Did you know they call me the #SuperScyther?
No, me neither! 😂
It’s a term Jessica Jones came up with during her monthly online meet-up when people were talking about sharing aspects of our personality on LinkedIn and I mentioned my love of scything as one of my ‘quirks’. She immediately had an image of me “#SuperScything the words and the weeds”. 😳
It was said in jest, of course. But it kind of works, right?
I’ve been scything for over a decade now. Since 2014, in fact – a year after my partner and I bought a property that has a spring wildflower meadow.
Intrigued? I thought I’d give you a little window into my world…
Clearing mind and meadow
I wield my trusty Austrian scythe each summer to cut our meadow, and clear the long grasses and cow parsley – to allow next spring’s wildflowers to take hold.
While it’s definitely hard work, requiring energy, dedication and lots of concentration, it’s also a very peaceful activity.
I’m a countrysider (not really a word?) through and through. And over the late spring and summer seasons, the serenity that scything brings to my always-busy mind helps keep me sharp and sane in equal measure.
It all starts in late spring
My annual scything adventure typically starts in May each year. Depending on the weather, of course.
I say ‘adventure’ because advancing into the (semi) wilderness and moving among often-shoulder-high growth always feels quite intrepid. And I never really know how it’s going to play out in terms of required effort, completion time – or even what I might find underneath the tall and often-tangled stalks.
(Any ideas about a handy ‘running your own business’ analogy there?!) 😳😅
Making space for new growth (both perennial and personal)
I usually start on one side of the meadow and complete that section before gradually tackling the remainder over subsequent available weekends across the summer – and I absolutely love it. 😊
Yes, it can be hot work and hard work too. But I love the challenge and the workout it gives me, almost as much as the tranquillity and sense of balance it brings.
It’s a totally absorbing task, you see. You need to concentrate. So there’s no headspace to let your mind wander and start mulling other things that life might be throwing your way… It’s focused but very calming. And so utterly peaceful when all I can hear is the rhythmic ‘snick snick snick’ of the blade as it swings smoothly right to left, right to left, and a background of birdsong.
Sometimes, I create satisfyingly neat windrows of cut grass as I make my way through the meadow. At other times, thanks to previous rainfall and wind making a pretty mess of things, the plant materials can get matted and present quite the challenge to tackle. Ugh. Roll on September…
(Feel free to insert another business analogy of your choosing here! 😜)
I never feel alone out there…
Speedy progress can also be hindered slightly by extra wildlife considerations, of course.
We’ve opted to provide a home for a number of rescue hedgehogs over the years, so I always need to carefully check that none of them have decided to build a nest where I want to scythe next. I can report that all have been safe and sound, and happy after-dark visitors – along with the many other creatures of all shapes and sizes that like to make themselves comfortable in our meadow.
If I ever do happen across a mouse, a toad or some such other ground-dweller, the fact that I first prudently probe the area I’m about to start scything – both to check the lay of the land and to announce my presence – and then always carefully work outwards from a central point towards the edge of meadow means they have an opportunity to make themselves scarce for a few minutes.
Steady progress, with built-in protection
I say a few minutes because when the conditions are right (early mornings are great) and I’m warmed up and properly into the swing of it, it really doesn’t take long to scythe through the length of each row.
This year, for example, to give you a better feel for things, I ventured out into a meadow that looked like this:
Just 10 minutes into the task, the first section I was working on was looking distinctly clearer:
A full 40 minutes’ work in that area resulted in this:
Fast-forward another couple of hours and I’d completed that section, gathered up the (somewhat straggly) windrows and also given it a final mow:
And no, before you ask, I can’t just devote more time and get it all done in a day!
I have to tackle the work in stages, as I typically find that as I approach a couple of hours’ effort, my mind and body are both starting to tire. Concentration dips and my scything technique slips. At that point, I know it’s time to rest and go again later in the day or perhaps even the following morning.
Over the years, I’ve come to realise that the built-in protection of this ‘buffer time’ is essential for me to be able to make continual, steady progress (without completely killing myself and wrecking my body).
That’s something I also integrate during my working week and at weekends too. Especially if I know I need to activate full-on introvert mode.
The business lesson in all this?
(Because I really ought to at least attempt to make that kind of segue, right?) Okay, here you go:
Start somewhere. Stop noodling around with whatever writing task you’re procrastinating over and simply commit to making some kind of start.
It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a carefully-thought-out strategic decision or a move made purely on a whim. But start somewhere… and keep going. Your first run at this only has to be very rough.
If you get tired, if you run out of inspiration, if you feel you want to change course – or start all over again even – put it down, grab some headspace and come back to it later. Maybe another couple of hours later, perhaps the following day… Re-group, re-commit to make some more progress and come back to it again. Little by little, having made that initial start, you’ll find you get into the flow of getting it done. And the more you get done, the clearer the way forward.
Can you see how that starts to stack up? It’s exactly how I approach (and successfully tackle) my scything.
If that resonates, you might also like to have a little read of this: Tackle one little task at a time
(Before you reach for your keyboard, of course… 😉)
Fancy keeping an eye on my scything progress each year? Feel free to follow me on LinkedIn.
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