Pruning the Peach Tree

Last weekend, while trying to tame the overgrown peach tree in our backyard, I learned a few things about tree maintenance.

It turns out…if you’re growing fruit trees, grape vines or many other types of domesticated plants, pruning is part of standard maintenance.

First, you assess the tree overall to distinguish healthy from unhealthy growth.  Then you decide on the intended shape for that tree.  Then you go branch by branch, removing limbs where needed.

Periodic pruning helps the health of the tree in multiple ways.  It eliminates dead or diseased limbs. It creates proper space so more of the tree can receive sunlight. And it reduces excess growth that can harbor pests and disease.  In addition, pruning concentrates the tree’s energy into fewer pieces of fruit, which improves the quality of the fruit.

Our lives need pruning to keep them healthy, too:

Pruning our possessions can help us keep track of our things and use them more effectively (and be more grateful in the process).

Pruning our schedule can help us spend more time on the activities that matter most.

Pruning our to-do list can reveal which actions are essential and which ones are just draining our energy.

Pruning our circle of acquaintances can help us spend more time with the people we care about most.

What part of your life could use some pruning?

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For more reading on what’s possible when you focus on what’s essential, check out Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism.   It’s easy to read, full of real-world examples and inspiring.