First-Year Homestead Goals: What to Focus on (Not Everything)
Avoid burnout with realistic first-year homestead goals that help you build slowly, save money, and enjoy the process.
Homesteading is so many things – the garden, the chickens, the bread, the composting, the canning. And quite commonly, it’s too much all at once – especially for beginners. Let me tell you, it is very easy to get overwhelmed with homestead chores. And it can actually be quite stressful. But it doesn’t have to be.
Maybe you’ve seen the homesteaders on Youtube or Instagram, juggling six different tasks like it’s nothing. But a short video or clip is not real life. Sure, it’s great to use social media for encouragement and inspiration, but don’t get caught up in comparison.
I’m here to tell you, slow progress is success. If you are just starting out and looking to set your first-year homestead goals, then this is the post for you. Here we’ll share five first-year homestead goals, along with what to avoid and what to save for later. These goals will help set your focus on simplicity and sustainability on your new homestead.
The Biggest First-Year Mistake: Trying to Do Too Much
It seems simple but it’s all too common – when it comes to homesteading, doing too much is a fast track to burnout. Why? Overloading your schedule takes up too much time and energy, not to mention starting several projects at once can get expensive. Especially if you’re opting for the fastest route.
There is one saying that comes to mind: Good, fast, and cheap – pick two, but you can never have all three.
There is also something to be said about learning curves. When you stack too many projects, learning curves compound, taking up both more time and energy. And as we all know, mental exhaustion can be just as bad as physical burnout.
Don’t underestimate the value of observation during your first homesteading year. Just taking the time to observe will help you build better foundations for your future homestead. It can help you avoid mistakes and do things right the first time, whether it’s choosing a site for your garden or deciding where the fence line will run.
Goal #1: Learn Your Land (Before Changing It)
Make it your first priority to learn your land before you change it. So many homesteading projects are intertwined with the specific nature of your land that the importance of this goal cannot be overstated.
Observe sun, shade, wind, water and soil through all seasons before making any decisions. Taking notes instead of rushing into projects can be so helpful in saving money and frustration in the long term.
For more specific details and observations that you might not remember off the top of your head, a calendar or a journal works well. For larger details, mental notes often work well, especially if you have something specific in mind for a particular area of your property.
Goal #2: Build One or Two Core Skills
This goal is all about focus. Choose one or two core skills that match your lifestyle and interests, and master them. Some examples of core homesteading skills include gardening, food preservation, animal care, composting, from-scratch cooking and baking.
Mastery beats dabbling, especially in year one. When you focus on just one or two skills and get really good at them, they become easy. You exert much less time and energy on those tasks than you did when you were first learning. Then you can move on to other skills, adding new skills and interests to your tool belt as you go.
This process creates confidence and momentum, instead of burnout and defeat. And confidence and momentum are the two main ingredients in the recipe for success on your homestead.
Goal #3: Start Small with Food Production
Small-scale food production is such a valuable homesteading skill. When you’re just starting out, focusing on a small garden is usually the easiest way to grow your own food.
And yes, container gardens and raised beds count. So even if you don’t have much space to work with, you can still do this. Start with a few reliable crops – tomatoes or an herb garden are great for small container plantings. Or if you have the space, squash, potatoes and cucumbers are easy, highly productive and versatile crops.
It’s important to avoid the “Pinterest homestead” trap – don’t get caught up in measuring your success on how other gardens look online. Start small, even if that’s really small, and grow over time. Success is much more important than size.
Goal #4: Create Systems That Make Life Easier
Simple routines are so valuable on the homestead. They can be applied to almost every aspect of homestead life: chores, meals, everyday maintenance as well as seasonal maintenance. Taking the time to develop routines when you’re first starting out will make life much easier as you add more to your plate. Think watering schedules, storage solutions and basic workflows.
Tools and setups also help tremendously in reducing daily effort on your homestead. Investing in the tools that you need and setups (think composting bins or simple irrigation systems) will pay off very quickly in reducing time and effort.
And don’t worry about having a top of the line set up. Systems, even the simplest systems, matter so much more than aesthetics when it comes to productivity on a homestead. Sure, we all want our stuff to look nice. But functionality beats fashion every time.
Goal #5: Protect Your Budget (and Your Energy)
In our modern world of conveniences and consumerism, it is very easy to overspend. And, in some ways – surprisingly – homesteading is no different. Wait, but homesteading is supposed to be the opposite of that consumer culture, isn’t it?
Yes! But homesteading can get expensive in sneaky ways. Even when the goal is self-reliance, be careful not to overspend on your way there. Materials and supplies, although important, can run your costs up quick.
That’s another reason why building slowly over time is so important. You don’t have to have a top-of-the-line set up right off. Sourcing secondhand supplies and salvage materials (like T-posts, fencing, or building materials for animal structures) can save you money.
However, there may be some things that are better to outsource. Yes, learning when not to DIY is such a valuable tool in protecting your budget (and sanity). This will look different for everyone, depending on your background and the project, but sometimes it can actually save you money to hire a professional.
Recognizing that there are several ways to tackle your goal, and analyzing which way best fits you and your budget, is such a key strategy when it comes to building your homestead.
What to Save for Later (and Why That’s Okay)
Livestock overload – When you’re just starting out, don’t go all in on all the animals. I know it’s tempting, but really. There is such a learning curve with each livestock species, not to mention it can get expensive if you’re not careful.
Large infrastructure projects – I will be the first to tell you that some things in this category are necessary. But don’t feel like you have to have everything perfect before you get started. Homesteading is really all about learning (and building) as you go.
Big preservation goals before growing food – Food preservation is great. And probably one of the main goals of homestead gardeners. But there is a bit of a learning curve involved, and it can be overwhelming if you’re trying to do too much. Focus on growing the garden now, and save the big preservation goals for later.
Measuring Success in Your First Year
First, before measuring success in your first year, we need to redefine “progress” on a homestead. It is not all about projects completed, simply because some projects are never really completed. There are seasons to everything on a homestead, and just because one season comes to a close doesn’t mean you’re done.
That’s why it’s much better to reflect on the skills you’ve learned when measuring success in your first year (and every year, really). There is always room for improvement, but focusing on joy, confidence, and sustainability (versus burnout) are the real wins.
Conclusion: Slow Homesteads Last Longer
When it comes to first-year homestead goals, just remember that starting slowly will set you up for success.
For your first year, choose one focus and build from there. As a reminder, homesteading is a long game, so don’t feel like you’re not doing enough. Trust the process and focus on building skills, one at a time.
What are your goals for your homestead this year? Let us know in the comments below!
