Pottering: A Cure for Modern Life

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This book was novel change of pace for me mostly because it was a non-fiction book but also because it falls into the category of "Health, Mind and Body" or "Self-Help" which I normally avoid. Pottering is a charming little book about the pastime (or shall we call it art?) of pottering. It follows the self-help style, and encourages readers to slow it down a little and enjoy some everyday tasks and moments without the hassle of being productive and most importantly digital-free. In many ways, the principles are similar to the popular "being present" meditative propositions. Even though not much new is being revealed, it's a lovely guide and an important reminder of dropping down that "to-do list" and take it one spontaneous step at a time. I also enjoyed the author's personal experience at the end, where she shares how she became preoccupied with pottering.

Pottering is not about pressure, it's not supposed to be stressful, it's a productive calming activity.Keep moving. The present participle of the infinitive ‘to potter’ implies continuity, seamlessly going from one activity to another. By being completely absorbed in rummaging, sorting and re-arranging objects, you achieve flow. You are never still. As time opens up for all of us to spend more time in the garden, Alan Titchmarsh offers his tips on how to make sure you do it right. The key principles of pottering include making “do with what you’ve got,” not trying too hard, movement, staying local, and keeping it digital-free. Such techniques foster contentment and effortless living, focused on single tasks that embrace experimentation over excellence and are often, but not always, solitary pursuits. One chapter includes seasonal ideas to prime one’s mind for living at a slower pace year round, including spring cleaning, making popsicles in the summer, planting bulbs in the fall, and snuggling in the winter. In the book Pottering: A cure for modern life author Anna McGovern describes pottering in the following way:

Pottering allows you to recalibrate to a saner and healthier pace of life. It reminds you that there’s so much more to life than being productive. So sharpening pencils when you should be making a difficult work call is OK. Pottering, however, is not to be confused with procrastination. (Home-workers, I think McGovern may be talking to us.) “Pottering is guilt-free,” she asserts. “If you have been occupied for a while to avoid doing something necessary and you are beginning to feel guilty, you are procrastinating, not pottering.”The book is filled with gorgeous, evocative illustrations whose lighthearted and inviting scenes show people pottering through work in a garden and eating dinner with friends. Its descriptions of the practices and purposes of pottering are apt and unadorned, and its charming British diction is inviting. While many books offer trendy cures to the bustle and stress of modern life that involve going to far-off places or making drastic life shifts, this book’s approach is, with intention, much closer to home. Pottering—“to occupy oneself in a pleasant way but without a definite plan or purpose”—is akin to fixing a squeaky hinge or making a cup of tea, and McGovern explores the freedom and comfort inherent in such basic human tendencies, though they’ve been crowded out of contemporary definitions of success and happiness.

The consequence of pottering – a feeling of relaxation and contentment- is usually achieved when you make do with what you’ve got, get moving but don’t go too far, don’t try too hard and keep it digital free.” For instance, instead of buying takeaway for lunch, you challenge yourself to pull together a meal with what you’ve got in your fridge and pantry. In some ways, pottering can be a very creative practice. Anna McGovern adresses the need for "digital diets" and getting away from the connectedness, and gives a whole new perspective of relaxation. And that without the need for courses, seminars, techniques or yoga mats. A whole chapter is actually named "Make do with what you've got". This little book is both a discussion and practical guide to one of the most British of pastimes - pottering. This is the book for people who want to discover productivity at an easier pace, and above all the contentment you achieve when accepting that you can only do what you can do.When you potter, there’s no where to get to. Nothing to achieve. The aim of the game is to slow down and enjoy doing one activity at a time. Only when you are able to gain satisfaction from the humblest of tasks, short in duration and seemingly inconsequential, will you have become a true potterer. I discovered this book at a time life was running over. I am constantly reminded these days "What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare'? Over the last few months, I’ve been engaging in an activity that allows me to slow down, take pleasure in small things and rest while still being somewhat productive.

This isn’t a huge book and it’s an easy read, but it does make you think, if you go into it with an open mind. There is an element of mindfulness, of slow living, of paying attention but it is also a manifesto to take a hard look at what you spend your time on and consider if just pausing and having a potter won’t actually improve your health. Heading upstairs again youll find the "loft room" large, light and bright this serves as the perfect guest accommodation.On my pottering days, I like to keep away from my car and use my bike and legs as transport. This helps me feel more connected to my local community. With the car off limits, this means I can’t travel very far. When I’m in full pottering mode, an epic journey is the local library. This little book is both a discussion and practical guide to one of the most British of pastimes – pottering. The dictionary definition is rather too dismissive for my liking: ‘Potter verb: occupy oneself in a desultory but pleasant manner, doing a number of small tasks or not concentrating on anything in particular.’ Don’t try too hard. To try and potter perfectly misses the point. Embrace imperfection. When your ambition is slight and your requirements are limited, ditching perfection really helps keep the pressure off. Three years ago, McGovern had a full-time job, three young children and an ageing father she was caring for. She recognised she had “done a bit too much for a bit too long” and decided to use her holiday to take the same day off each week for several months. “After a period of intensity in my life, I felt I needed some time off and it was incredibly beneficial – more than I ever thought, because I’d given myself permission to have a rest.”