As the leaves begin to change colour, and with daylight saving having drawn to a close, we are reminded that winter is just around the corner.
With the firewood neatly stacked and the freezer stocked with the cuts required for hearty winter meals, we prepare for the colder months ahead.
The past summer and autumn have offered generous sunlight hours, which is a big change from last year.
The long days of summer are easily filled with an even longer list of projects to improve the farm, often at the expense of social and family time. The lack of balance is somewhat unsustainable, especially for my wife and kids.
Winter presents a stark contrast to summer. Its short daylight hours and miserable weather are compounded by the demands of feeding out and lambing season.
Add to this a house of kids with their signature winter runny noses and it is easy to let the less desirable elements of winter compound.
However, among these challenges there lies a certain stoicism that makes winter both rewarding and draining.
Last year, going into winter felt like preparing for battle. The calendar was marked with important dates, some practical and some purely there as mental milestones. Outside of the shearing, scanning and lambing, the main milestones on the calendar were taking the kids to the snow for a winter break, and a ring was put around the shortest day – we thought we could fool ourselves into thinking the run into spring was downhill from this point on. It wasn’t.
An observation from watching top performers is that they don’t swing at every pitch. It is somewhat the opposite – they know how to say “no” and channel their energy into what counts. They also know when to take breaks to avoid burnout and prevent injury.
A goal of mine is to remain a constructive farmer, one whose career is not ended by injury or burnout. Achieving this may have to come from taking a path that some stalwarts may deem soft – taking time off to ensure we remain focused on what is important.
This year, we are trying a few different things to ensure we can keep up the energy for the things that matter.
Three things stick out – trading the family holiday at the snow for a week of sun, committing to an endurance event in spring to make training over winter easier, and making up for the lost social time by getting dinners with friends and family on the calendar now. All relatively simple, but representing a slight shift in priorities.
The search for firewood tells the story. The wood that burns quickly is easy to find, while the wood that provides lasting warmth proves more challenging.
Similarly, our sector, like others, has many stories of people who burnt out before their time. The list of jobs is always going to exceed the number of hours in a day.
This coming winter offers another chance to ensure we can continue to burn long and slow.
