Gardening with ME: SMARTER Gardening

If you haven't heard of the SMART goal setting framework before, then I hope that this post will be really helpful for you. While I'm certainly no expert, I've been using this framework for a few years and find it very helpful in improving and adapting the goals I have for my garden and other parts of my life.

I've chosen the extended version, as I find that with ME performing the actual task can be very different from the plan. The ER, evaluation and review, are important steps to ensure that you improve and pace well when returning to complete the same, or similar, task in future.

In this post, I'll be using an example of my own SMARTER goal to show how the process works.

Some of the tools and equipment required for the job.

Specific 

Being specific will not only hold you accountable, but it will help you know when you have achieved your goal. 

I want to remove our acer tree from the small pot it is in and re-pot it into a larger pot.

Measurable

This allows you to state how much or how many of the specific item needs to be done before you have completed the goal. 

I am hoping to perform the re-potting in a single session. This will include removing the acer and pruning the roots. Removing the moss on the top of the current compost. Adding new compost. Watering the re-potted acer. I may have to rest at certain points to ensure that I don't over do it and will check this during the task.

Achievable

Is the goal you have set realistic and attainable? If it isn't attainable at this stage, then perhaps you need to break your goal down into more specific steps. You should be able to write about how your goal will be achievable.

I will accomplish this because I know the steps to complete the task and have done this before. Lucy will be on hand if I need assistance.

To achieve this I will need to ensure I have all the tools and equipment ready. This includes a new pot, enough ericaceous compost, a trowel, a kneeler, a knife, a patio weeder.

Relevant

Is this goal relevant and worthwhile to you? Is it in line with your values and requirements? If not, then this may not be the right time to attempt the task, or perhaps, you may not be the right person for the job.

Achieving this re-potting task will provide me with a confidence boost and will be a great way to get going with the gardening year. I enjoy gardening, so I know that this is relevant to me and as I enjoy caring for plants, this is in line with my values.

Time-specific

Not only should the goal be specific, but you should be able to give yourself a time frame to complete the task. This will help you focus on completing the goal.

I will aim to complete this task in the next month on the day/days that Lucy isn't working and the weather is amenable.

Evaluate

This is an important step because we can then understand how our goal is progressing or progressed. You don't have to wait until the end of the goal to work on this stage. For instance, if you find that you're struggling to meet a requirement, such as time-specific, you can evaluate why that is. Alternatively, if it's a long-term goal, say 6 months, then you could evaluate every 2 months.

The task went well and I accomplished the goal of re-potting the acer. Lucy was on hand to assist with the lifting. I had forgotten that the pot the acer was in had a lip going into the pot, this meant that I had to do some extra work in cutting away some soil before we could get the acer out of the original pot. Having the tools ready was very helpful, but I did forget a few things. I need to consider the job step by step to ensure I don't need to waste energy fetching things I've forgotten.

Revise

After the goal have been completed, you can look at ways to adapt or improve the goal based on any challenges that you have faced. For instance, you may find that doing the whole goal in a single session wore you out for the following 2 days, in which case you can look at where the task can be broken into additional sessions. Alternatively you may find that the goal was very painful, so you may look at different tools or ways of increasing your comfort levels - or even farming the goal out to someone who isn't ill if it's a recurring task.

While the task went well, I hadn't realised how much I needed Lucy for the lifting and removing of the tree from the pot. I need to make sure that I schedule tasks like this when Lucy isn't at work.

I also need to create an inventory of our pot plants as the plant was very root bound and I'm not sure how well it will recover. The inventory will help me keep on top of pot plant maintenance and I won't have to waste so much time and energy in cutting away sheets of roots.

 
The SMART portion of SMARTER will help you to create a statement of what your goal is and how you will achieve it:

I want to remove our acer tree from the small pot it is in and re-pot it into a larger pot. I want to do this in the next few weeks with the help of Lucy. I will do this in situ, as the acer is located near the house in the back garden.

To achieve this I will need to ensure I have all the tools and equipment ready. This includes a new pot, enough ericaceous compost, a trowel, a kneeler, a knife, a patio weeder.

Tips:

• There is a hierarchy of achievements which consist of: Objective (Make my garden look amazing), Aim (Ensure that all my potted plants are happy and healthy), Target (Re-pot, top up, and maintain any plants that are looking unhealthy), Goal (Re-pot my acer plant).

• With this in mind, the SMARTER framework is for goals, which are the smallest measurement of achieving your overall objectives. When setting up a SMARTER, ensure that it is the smallest component and that you're not trying to to achieve larger tasks.

• In time you probably won't need to write it all down. These days I don't often write down my gardening goals because I've been using SMARTER for a long time. However, I do often sit and think about how to improve and adapt - especially when the ME is trying to keep me down.
• SMART and SMARTER may not be the tool for you. I'm sure you probably have a formal or informal method of managing activities. Whatever tool you use, as long as it works, is the best one for you.

• Ensure that you don't breach your activity/energy baseline. If you don't have one yet, then it's worth taking a few weeks to log your current levels of activity, so you can understand how much you can do without any energy backlash or symptom relapse.

• Enjoy the process! Even making a SMARTER goal is gardening - because you're thinking about your garden and how to make your time in it enjoyable. 

The end result. Pot to the left is the original pot.

Next time I'll be writing about choosing the correct tools to limit energy expenditure. Until then, have a read of the links below.

Important ME news:
Last week it was reported that a potential biomarker for diagnosing ME was found. Read what that means and why it's important: http://tanyamarlow.com/potential-biomarker-for-myalgic-encephalomyelitis-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/ 

#GardeningWithME
Read Jullieanne's post on gardening in your head