As all Hoosiers have seen, our long-awaited anticipation for spring has finally come to an end! The glorious recipe of warm weather and blooming flowers is magic to those of us fare-weather winter fans. The only thing left to combat—besides the clouds of pollen—is: crabgrass.

Let’s face it, crabgrass is my arch nemesis. And despite my enthusiastic attempts at victory, it has beaten me every single year since the day I became a homeowner. Every year it’s the same song and dance. I fertilize. I water. I cut. I seed. Yet, every year two things happen. First, my grass humbly gives in and cooperates for the months of April, May and June. Leaving me proud and satisfied with my job well done.

How nice! I think to myself. The yard is actually responding to all my hard work!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you my dear, kind, humble yard!

Then, as though secretly laughing at me from underneath its crisp, shiny, deep green plushness, it turns on me. Ill-fated and ugly, crabgrass strikes again!

I must admit, perusing my neighborhood on leisurely walks is a difficult task. After all, the scenery that surrounds me invites emotional envy. I actively view plot after plot of beautifully manicured grass and, like salt to a wound, admit to myself that every neighbor has better, more cooperative grass than I. How do they do it?

With my pride sadly pummeled, my efforts lessened to nothing more than an impossibly difficult grass stain, I asked my neighbor for advice. Interestingly enough, I found that my only blunder, besides over-indulged frustration and minimal amounts of patience, is consistency. Turns out, it actually is important to explicitly follow-through with an exact regime. My problems consist of the following:

FERTILIZING: Though I have actively utilized all the spring and summer applications consistently for three years, I have never followed-through with the final step that should occur each year before the first snowfall. Not diligently sticking to the recommended applications have left my efforts in vain.

WATERING: My *attempts* at watering my yard, which consist of rainfall, emptying my kids’ inflatable pool, and the occasional once-around with my garden hose, are (surprise, surprise) subpar. Watering grass periodically everyday for a substantial amount of time is not just good, it’s vital.

MANICURING: In a perfect world, my grass is freshly mowed twice a week. Yet, at times I’m lucky if I manage to mow once a week. Being inconsistent with a mulching mower can kill grass as the length leaves behind a lot of clippings that cover and shade the grass.

Evaluating the above issues alerted me to the fact that I was suffering from countercompetence. I was going through the motions, all the while incorrectly administering them. It was then that I realized, besides diligence and consistency, efficiency within any process–not just yard work—not only makes it better, but makes it stronger and more reliable.

Think for a moment about an important project timeline. Now imagine what would happen if a vital step was left out, accidentally missed or purposefully skipped. In the least, the project would be vulnerable. Perhaps it simply wouldn’t reach it’s full potential. Or worse, perhaps it would fail altogether. The end result may be a gamble, but one thing is for sure: without conscientious evaluation and proper follow-through, attaining project success will not be easy.

Persistent thoroughness may sound exhausting, but  it certainly pays off. If unconvinced, look around your neighborhood and compare plots of grass. You may find as I have that hardwork isn’t always as effective as smart work. Contact Slaughter Development today to learn more about how we can transform processes from “crabgrass eyesores” into “landscaped masterpieces.” Happy mowing!