Backwards Chain Learning for Mastering Homestead Tasks

What's Backwards Chain Learning? (homestead edition)

Simply put, backwards chain learning is when you learn the last step first. I learned this in occupational therapy school with getting dressed after a stroke as an example. You help them put their feet (with the more affected side first) into the pant legs, then have them pull it over their hips. Success from the first try and able to see the end game, versus them trying to stick their foot into the hole (which may no longer move without help after a stroke), getting frustrating, and quitting. Even leaning over while seated to get the pant leg on can be too much at that point. So start at the end instead! Then add the second to last step, then the previous step, and keep going until independence is reached.

How does this fit with homesteading? You probably won't hear this from many homesteaders, but to me....homesteading can be as complicated as putting on pants after a bad stroke. I've been getting dressed for years but then you add complications and what seems like it should be easy also seems unachievable. How do I get the farm to table meal in my home when I don't know how often to water my plants or what to look for in a food ready to harvest or why my home milled flour doesn't act like the all purpose flour I used to buy. Oh, and I needed to grow, harvest, and dehydrate or freeze my herbs when exactly to have them on my table in February?

The primary advantage of backwards chain learning lies in its focus on the final objective, ensuring that each step taken is purposeful and directed towards achieving that goal. For instance, in homesteading, I aspire to have a bountiful garden to sustain my family. Instead of starting by planting seeds, a backwards chain approach would suggest first mastering essential cooking skills. If I know how to cook then my harvest doesn't go to waste. If I know what I want to cook then I can figure out what to actually grow and how much of each crop.

Case study #1: Chickens

When I got my first chickens, they were hens from others' farms. I got eggs the next day (instant gratification) and didn't need extra equipment (such as a brooder). If I had experienced what I did later with a chick order from a hatchery (all 15 dead on arrival or died with a day) I would have probably given up chickens altogether.

Case study #2: Tomatoes

Last summer I really focused on growing tomatoes (we're talking....many plants, anywhere I could squeeze them into the garden). I grew a lot! I'd only grown a couple cherry tomatos and larger cutting tomato before. We enjoyed many for fresh eating and loved watching them grow (their branching looks so cool!) but I froze most of it for later canning. I looked up a canning safe recipe for tomato sauce (since we use a ton of tomato sauce between pasta and pizza) and... no one's a true fan. It's okay, but not delicious and we all enjoy our costco jars better. Why I went all in on canning every single one of my frozen tomatos before ever having made pizza sauce before....I don't know. This year I'm just planting for fresh eating and planning on buying some paste tomatos from the farmer's market to test out a few recipes. Better yet, I'll start with the much more bland box of cheap costco tomatos and if I like the recipe with those then I'll try them with the farmer's market tomatos. Then, what's my next end step again? Growing my own bountiful paste tomatoes. So instead of sticking in a bunch of different varieties I should pick one or two and try those and try to get them to grow as bountifully as they can. Once I've completed all the steps I can plant with gusto.

Case study #3: Dairy animal

Dairy goats is on my bucket list but I've realized that I need to learn how to make my own cheese, and find he time to do that and make my own yogurt, before adding in the time and knowledge requirements of taking care of goats, milking, and all the extra cleaning. Part of me feels it's a waste to spend a lot of money on raw goat milk that's not from my own goats, and that I can't possibly find the time drive an hour to get it like I currently would need to do.... oh wait, I don't have an hour a week to get that milk? Then I don't have time to take care of goats. And the more milk products I make the more reasons I'll have to get goats (and convince my husband...). And I'll have those skills down when the time comes to also take care of and milk my own goats. Success the whole way through instead of overwhelm.

The method of backwards chain learning allows us homesteaders to build confidence and competence one step at a time, with more success and less overwhelm. incrementally, leading to more satisfying and successful results. By focusing on the end goal and working backward, homesteaders can strategically develop the skills needed to thrive in their self-sustaining lifestyle