Listen to the podcast HERE!
TWO IMPORTANT TIPS
(1) Don’t think big—don’t try to do it all tomorrow! Start small. Solve little problems one at a time. Fix things in certain order that will bring you control.
(2) You can get better and better at organizing, scheduling, prioritizing, and home management
Consider Your Situation
1. Ages of children in school—how much one-on-one time; how much small group work; how much independent work
2. Training of children in school—how well they work independently, how much help they need; how much they can help the family on chores and following through by themselves
3. Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers—how many; their needs; and whether you have a child-run home or the littles fit into your family’s schedule
4. Work outside the home or work at home above and beyond homemaking and homeschooling—big factor; your time is even harder to come by!
5. Type of teacher and home manager you would be if you could be (!)—loose schedule; extremely structured; etc.
6. Number of children total—in school and littles; including number of helpers and how well they work
7. Special circumstances—husband home during the day; food sensitivities in which you have to cook completely from scratch; etc.
Think in Terms of Time Blocks (Not Minutes or Even Hours)—Don’t worry about starting time of each block!
1. Early morning block (or not!)—morning routines, first chore session, breakfast, breakfast clean up
2. Mid morning block—together time
3. Late morning block—tutoring sessions and independent work
4. Noon block-another chore session, lunch, lunch clean up
5. Early afternoon block—stories, more tutoring, more independent work
6. Late afternoon block
7. Dinner hour block
8. After dinner block
Consider Big Picture Scheduling Tips
1. When can you work with kids on school?
2. Least interrupted times for tutoring sessions
3. Chore schedules and sessions in place
4. Schedule for your family—not because it works for someone else
5. Independent work lists for kids
6. Letting teens determine their own schedule
7. What time do you want to be done
8. Beware of overscheduling
9. Meeting all together any times?
10. Attach important things to things already in schedule
11. Consider tutoring sessions rather than daily meetings whenever it fits
12. Keep paperwork/lesson planning on paper to the minimum that works for you
Getting Control Out of Chaos—Practical Steps
1. Get the first hour of your day exactly as you want it—do not worry about rest of day; do not let anything detract you from this goal
2. Teach kids morning routines next
3. First chore session of the day
4. Get a handle on independent work
5. All together time in place
6. Tutoring sessions
7. Second chore session in place
Considerations for Morning Routines—no electronics until completed
1. Mom—shower, Bible, straightening bedroom, dressed and ready for day, something out/started for dinner that night, exercise if possible, time with littles
2. Olders—shower, Bible, personal areas, make bed, exercise
3. Littles—dress, mess, room, groom
Considerations for First Chore Session
1. Attach to something (breakfast?)
2. Make it 20 to 30 minutes long
3. Everybody working at same time
4. Put most important things in this session—one load of laundry, wipe down bathrooms, picking up/decluttering, unloading dishes, trash everywhere, fixing breakfast, etc.
Links:
(1) Podcast Episode: Foundations for Becoming an Efficiency Expert
(2) Podcast Episode: Children and Chores
(3) Podcast Episode: Toddler Troubles
(4) Podcast Episode: What to Do With a One Year Old
(5) Podcast Episode: What to Do With a Kindergartener
(6) Blog Posts: Chores
(7) Blog Post: Independent Work Lists
(8) Blog Posts: Morning Routines
(9) Blog Post: Dishes, Laundry, Trash—Two Times a Day
(10) Blog Post: Organizing as Easy as ABC
(11) Blog Post: Terrible Task List
(12) Blog Post: Delighting in the Dailies
Listen to the podcast HERE!
