Rugby and farming are very similar in that they are both driven by a seasonal calendar, which can make life pretty hectic at times. It’s been all-go for me recently with rugby.
I know in farming it’s the same; many people are either calving at the moment or about to go into it, same with lambing.
The weather at this time of year can also be harsh which can make life challenging.
Here are a few things I’ve learnt from growing up on a farm and during my sporting career to get through…
Dad was great at keeping things enjoyable for us even during the busiest times.
We’d come home during the school holidays and Dad would say, “right come on let’s go out on the farm, help out where you can.”
My brothers and I found that challenging sometimes, but we knew we had to help out.
We could see the pressure that was on Mum and Dad and the staff having a larger dairy farm and when you’re calving big numbers in a small amount of days, the challenges that are involved are massive.
But to Dad’s credit, he always really drove the enjoyment side of it and that’s probably why a couple of his sons are in farming now.
I’ve also learnt through farming and rugby that you really have to think about what you put into your body. Having the right ‘fuel in the tank’ is vital.
I’ve found eating good food and having a lot of food, small and often, is the best way to do it, because it keeps your energy levels up.
Something as simple as taking a water bottle with you, even if it’s just for half an hour, is also important.
As we know at this time of year, half an hour can turn into three or four hours pretty quickly so having a little bit of water there, even though it’s cold, definitely keeps you in a good space.
Sport has taught me that staying hydrated really helps with fatigue levels and decision making.
When you’re really busy, taking extended breaks is not an option. That’s when I make sure I schedule in mini-breaks or time out during the day to recharge.
This is something I picked up from my Dad.
He always used to have a quick power nap each day. He had that ability to take just a bit of time out no matter how busy things got, even if it was just for a minute or two.
He’d take that opportunity to just stop, refresh and assess what needed to be done in the afternoon. Then once he’d decided, he was ready to go and he was right back into it.
If I have lots of things on my mind, one of the things I do to make sure I get a good night’s sleep is to write them down before I go to bed. It frees me up mentally. I think “right I’ll deal with that tomorrow.”
Another thing that’s also helped me is keeping away from my phone half-an-hour to an hour before bedtime, so I’m not distracted by social media or reading something on the phone. I just put it aside and use an alarm clock instead.
When I get rid of my phone early in the night, I find it definitely improves the quality of sleep I have.
And, when I’ve got a long list of things to juggle, the first thing I do is prioritise the list.
For example, is there something I can do that’s going to eliminate two or three of the other things on the list?
It’s a bit like rugby in that respect.
If your scrum’s not going very well, then your back attack’s not going very well, so if you sort your scrum out, nine out of 10 times it sorts your back attack out.
It’s about asking yourself, what is the priority and where does it sit on my list? Is it a priority or is it a nice-to-do but not a must-do now?
Let’s face it, in farming whether you have a small lifestyle block or 25,000 acres there’s always something to be done and not enough time to do it in.
So, you’ve got to work out what your priority is and what you can live with and then work back from there.
