5 ways farmers get stuck - You’re in the weeds
You're literally in the field. Thinning carrots. Fixing fence. Deadheading flowers.
It's farm work. It's important. It needs to be done. Right?
Except you're doing it to avoid something else. The email you need to write. The customer you need to follow up with. The numbers you need to look at.
The real work. The business work.
You got into farming to be outside
And now you're using that as an excuse.
"I can't work on marketing right now, I have to thin these carrots."
"I'll update Quickbooks later, the fence needs fixing."
"I should really follow up with that customer, but... the flowers need deadheading."
Sound familiar?
You're telling yourself these farm tasks are urgent. That they have to be done right now. That the business work can wait.
But deep down, you know the truth: you're hiding in the field.
Paralysis through analysis
Maybe you're not even doing farm work. Maybe you're just... thinking about the problem.
Mulling it over while you're in the field. Listening to podcasts about marketing while you harvest. Thinking about what you should do next without actually doing anything.
You're analyzing. Researching. Preparing to prepare.
But you're not taking action. Because action feels scary. Action means you might fail. Action means you have to commit.
So you stay in the thinking. The planning. The "I just need to figure this out first."
And the business work stays undone.
What it's actually costing you
Every day you spend in the weeds instead of doing the business work is a day your business stays exactly where it is.
It's staying exactly where it is.
Because thinning carrots doesn't bring in new customers. Fixing fence doesn't increase your revenue. Organizing the barn doesn't move your business forward.
The business work does. And you're not doing it.
You're standing in your own way
The problem isn't that you don't know what to do. The problem is you're not doing it.
You know you need to work on your marketing. You know you need to follow up with customers. You know you need to look at your numbers.
But you're choosing the carrots instead. Every time.
Because the carrots feel safe. You know how to thin carrots. You're good at thinning carrots. Thinning carrots doesn't risk rejection or failure or looking stupid.
The business work? That feels vulnerable. So you avoid it. And you use farm work as the excuse.
"I would work on my marketing, but I have to thin these carrots first."
But the carrots aren't the priority. They're the avoidance.
When you can't see the forest for the trees
When you're in the weeds and so fixated on staying busy, it's hard to zoom out and see what's actually happening.
You think you're just really busy with farm work. You think you're prioritizing what's important.
But from the outside, the pattern is clear: you're avoiding the work that matters by filling your day with work that feels safer.
And you can't see it because you're too deep in it.
That's where having someone outside your own head helps. A coach. A mentor. Someone who can see the pattern you can't see.
Because acknowledging you're in the weeds is the first step to getting out of them.
How to break the cycle
Stop using farm work as avoidance. Stop telling yourself the carrots are more important than the marketing.
They're not. The carrots can wait. The marketing can't.
Do the business work first. Before you thin carrots. Before you organize the barn. Before you do any of the easier wrong things. Do the harder right thing first.
Set a timer. One hour. Do the business work for one hour. Then you can go thin carrots if you want.
Stop overthinking. You're not going to think your way into clarity. You're going to do your way into clarity. Stop analyzing and start acting.
Get out of your own head. Talk to someone. A coach. A peer. Someone who can help you see what you can't see when you're in the weeds.
Just get going. Stop waiting to have it all figured out. Stop preparing. Stop researching. Just start. Even if it's messy. Even if it's imperfect.
The carrots will still be there after you do the business work. But your business won't grow if you keep choosing the carrots.
The real work is uncomfortable
You're in the weeds because the business work is uncomfortable. It requires you to be vulnerable. To risk failure. To do things you're not sure you're good at.
The farm work is comfortable. You know how to do it. You're confident in it.
But growth doesn't live in comfort. Growth lives in the uncomfortable work you're avoiding.
So the question isn't "should I thin the carrots or write the email?"
The question is "am I willing to be uncomfortable to grow my business?"
Because that's what it comes down to. The business work feels hard. And you're choosing the easier work instead.
The invitation
You're in the weeds right now. You know you are.
You're filling your days with farm work and telling yourself you're too busy for the business work.
But you're not too busy. You're just avoiding.
So this week, try this: do one hour of business work before you do any farm work. Write the email. Make the call. Look at the numbers.
Do the uncomfortable thing first. Then you can go be in the field.
And notice how much lighter you feel when the business work is done. When the loop is closed. When you're not carrying it around anymore.
That relief? That's what's waiting for you on the other side of the avoidance.
Get out of the weeds. Do the business work. Just get going.
If this resonated, you might also want to read:
The energy drain of unmade decisions - What avoiding the business work is costing you
The mindset that separates thriving farms from struggling ones - How to show up sweaty and do the thing anyway
You're doing a great job. Even when you're avoiding.
If you need support getting out of the weeds and actually doing the business work, I'm here. You can schedule a free chat with me anytime at FarmCoachKatia.com/work-with-me.