Don't Force It

One of the core principles of permanent agriculture is to avoid forcing things to happen. You have be patient with the crops, watch silently and avoid unnecessary efforts. No need to plow the soil, kill the slugs, or water several times every day: balance brings itself.

Creative projects are similar: zeal often gets in the way of growth. You don’t always need to do more. It’s okay to leave some weeds on your lawn to feed the snails. Will it matter in a month, in a year? Probably not, but you’ll have earned yourself some peace for the time being.

Burnout happens when you work more than necessary, hence the need for a sort of minimum viable effort that will bring results without endangering the whole machinery.

Minimum viable effort isn’t minimum effort. It’s optimal effort, the maximum amount of effort possible without causing counterproductive effects. Once you reach your daily quota, you can spend the extra time doing something else to replenish your strengths. When a permacultivator isn’t gardening, he can still dig a pond, pet the chickens, do some construction work… Ultimately, all these activities come together to create something bigger.

Everything follows a cycle, alternating between work and rest. It’s the master’s specialty to understand them.