A Country Winter can be hard to endure when there are so many things that must be put on hold. The weather is unpredictable, and you don’t know how long you will be inside wishing for warmer weather. When the excitement from the holidays has died down and the snow no longer has that magical feel, cabin fever starts to set in.
Building your country life doesn’t just have to take place outdoors. There is a list of things that you can do indoors to keep your moving forward. This year I decided to try and find ways to get over the motivational slump and continue learning and building my own country life.
Country Winter Waiting List
Plan Your Spring Garden
Planting your garden may be a few months away, but you can use this time to plan it. December is usually when seed catalogs start showing up in the mailbox. Right now is the time you can start figuring out what your layout is going to look like, what you will plant and where to buy your seeds. When spring arrives you will be ready to get to work.
Need Help Planning? All is explained in Planning Your Garden.
Read
When you are trapped in doors everyone always suggests reading. Now is the time to learn all you can about the projects you plan to start this next year. Look for books, blogs and other reading materials that will help you in your search for inspiration and information.
Write
Start a journal this winter, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy. There are many different things that you can write down.
- Make lists for projects , inspiration and ideas
- Write down information you read about
- Plan your projects
- Write down resources that you found helpful
- Recipes that you come across
- Supply Lists for Projects
- Journal about what your thought process is
Your choices for writing are endless, remember that the idea of this writing is to help keep your thoughts and lists in order. Use this journal help you remember when the time comes to take action. It will also help pass the time during those winter months.
Remodel or Organize
Pick a room in your house that you have been trying to find the time to redo. Look on Pinterest, DIY blogs or through magazines to find inspiration. Create your plan, gather supplies and get to work! Organize your pantry, basement or any other storage area you might have in your home. Go though everything, decide what you would like to keep and donate or throw away the rest. We don’t have much storage in our home, so finding new ways to organize is always on my list. We also live in a 150 year-old farmhouse so the winter is a great time for DIY projects that we don’t usually have time for.
Small Indoor Project
Back to the writing – take that list of projects that you would like to do and find ones that can easily be done indoors. Then go through and decide where you would like to start! Your list could include painting picture frames, decorating different rooms, learning to bake or cook. Find things that fit into your country life building plan. These projects may be small but they will bring you one step closer to the country life you are trying to build.
Paperwork
This is a good time of year for catching up on paperwork caught and getting your filing cabinet in order. There are different things on your homestead/farm that you will need to keep record of.
This can include:
- Animal Vet Records
- Registration Paperwork
- Inventory
- Receipts
- Sale Records
This list shows a few of the many possible records that you will need to keep organized. Figure out a system that works for you, keep actual filing cabinets or build binders. During a country winter you will have more time indoors to figure out what system will help you keep track and sort your important papers.
These 6 things are what I try to accomplish after the holiday excitement has worn off and the lazy, lack of motivation feeling starts to set in. The main thing is to keep yourself busy, find things that will help you remember your goals and create motivation. Avoid the winter rut and keep your dream of building a country life moving forward.
