentally gnawing on that project (not starting) and agonizing over patterns (not starting), I walked over to the root cellar, pulled out a handful of fabric, walked back to the trailer and enlisted help: “girls, I’m going to make you both a dress!” (Cue ecstatic cheering and lots of ‘helpful’ ideas!)
I sat right down, pulled out the tape measure and scissors and cut out Rose’s dress. It is finished. It took three days of spending a little bit of time on it. I just needed to start.
Gardens are always a big homestead goal. Last year, I started. I planted a garden. It…died. But, brains love a problem, in fact, being able to wrestle with and solve problems triggers dopamine, the reward system in our brains. So I researched and formulated ideas through last summer and came up with a plan (this is maintaining momentum, by the way) and last fall, I started the wheels rolling on that plan. I started filling one large tractor tire with chicken droppings and straw to break down over winter. I also maintained momentum by making and remaking garden plans, reading gardening books, and saving garden pins on Pinterest. Let me tell you, by spring I was raring to go!
I now have four raised beds, plus the tractor tire and three wee pots. This is nothing like what I planned! But I used resources I already had, (straw bales, manure, and dirt) plus mental prepping and motivation, to maintain momentum and put a garden in the ground. By the way, the peas are just about ready!!
Now, this garden is actually growing a fraction of what I had planned. If we’re lucky, we’ll have a little corn, a few carrots, a few peas, and some bush beans. Maybe some lettuce and beets. But it is a start! And I already have plans for what to do in the fall to increase yields for next year in those self same beds and pots. After all,
Fmaintain=Fkinetic=µkN
Is sooo much easier than
Fstart=Fstatic+ma
What are you going to start today?
