In the book Pottering: A cure for modern life author Anna McGovern describes pottering in the following way: Making do with what you’ve got inevitably anchors pottering to the home. That said, pottering is not the same as carrying out household chores. “The distinguishing feature of pottering as opposed to ‘jobs around the house’ is the slow pace at which you do it,” claims McGovern. There is also a lot to be said for the satisfaction you gain from pottering. (Compare hoovering the carpet, say, to hoovering the crumbs out of a cutlery drawer and you’ll begin to see the distinction.)

There are, according to McGovern, five fundamentals of pottering. First, pottering is about “making the best of your circumstances and the resources you have to hand”. Improvisation and compromise are key here. In fact, there is an element of make do and mend. ignoring digital devices and limiting your access to them also means that you are not constantly bombarded with messages, information, unrealistic images of perfection and pictures of social occasions that you haven’t been invited to.” 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.” 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.’Stay local. Be in your local area and community. Wander down to the shops (they need you) and interact with your neighbours with a wave and a ‘hello’. Make do with what you’ve got. When you live simply, you are resourceful; improvising and compromising with whatever you have to hand, from putting together a lunch using the contents of your fridge to creating entertainment out of paper and pencils. This means making the best of your situation, as well as the things that surround you.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of self improvement. I’m all for doing things more effectively. But sometimes you need a little time out. The author explains the difference between doing things that bring you joy and inner peace, as opposed to those things we do that cause us stress.. It also has some lovely soft and dreamy illustrations, which showcase the chapters perfectly and fit in well with the world of "pottering" When you potter, there’s no need to rush out and buy new things. Pottering is about being resourceful. It’s about thinking on your feet and making do with what you’ve got. For Anna McGovern there is a satisfying, sensory pleasure to be had in rinsing milk bottles: “The very best thing about getting your milk delivered is ‘rinsing and returning’. Don’t cheat by putting your bottles in the dishwasher. Wash them, by hand. Put a small amount of water in the bottle, slosh the water around, put your hand over the top, shake it up and down, upturn the bottle, glugging the water out, then head for your doorstep and put out the bottle with a ‘plink’”. You get to go with the flow. Let’s say you’re putting away an item and you stumble across something else that needs attending to (e.g. a drawer that need rearranging), you can change course. Remember, you don’t have to be efficient or productive when you potter.

A Cure for Modern Life

All that being said, it’s also totally fine to plonk yourself down in a cosy chair and enjoy a cup of tea. Another fundamental is not trying too hard. “There is no such thing as ‘doing it well’,” McGovern writes, reassuringly. “There are no benchmarks for success… no one is judging your performance when you find a matching lid and plastic pot in the odd assortment of containers you use for freezing leftover food. It’s just not something you can ‘excel’ at.” Then the chapters are full of musing and specific suggestions for how to go about pottering when following that particular guideline. For example, under "don't try too hard," we are invited to do tasks that are "quite satisfying and useful only but the tiniest margin," like sweeping with a broom, cleaning out old bags/purses, sorting junk drawers, leaving something to soak, sewing on a single button, cutting scrap paper out of old envelopes, organizing key dishes.

Pottering is not glamorous. You don’t have to put too much effort in, go very far or even do it with others. Pottering is not a lifestyle concept, and it doesn’t require practice. Just be.

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I enjoyed the suggested pottering activities, and appreciated the author extolling the virtues of keeping things local- try out a local cafe, stop in a local shop to look around (making sure to buy something). There are suggestions for pottering in different seasons, and tips on how to know when to potter and when it's an excuse to procrastinate. Sometimes, pottering is writing a long review for a short book that you enjoyed, or reading that review to see if you'll like it. I'm a type B, but this book served as a good reminder to potter more often. Potter on, y'all! We know our children are over-scheduled and overly attached to their electronic devices. We know they need unstructured time to be ‘bored’ so that the creative juices can flow. But what about us, as adults?