I just wanted to talk about holidays. It can be hard to fit them in, can’t it? Sometimes it seems all to easy just to stay at home.
Steph Schmitt from Farm.Life.Physc writes about how leaving the farm is not a possibility for all of us, and most certainly not all the time, and developing the skills to cope and even thrive within stressfull situations can be more beneficital than a little time away it’s worth a read here
However I find getting away so valuable. It refreshing and for us it’s a great opportunity to escape from the summer heat. It helps me shift into big picture thinking mode early in the new year and be a more relaxed and happy Mum for a week or two.
Here is a few ways to make it easier to get away.
1. Remember it’s ok to leave someone at home
In past years I have left the boss at home spraying and headed down the coast for some time with the kids and my sisters and their families. I know we are not the only family that does that. It’s not ideal, it’s not what we like to do, however sometimes it is how we make things work.
When someone is doing night shift and you have a house full of kids at home, sometimes it’s easier to make a strategic exit. One year, after not touching the piano for 12 months, including 6 of those months that they were having lessons, the kids decided to take it up again. Hannah got a plastic fantastic unicorn for Christmas that repeated speech. The big kids were delighted to learn that they could get it to say “f-off” in a squeaky unicorn voice then run out and slam the door before the got in trouble. It was noisy madness, and not a good combo with a Dad who was trying to catch up on some sleep after harvest and some early starts. Us being out of the house was a bit of a break for him too.
2. Get the water sorted
A few years ago, sheep expert Phil Graham presented at the Summer Updates for Moses and Son. He talked about the importance of continuting to improve livestock water availablity and reliability, even after the seasons turned. There are low tech solutions and high tech monitoring systems. Both might be worth thinking about if it makes getting a break easier and becoming more drought resistant at the same time.
3. Get the dogs & garden sorted
I don’t have a fully automated watering system. However I do have a pressure pump on the dam water. With the aid of a $20 timer I can program all the drippers and sprinklers to come on for a set period of time each day. The person keeping an eye on my garden only has to shift the sprinklers to a dry looking spot and not turn a dozen taps on and off or wait hours until the job is done.
Our dam is now dry, and though I hate the dead garden the silver lining is there is a lot less pressure now. It is one less job.
For longer holidays, leaving the dogs, especially those precious house dogs, with someone else (boarding kennel or neighbours) beats the daily round trip. A great little job, perhaps for an older primary school child on holidays.
For ultimate peace of mind, paying someone to house sit or a local person to come and check things and feed realy works well. In closely settled areas it can be a great job for a local teen (if you have unlimited wifi). I find a daily checklist works well in this situation. There are also a few websites that match farmers with retired farmers to provide farm sitting services.
4. Take your laptop, or not
With paperless office systems and app based access to accounting and banking programs you can just keep on top of everything while you are away. BUT DON’T DO IT!!. Whilst this might stop the scramble when you come home, it does not give your brain the precious break from thinking of all of the things that need doing, and it’s the break which makes you more efficient long term. Set up an auto reply on your business emails and sort things out when you get back.
5. Leave your phone behind
If your phone is your business computer, all of your social media is farm stuff and grain and livestock apps are constantly sending you messages you are probably not going to get the break you need. You can turn off notifications, delete apps temporarily or consider downgrading from a smart phone to a dumb phone. Swapping your sim into a cheap low tec burner phone from the supermarket or post office gives you access in case of urgent things, but stops the scrolling. Ironically I got this idea from Ag Twitter courtesy of AMC’s Charlie Blomfield.
6. Remember, you don’t have to “deserve” rest
You don’t have to deserve rest and relaxation. It is not a reward for hard work. It is something we all need. We are human beings, not human doings. If you are choosing to stay at home when you can get away because of feelings of guilt that you have not achived enough, or perhaps as an act of retalliation against a bad year, then it might be something you need to have a think about or talk to someone about. Cost is a barrier. Holidays and time away can be expensive, however may be insignificant when compared to the much larger financial challenges of running a farm business.
What can you do to make it easier to get away?
If you are staying at home, how can you make it feel more like a holiday?
Share the love
[Sassy_Social_Share]
