Midnight Ideas, Daylight Regrets: A Homesteader’s Lesson in Restraint

Those that know me know that I am a night owl. When Jocko says ‘wake up early to win,’ I hear, ‘Why risk missing your alarm? Just keep working.’” What makes this even better is that I have a rather strong imagination. Why dream at night when I can daydream at night. This is where the trouble starts.

The Seed Tray That Stared Back at Me

When my mind drifts to the garden (or more accurately food) at 1 AM, this is where is really start to get into trouble. I look at my empty (or sometimes not so empty) seed starting rack, and my pile of seeds and the wheels start turning. “I did plan for watermelon this year,“ I think to myself. It’s still June. It’s not too late. An hour later, seed packets are all over the table and I have a full 1020 tray full of dirt and seeds. I might be able to fit in 2 plants out of the whole tray. “They’re old seeds and nothing germinates 100%” I tell myself.

The Case for Pausing Before Cutting

The danger isn’t doing too little—it’s doing too much without a reason. I’ve got to sharpen the why before I swing at the how. Lincoln once said “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe”. Though I’m sure that quote is apocryphal, it still rings true. The big maple may be shading out my crops, but lets start sizing things up. Don’t just grab your saw and cut a notch the direction you’d like the tree to go. Instead, taking a breath and doing the boring stuff. Lets sharpen that chain, lets inventory my oil and gas. With that out of the way cutting down any tree is going to go better. And if I don’t cut one down today, I’ll be ready tomorrow.

Some Nights Are Just for Dreaming

Getting out of trouble also means not getting into it. I’ll never stop fantasizing about grand plans that will never happen. But maybe, just maybe, I’ll have one less half finished project for the week. Sometimes it’s better to do some planning, or go through some of my favorite homestead books for ideas. You don’t have to do everything. You don’t have to have everything. As long as you’re making progress, that’s what matters.

Progress, not polish.

Thanks for stopping by. I share guides, tools, and lessons from the work. Stick around, dig in, and feel free to share what’s worked for you.

Keep showing up. It’ll pay off.

— Ryan

Alder Branch Homestead