Tree Planting: How to Go From Good to Great
Planting Trees isn’t easy, but it is simple. Most training regimens will break down the general technique, and provide tips and tricks on how to do so without getting injured. For most people, that might be enough. These training manuals provide a foundation on how to complete high-quality work consistently, day after day, without getting injured. Learning the fundamentals is super important, and we recommend that you do so. Using proper ergonomic technique and equipment will make you a good and fast planter, and it’ll make you more money. You can only move so fast, however, and eventually, you may find that your productivity plateaus. You’ve perfected your technique and you move as fast as you can every day, but your output still can’t seem to get to where you want it to be. If that is where you are in your planting journey, this article is for you.
The next step for improving your planting is not going to be with physical changes or new gear (unfortunately). If you want to transition from being a good planter to a great one, the changes you make will have to be mental. That’s why we’ve broken down some tips on how to do just that. Now that you’ve mastered everything to do with getting a tree in the ground, these tips will help you master everything else that will help your productivity.
Optimize Your Setup
The more comfortable you are with your gear, the more productive you’ll become. Spend time figuring out what you like and dislike in your set-up, and make adjustments that you think will make you more efficient. Some aspects of your kit have specific requirements that are meant to prevent injuries, such as shovel length or bag placement. These tools have been studied heavily by physiotherapists to develop optimal set-ups to stay healthy long term, which you can learn more about here. Some aspects of your toolkit can be adjusted based on your workflow and personal preference, however. For example, some people like to slip off their shoulder straps to reduce shoulder fatigue once the bags become light enough to carry without them. Some people will angle their shovel handle slightly, or add padding to protect their hands from bruising. When working on hard terrain, some planters will even add small weights to their shovels to increase impact velocity, and narrow their shovel blades to help them dig easier.
The most important thing is to find a setup and workflow that works for you, but doesn’t contradict the ergonomic planting guide found here. That means experimentation, talking with coworkers, and making adjustments in an effort to become more efficient over time. The most important thing is that once you find something that works, stick with it. Whether it be how tight you tie your boots, how heavy you fill your bags, the types of gloves you wear, or any of the million possible variables, take note of their impacts, and adjust accordingly. The goal is to find a set-up that works well for your personal style, and then to get really good with it.
The Principle of Minimal Movement
When McDonald’s was founded, the owners developed a kitchen layout that was capable of producing a burger in seconds, while most restaurants were still measuring in minutes. They did this by meticulously breaking down every step of making a burger, cutting unnecessary steps, minimizing unnecessary movement for each employee, and ensuring that every single movement that an employee did make was productive and useful. As you probably know, that idea worked out well for them. The lesson here is that the more time you spend on unnecessary or unproductive steps, the less time you spend planting, and the less money you’ll make. This is a principle that we call the “Principle of Minimal Movement.” It states that an effective way to increase productivity is to minimize time spent doing unnecessary movements, which in turn maximizes time spent doing productive movements. This relates back to optimizing your setup - Once you figure out the workflow that works best for you, break it down into individual components, and practice doing the exact same steps each time. Once you consistently perform the same steps each time, you can begin trimming the fat off the process, making it faster and more efficient. The more diligent you can be, the better.
An easy trick that some people take to minimize lost time is to carry a larger water bottle with you so that you have to walk back to refill fewer times throughout the day . Even though it only takes a few minutes to walk back and refill, that time adds up when you consider how many times per day or week that you do it. You could even go so far as to count the average amount of steps that you take between trees, and standardize them, doing no more and no less. There are obviously going to be reasons why you can’t always follow every step to a tee, however, the more you can standardize and refine your process, the more efficient you’ll be, and the more productive you’ll be with your time.
Plan Your Line and Anticipate
When you watch someone who is a master at their craft, two things become clear: First, they never show up to a task without knowing what they have to do. Instead, they enter the task already knowing exactly what steps they need to take to complete it. Secondly, when completing the task, they aren’t thinking about what they’re doing at that moment. They’re always at least one step ahead. For example, a formula one driver will have already memorized the entire track layout before they even start a race. When driving, by the time the driver is halfway through a corner, they are already looking towards the next corner and planning their line to get there. That planning and anticipation is incredibly important when becoming proficient at something, and it’s no different with planting.
Before you start planting, try to get a feel for the conditions you’re going to be facing so you can go in prepared. How hard is the ground? How steep is the terrain? How much brush is there? These are factors that will impact your workflow, and it’s good to get an idea of any extra steps you’ll need to take beforehand, so you can plan accordingly. Once you start planting, anticipate the next step that you’ll be taking once you’re done your current one. Where does the next tree need to go? Are there any hazards? Does the surface look like it’ll be difficult to dig? To get the body to move faster and in the right direction, it needs information from the brain. The brain gets its information from the eyes. Where you look is vital to getting the proper information. Here are some general tips on visualization:
You should anticipate and visualize 2-3 trees ahead at a minimum.
To do this, you need to move your eyes, going back and forth between scoping the general landscape 7-10 meters ahead and around the unplanted area, pinpointing specific target areas within 4m or so.
If you train your eyes to constantly scope the ground ahead of you, it will allow you to make better decisions and you will plant more trees. Just like any other part of your body, your eyes can be trained.
When you anticipate properly using the tips above, you’ll automatically become more time and movement efficient because you won’t waste time standing around thinking about what to do next - You’ll just head there on autopilot.
All of these tips have common themes. They all revolve around familiarity and intentionality. You can only become so productive without putting some thought into how you work. It doesn’t matter if you run for the entire day - If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll just be wasting time and energy. Once you’ve hit that plateau, the only way that you can truly reach the next level is by becoming very familiar with your craft, and becoming very intentional with everything you do. If you follow these steps, it might be just what you need to break through to that next level. Good luck!
