Take a stroll around your garden, and what do you see? Is everything looking good or are you feeling a little behind? I’m feeling a lot behind this year.

I missed most of the early gardening season in April because my mom had surgery and I needed to travel out of state to help her. Immediately after that, my husband had surgery. So I was gone during the crucial spring weeks when I needed to get the garden going. My husband still can’t do much in the garden because of restrictions from his surgery. That means I’m fully responsible this year for the garden.

Rather than stress about this situation, I’ve made choices to help me cope. One thing I did was to purchase plants instead of starting them from seeds. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, impatiens, petunias, basil, and stevia all came from the nursery this year. Normally I start these from seeds in late March and early April.

Another thing I’m doing is to break the big jobs into smaller tasks instead of having mega work days. I look at the job and figure out how I can accomplish it in small blocks rather than all at once. This has helped me tremendously in getting the garden prepared and planted for the season.

Tackling my chores in bite-sized pieces has made a significant difference. I’ve completed more chores without feeling so overwhelmed this year. This spring I’ve done most of my gardening with a 10 Minute Garden Chore mentality. While not everything can be done in 10 minute blocks, many garden tasks can be broken down this way.

The process is so easy and it’s made spring preparation much more enjoyable. Here’s how to implement the 10 Minute Garden Chore process.

Getting Started…

How much time do you have to work in your garden each day? If you’re like me, more is better! I would much rather spend time in my garden than just about anything else. But the days are packed and sometimes we have to fit the garden chores into little pockets of time. That’s where this 10 Minute Garden Chore plan comes in handy. Pick a task or two each day to complete and before you know it, the garden will be in full bloom and you’ll just need to maintain it.

Follow these three steps to get started with your own 10 Minute Garden Chore Plan.

Brain Dump Your Garden Chores

This is the first place to start if you have a ton of garden jobs still left undone. Take out a sheet of paper and write everything you need to do in the garden. Don’t filter your list. Just jot down anything that comes to mind. Include all possibilities.

After I complete a brain dump, I like to take a quick break and then come back and read through my list. Did I forget anything? If so, I jot it down.

Sort the Chores into Categories

Once you’ve created your list, go back through it and sort the jobs into various categories. For example, I list my tasks under Must Do’s, Summer Projects, Garden Decorating, Garden Crafts, Containers, Maintenance etc. Think about what categories you would sort your tasks into and then organize your chores based on this list.

I usually start with my Must Do list. These are active tasks that are needed to get the garden growing. Here’s a sample of what’s on my Must Do List:

• Plant Zucchini seeds.
• Cover my newly planted cutting bed with netting to keep the neighborhood cats out.
• Replace a dead flower in one of my flower pots.
• Plant a bed of zinnias.
• Weed the dahlia bed.
• Finish cleaning the Shasta Daisy border.

This is not the complete list, but you get the idea. I also like to estimate approximately how long each task will take.

Another example would be in Summer Projects. For this category, you might need to paint the shed, build a compost bin, or stain your deck. These are not jobs that you can complete in 10 minute increments. So set those aside for now and you can revisit them later.

Break Jobs into Small Tasks

Consider how you can accomplish these tasks. You can complete some jobs in a single effort. For example, I can quickly replace the dead flower with a new one if I’ve already gone to the nursery. Other jobs, however, will take multiple steps to complete. For those tasks with multiple steps, consider how you could break them down.

For example, you want to spruce up your front porch listed under Garden Decorating. You could complete this chore in about thirty minutes, but if you’re short on time, consider separating it into three 10 minute blocks. Your blocks could look like this:

• First, remove everything, sweep the porch, and wipe down the walls.
• Next, rearrange the furniture or add something new.
• Finally, add the finishing touches like potted plants and a wreath.

As I’m reviewing my chores, I like to order them according to priority. Getting everything planted in the garden is more important right now than refreshing my porch, for instance.

READ: How to Create a Garden Routine for Amazing Results This Year

10 Minute Garden Chores…

Here are some typical garden chores that you can complete in 10 minutes or less. I’ve separated these chores into various categories to make it easier to find.

General

Containers

1. Deadhead your flower pots.
2. Fertilize the flowers.
3. Pull weeds from your containers.
4. Set up a system for water.
5. Rotate your pots as needed.

Flower Beds

1. Do a quick weed on a single garden bed.
2. Assess each bed.
3. Examine plants for pests.
4. Deadhead flowers.
5. Mulch your flower beds.

Cutting Garden

1. Do a quick weed of the area.
2. Too many weeds? Break the big jobs into 10 minute increments.
3. Deadhead your flowers.
4. Pick a bouquet.
5. Succession plant the bed.

Vegetable Beds

1. Weed one vegetable bed.
2. Harvest produce.
3. Examine plants for pests.
4. Fertilize as needed.

Porch and Deck

1. Sweep your porch or deck.
2. Swap out pillows.
3. Create a new wreath for your porch. (You might need to break wreath making into several sessions.)

Garden Shed

1. Do a quick declutter.
2. Organize your tools.
3. Sweep the floor.
4. Wash the windows.

Tools

1. Examine each tool for damage.
2. Repair or replace as needed.
3. Create a tool caddy.

Miscellaneous

1. Clean your outdoor furniture.
2. Clean and repair outdoor pillows.
3. Paint or stain your wooden furniture.
4. Replace batteries in outdoor lights.
5. Repair your garden fences.
6. Hang outdoor lights from fences.

How do you decide what 10 minute task to complete when you’re headed to the garden? Start with the tasks that are vital, such as deep watering your flower pots. Another critical chore is to pull weeds when they’re small instead of allowing them to grow.

There will be times when you need to spend longer blocks in your garden. For example, mowing your lawn, working on that summer project, or harvesting a fruit tree that ripens all at once. But when you’re short on time or you can’t spend all day in the garden, create a 10 minute Garden Chores List. Just 10 minutes at a time to get the job done without the overwhelm.

My garden started slow this season because of all those surgeries, but with my 10 minute garden chores list, I’ve been able to make headway.

Once you get the hang of working in 10 minute increments, you’ll be freed from the need to spend a large block of time working. No more spending hours at a time working in your garden… unless that makes you happy!