Pottering is exactly what you would expect from a book of that title. It is gentle and refreshing, lovely to look at it with its simple and expressive illustrations and unhurried. It is an antidote to the rush and expectation of modern life where there is simply too much all the time, a bombardment of stimuli most of which are too distant to be acted upon and merely create frustration and anxiety. 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! All that being said, it’s also totally fine to plonk yourself down in a cosy chair and enjoy a cup of tea. Some or all information pertaining to this property may have been provided solely by the vendor, and although we always make every effort to verify the information provided to us, we strongly advise you to make further enquiries before continuing.

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’. Thankfully, Anna McGovern opens the book by placing it outside the landscapes of the rather worn out "mindfulness", as well as the Danish "hygge". Pottering is not about any of this. And that is why you should read this book. 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. Though it asserts that reflection is a key to change, the book doesn’t make reflection work unto itself. Instead, it includes low-key reflection prompts, making reflection an enriching part of everyday life. These include asking oneself “why are your pottering?”, with suggested answers: distraction, procrastinating, or avoiding something else. In the book Pottering: A cure for modern life author Anna McGovern describes pottering in the following way:

A Cure for Modern Life

I found myself nodding away in agreement as it's pottering in a nutshell but so is the point that not all elements are of equal importance and the emphasis on each will vary person to person and task to task. 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. It’s time to dial down the noise in your life and brain. Keeping away from your phone, Netflix and social media will help. As McGovern states:

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.

When you potter, there’s no pressure to achieve results or a perfectly clean room/home. And there’s also no need to share your pottering experience on social media. That would defeat the purpose. Why? Because pottering requires you to take time out from screens.

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. I find I'm happiest and more relaxed when I've spent a day pottering around the house so I guess my take away from reading this book is I need to switch off the electronics a little more often and just potter! I'd be happier and more content for doing so. 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.The purpose of a human being is not to have an opinion on absolutely everything, whatever you might feel from your social media feeds. We are not experts on very much at all, so why do we act as though we are as we argue with people we haven’t even met about subjects that do not impact our daily lives? This is a gentle little book which serves as a timely reminder not to get too stressed about daily life in these stressful times. It is a celebration of not doing very much at all, and discovering in the process that you've actually done lots of little things that needed doing, and also emerged feeling better for it. Pottering is not doing nothing, however. “Sitting around on your phone or watching a box set isn’t pottering,” says McGovern. Pottering is relaxing precisely because you are occupied in the gentlest of ways. “It’s as though you’ve lent a sheen of legitimacy to your unstructured downtime by doing something ever so slightly useful,” she says. Leaving something to soak, executing a minor repair on clothing, rearranging objects on a shelf are all prime examples of this. Heading upstairs again youll find the "loft room" large, light and bright this serves as the perfect guest accommodation. Pottering has five requirements, according to Anna McGovern - making do with what you've got, not trying too hard, keeping moving, keeping it local, and keeping it digital-free. There is a light-hearted chapter about each, with some examples you may wish to try if they hadn't occurred to you before. There is much about making time for a little sit-down with a cup of tea and a book -sound advice if ever there was any.

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.What I love about pottering is you get to set the bar extremely low. In fact, you don’t have to accomplish much at all. The Fundamental Principles of Pottering