Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How To Get Yourself To Spend More Time In The Garden
Getting yourself to spend more time in the garden is an ambition for many people. They want to experience what life’s like outside instead of being stuck in boxes every day (i.e. their office or their home). But what can you do to encourage yourself to be outdoors? What’s proven to work?
A beautiful garden to inspire you
Start With Just 5 Minutes Per Day
The first step is to start small. You don’t have to spend a lot of time outside. Just 5 minutes a day in your garden is often enough to form a habit.
A lot of people do the following: they make themselves a warm drink in the morning (green tea or coffee) and then sip it outside for a few minutes while enjoying the view. It’s a great way to center one’s emotions and start the day.
We recommend taking off your shoes while outdoors to ground yourself to help relieve anxiety and more. Too cold? Try a grounding mat. We like grounding products from Grounding Well and you can get them for 10% off using our code GWCAROLYNBRADEN or this link to groundingwell.com. Watch our video above about how we use them or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
Invest in fun gardening tools
Invest In A Fun Gadget
If that doesn’t work, you can also try investing in a fun gadget. If you have an enjoyable reason to go outside, you have more reason to do so.
For example, you could put some money into a pressure washer and clean the patio, or you could buy some electric pruners and cut your bushes back to size. Whatever you want, really.
Vegetable gardening needs attention
Plant Something That Requires Your Attention
At the same time, you’ll want to plant something that requires your attention. If you can treat shrubs, flowers and trees like your pets, then you’ll always have a reason to go outside. Granted, greenery doesn’t have a face like a dog or a cat, but it can still be highly motivating.
For example, you might need to go out to check for things like pests and make sure they’re not ruining the species you want to encourage. You might also need to go outside to check for flowers or fruits, again, getting you outdoors.
An outdoor porch can be an office too!
Create An Office Nook
You could also look into creating an office nook for yourself. These are handy when you know you’re going to be on the laptop all day but don’t want to sit indoors.
For one of these, make sure you have the proper awnings in place to block out glare from the sun. Also, get a WiFi extender so your internet works, plus a side table for keeping paperwork.
My Amazon picks for a simple and modern front porch
See our Modern Fall Vibes accessories for your porch above and buy what we featured via our Amazon Shop here.
Easy DIY pathway for a yard
Gamify Going Outside
If all else fails, you might want to consider gamifying the process of going outside. Using a points system can often be highly effective.
For example, let’s say that you mow the lawn. That could be worth 5 points. If you trim a hedge, that’s 10 points, and so on.
This sort of setup makes going into the garden fun and challenges you to see what you can do.
Gardening with friends can be fun!
Invite A Friend
Lastly, you might want to invite a friend to come out and experience the garden with you. If you’re both outside, you’re much more likely to stay outdoors, especially in good weather. Plus, there’s an element of accountability there whenever you get someone else involved in a project.
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Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.
This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links. All opinions and ideas expressed in this post, however, are based on my personal point of view.