Embracing the Charm of Cottage Life in the Transition to Spring

As the vibrant hues of spring in the way of beautiful tulips begin to dance in the garden, there's a wonderful spirit of enthusiasm enters the cottage days, breathing new life into the chores and dreams.

The rhythmic sound of big night rains brings a fresh green veil to the towering poplars. When the sun is finally out, the lavender, snap dragons and calendula show off their colors to the tulips greeting the arrival of a new season too.

Every season my cottage garden tells its own tale in new colors, encouraging to fully appreciate beauty of life.

The giant bull next door commands attention. His roars echo through the morning mists and he sounds like a mystical creature from the folklore stories adding the charm to the start of the day in the countryside.

Autumn sends its greeting from the other side of the Earth

What truly fascinates is the revelation that while spring shyly makes its way to New Zealand, autumn gracefully arrives on the opposite side of the earth.

Thinking of this stirs my imagination! It brings inspirations and creative desires hard to explain it the reality of seedlings and chirping birds - suddenly I choose to add the mushroom motifs into embroidery. It feels like a bridge between the distant lands through craft and brings both spring and autumn into harmony in my embroidery hoop.

Watching the life being busy all around I started thinking of my own activities I fill the days with. Surely they make me busy but tired as well. Lately I cannot stop thinking of a phrase "Vision makes the decision".

Do I choose the right activities? Do I decide how to spend the day in the best way?

Let me share with you the result of the thoughts and books digging.

May be it could be useful for someone trying to find the right strategy for the dreams they bring to life.

My dreams are: to have profitable blog, to write, draw and sell books, to illustrate for others, to have a beautifully clean home, the veggie garden, preserve food, make craft like embroidery; and may be sell produce now and then at the market, homeschool, have happy husband and children; have animals like chickens, alpacas, sheep, peacocks, ducks and pugs, fishes in aquarium too, also find time for runs and walks and look after myself plus find time for reading.

This makes me laugh as it sounds as it is too much already! However I am, kind of, doing it all now apart from the fact I do not have much reward - only for illustrating for others and I get tired. But it DOES sounds like I have an amazing and fulfilling life with so many beautiful dreams and passions! Balancing all of these is definitely possible, but it will require prioritization and focus to manage the energy effectively. And I have never been really good with that. :)

How is it even possible to balance energy and where to apply my focus during the week to cover all these things?

After a bit of a research and journaling I decided how I might structure my time:

1. Prioritize the "Out for the World" activities

- Illustration: Dedicate specific blocks of time during the week to client projects.

- Blog & Book Writing: These are my key future projects. Schedule time for blog posts and book writing at the start of each day when your mind is freshest.

- Crafts & Markets: Set aside a weekend each month for creating crafts or preparing goods to sell at a market.

Batch Tasks for Efficiency

- Homeschooling: Create a weekly or monthly homeschooling schedule. Batch-plan lessons on a Sunday evening and teach on set days.

- Household Tasks: Dedicate one or two days a week for house cleaning and maintaining the garden. Set up routines so these tasks don’t overwhelm.

- Self-Care & Exercise: Find 30 minutes to 1 hour each day for yourself—this could be during the walks, runs, or even during quiet time like reading or having tea in the garden. Self-care is essential to keep me energized.

3. Structure the Week by Themes

This part needs more work from me. I cannot get clear on effective approach here yet.

4. Outsource & Delegate Where Possible

- Family Contributions: Involve your family in gardening, cleaning and animal care to lighten your load. This also makes it a shared experience.

5. Focus on the Essentials

- For now, focus on the activities that will bring me the most joy and income:

- Growing the blog through consistent posting and monetization strategies (like affiliate marketing or sponsored content).

- Illustrating for others while building my own book or product line.

- Slowly expanding into markets with the crafts and produce as time allows.

6. Be Kind to Myself

- It’s okay if I can not do everything perfectly all at once. Focus on small progress each week. The more I automate tasks or build systems, the easier it will become to maintain the balance.

- Keep revisiting my priorities. If one week feels overwhelming, adjust your plan and be flexible with what I can achieve.

The whole purpose of this thought work is to gradually build the sustainable routine that allows to enjoy my dream lifestyle and support it.

And I believe being tired at the end of the day is normal for a human, right? Otherwise how would the body get the rest from our goal setting, trying to be perfect and beyond? :)

When peaceful cottage days mix with the spirit of spring, a beautiful combination of nature and art comes to life, as well as the homesteading work that is dedicated at the moment to the fruitful months ahead:

Soil preparation, digging, planting, replanting and watering - it is all the pleasant work for the future harvest and beautiful display of flowers later. Drawing, early morning writing, study time with the child - it is all the ground work for the future results too. Everything comes together to form a magical world of the cottage living in calmness and loveliness .