Spring brings on a certain type of healthy tension. On the farm, everything wants to be planted at once. The seedlings are ready, the weather is finally cooperating, and the window to act feels both wide open and incredibly narrow at the same time.
This year, I have felt that pressure in a different way. I have had less time than I would like to step into the work of getting everything planted. Not because things are off track, but because there are good things happening at work and meaningful moments happening at home. Life feels full in a way that I am grateful for, but that fullness still creates pressure and forces decisions.
When You Can’t Do It All
When time gets tight, the belief that everything can get done starts to fade. That has been a healthy reminder for me. Instead of trying to do it all, I have had to focus on what matters most and take small, steady steps forward.
A few beds planted. A handful of trays moved. One decision at a time.
It is not dramatic progress, but it is real progress. And there is something grounding about that. It shifts the mindset from trying to catch up to simply moving forward with intention.
Constraints Create Clarity
What has stood out most in this season is how much the time pressure has forced me to rethink how I do the work. When time is limited, you naturally begin to ask better questions. Is there a simpler way to do this? What actually matters here? What can I let go of for now?
Constraints have a way of challenging the status quo. Not because we are seeking change, but because we need to find a better path forward. That pressure, while uncomfortable, can lead to clarity that we might not have found otherwise.
A Lesson from the Team
I saw this play out at ThreeWill this past week. I challenged Will Holland to produce a Cultivating Care video in a single day (note this is with T. Loren Funk who is pictured above). That is not how long it took for the first video with Pastor Cagle, and it created a level of pressure that required quick decisions and tradeoffs.
It was not easy, and it stretched him. At the same time, it created an opportunity to think differently about how the work gets done. By compressing the timeline, he had to simplify the process and focus on what truly moved things forward.
What came out of that experience was more than just a finished video. It was a clearer, more efficient flow that we can now build on for future recordings. What started as a constraint turned into a learning opportunity that will benefit us going forward.
Not More Time, Better Focus
On the farm, there is still plenty left to plant. At work, there are still more ideas than hours in the day. That tension is not going away, and I am learning to accept that.
This season is reminding me that progress does not always come from having more time. In many cases, it comes from having less time and being forced to focus. Less time narrows attention to what matters most, and that focus leads to action.
Even small actions, taken consistently, move things forward.
A Simple Way Forward
If you are feeling the pressure of your own spring season, I would offer something simple that I am trying to practice myself. Pick the next right thing and do it. Then move to the next one.
At the same time, stay open to the idea that the constraint you are feeling might actually be helping you find a better way. What feels like pressure in the moment can often become clarity when you step through it.
This post first appeared on May 1, 2026 in Sowing Success, my weekly LinkedIn newsletter on leadership and organic farming. Read the original on LinkedIn.
