I talk often about setting a timer for a designated amount of time and getting as much done as a family as you can get done. I also talk a lot on the blog (and in podcast episodes) about various types of lists. A lot of times we use one or the other.
For example, I have always been a task list maker. I have my weekly list, my school schedule lists, my daily list, my project list, and my daily duties.
I also have always used the timer extensively.

However, once I began combining the two, I found my work level increasing greatly and the work level of our children getting better as well.

 (Don’t forget that every single time you work with your children—whether it is with a task list you make at the beginning of the day or a blitz or a cleaning routine or whatever—you are teaching them adult skills! Skills that they can carry with them throughout their lives. My children all do the things that we did at home together all the time—they had it modeled for them; they worked with Mom and Dad via those methods; and now they are able to implement them themselves to keep their own homes in order, their college work done, their volunteer outreaches in place, etc.)

While I don’t do this all the time, when my task list alone or my timer alone does not seem to be yielding the results I want, I combine the two.
For example, when you set the timer for a work session, but you find yourself not really getting any particular thing done but rather doing a little bit of a lot of things that aren’t necessarily high priority, you might want to have a short list, or work order, to guide the blitz/timer session.

Or, when you have your task list, and you are going down it, but you find yourself getting sidetracked with emails, Facebook, or non-immediate tasks, a timer added to that task list can really help.

The scenario might look like this: I need to get certain things done in the kitchen, but I only have thirty minutes. Because I know of my tendency to start organizing cupboards or to make something that is not on my list, I might make a short list in the order that I want to get things done in the kitchen and then start my time. My timer keeps me working fast, and my list keeps me from doing things that are not immediate.
 

Timers work. Task lists work. The key is always doing what works for you!

I like to think that timer plus task list equals productivity. I know it has for me, and I hope it will help you too.

  P.S. I have sooo many podcast episodes and blog posts on getting things done! Here are some links to help you find them:

Podcast Episode: Foundations for Becoming an Efficiency Expert in Your Home and Work
Podcast Episode: Tips for Efficiency
Blog Post: ABC Efficiency (prioritizing non daily work)
Podcast Episode: Five Tips to Be More Efficient in the Kitchen
Blog Post: Delighting in the Dailies
Blog Post: Terrible Task List

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One of the most important things to do in going “back to school” is definitely incorporating chore sessions (including having trained everybody in their chores during the summer). I have been writing (and podcasting) a lot about this topic this summer, so rather than re-inventing the wheel here, I will direct you to some of those for more help.

I remember vividly the two summers before my August and September babies were born. I had double the motivation to get the chore schedules updated—a new school year and a new baby’s arrival. I made mini posters for above the washing machine, and we had “laundry lessons” for several days. I upped the look of the chore charts to try to excite the kids a little bit about the new divisions of labor. We timed the tasks to be sure they could be done in the allotted time. We instituted “room to room” for three to five minutes before each chore session to ensure that everybody’s things were up out of the way before the cleaner or assistant chef or little laundry lady started her tasks.

Those are fond memories (believe it or not). The kids were sweet. They were used to working and doing their part from a year old on (when they started putting their books in a basket in the corner of their crib and their toys in another basket). It was just another time in which we learned, grew, and accomplished together. After all, isn’t that what homeschooling is all about!?

Check out some of the links below to help you start your two or three chore sessions a day—or to get ideas for improving your existing ones!

Podcast Episode: Children and Chores
Podcast Episode: How to Get Your Kids To See Work At Home In A Positive Light
Podcast Episode: Five Homeschool Problems and Solutions
Blog Post: Delighting in the Dailies
Blog Post: Laundry, Dishes, and Trash
 

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