The one about….Pottering
I'm a fan of pottering about. I've done it all my life, often in the garden or on the allotment - as a child, as a young Mum with three small children and especially in the teaching years as an antidote to the endless doing. Pottering is more akin to being - something we could all do with a larger dose of in a world where being busy is king.
Most of us embraced the pottering habit more when modern ways of doing things came to a halt in the lockdown months. At that time I came across a little book by Anna McGovern about this quintessentially British subject. McGovern suggests that “Pottering is one of a number of coping strategies that you can do when you feel a bit frazzled. While it is by no means a substitute for professional help, it is just one thing in the armoury of self-care that happens to fit in with the way that we’re living now. It’s a mental break, it’s completely unpressured and it frees you momentarily from all responsibility. It may seem inconsequential, but it has a uniquely restful effect.” She's right.
So what are the rules of pottering? I'd call them guidelines rather than rules because what pottering is not is rigid and goal-oriented. That's not so say that things don't get done. They do - but in a gentle way. Bin the to-do list and see where your attention is drawn. And do not, under any circumstances, curate your pottering to put it on social media! Pottering is not Instagrammable. Quite the opposite. It's honest, authentic, small, for yourself, bringing an intrinsic contentment not seeking extrinsic validity. Above all, it's mindful, allowing you to be in the moment, even creating that all-important sense of flow.
Successful pottering as McGovern sees it is built on five main principles.......
Make do with what you have - do what's in front of you. Don't go looking for it.
Don't try too hard
Move gently
Keep it local - your house or garden or at the most your neighbourhood. I still potter about foraging for whatever is in season close to home.
Go digital-free. This is a non-negotiable. How else are you going to live in the moment and nobody needs to see your tidy sock drawer.
Try it with any simple task that takes your eye. Go with the flow - making a cup of tea, tidying a kitchen drawer, sorting out a bag for the charity shop, weeding a flower bed, watering your house plants, sorting out your work bag, cleaning the kitchen window or walking the dog.
Pottering is especially important as you get older, Research on women in their 60s to 90s shows that four hours of gentle movement every day (not necessarily continuously) significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular events. But for any modern-day dweller it's vital. It’s something I often explore with clients who are overwhelmed with the inevitable sadmin following a death and find sustained focus impossible.
Take a tiny step towards your preferred future this week and indulge yourself with some gentle pottering.