Use These 5 Gardening Principles to Be More Productive

Photo by *Susie*
I am a terrible gardener. But I do try. Every year.

I sat down this year and tried to pinpoint the causes of my failures. I made a list, and realized that they apply to productivity as well.

Don’t re-do all of the gardens at once

Deciding to tackle all beds in the same year is recipe for disaster. This is taking on too big of a project, and as a consequence, something, if not everything, will fail. Simply because you have tried to do to much.

The better way to approach this is to pick a smaller area and get it established before moving on to the next. It may take more time to get an overall garden look, but it has a greater chance of success.

The same can be said of building habits. If you tackle everything at once, you are sure of failure. If you do one at a time, you have a much better chance of success.

Maintenance is part of gardening

Gardens do not look their best when left to their own devices. Regular maintenance is necessary to keep them performing. Otherwise the garden will suffer from lack of attention.

In order to be productive, you cannot forget about those maintenance areas of your life. Time and laundry wait for no person.

Weeding is Essential

I learned the hard way that letting weeds grow is a bad idea. In fact, I ended up mowing one of my flower beds this past summer. Weeding is essential. If I don’t pull out the weeds, the regular plants have no space or light to grow.

The same applies to activities. Unless I take out the things that are not working toward my end goals, I will end up choking my goals.

Remember the Soil

It isn’t enough to plop some seeds into the ground. The soil must be conducive to growing, having a good balance of materials and enough nutrients to support the plants.

Likewise, if I do not take care of myself, I will not be able to meet my goals. I need enough sleep, nutritious food and exercise to be at my peak. Without these things, I cannot work well.

Critters Like Gardens

Birds and bunnies like seeds and tender plants. If I don’t protect my seeds and plants, they will be destroyed.

Similarly, I must take the time to guard my projects from outside influences that threaten to derail my projects. The projects must be kept from those who don’t think them important, or who wish to see them not come to success.

Even though I may be a lousy gardener, at least I am learning from it!..