Feel like you’re drowning under the weight of homeschool, extra-curricular activities, managing home chores, and maybe even work?
You’re are not alone! Some days I feel like I’m drowning too. Like I just can’t be good enough at any one thing because I’m trying to do it all, at the same time.
So how can we find a balance? I’ve compiled my best tips below:
Here are 5 tips to help you balance homeschool and life:
1. Figure out what’s the most important thing to get done each day: Homeschool is the only thing that absolutely must happen, but how much we do can vary. My everyday musts are reading, writing, and math. Science and social studies, I can weave in as time allows, but those 3 subjects are the most important thing for us to accomplish. If we don’t get to the others that day, no big deal. That’s the beauty of homeschool!
2. Get your must-do’s done first: If you can conquer those things, you can decided what happens next. Maybe you have time for extra schooling or a field trip. Maybe you really need to spend some time cleaning the house or doing laundry or running to the grocery store. Once you get your must-do’s completed, you can figure out Priority #2.
3. Don’t try to do it all: I know we feel like we have a million things on our plate, but it doesn’t all have to be done today! Make a list so you can remove the clutter from your brain, and schedule a day to do those tasks, even if it’s just 1 or 2 things that day (we don’t need to be an over-achiever here).
4. Do one thing for yourself each day: Your health and mindset are important to making everything else work well. What’s one thing you can do for yourself each day? Maybe you swing by the coffee shop on one of your outings and get yourself a latte. Maybe you do a 10-minute Pilates workout before the kids get up. Maybe you spend the morning with a Bible Study and in prayer (my personal favorite thing to do). Maybe you take a walk around your neighborhood or a park while the kids play. Whatever you enjoy and can fit into your day, make it happen!
5. Ask for help: If you can remove some things from your plate, do it! Can you join a Co-Op so you don’t have to teach your kids yourself everyday? Do you have to deep clean the house, or can you hire a service to do that once a month? Do you have to make lunches and cook dinner every day, or can you meal prep ahead of time and have meals readily available? Do you have to be with the kids 24/7 or can you hire a mommy’s helper to come a couple hours a week so you can run an errand or 2 by yourself (I’ve done this before, and what a relief it was!). And lastly, can your partner do anything to support you? It’s okay to ask! One night I was feeling very stressed about how much mess had accumulated in the house, so I asked my husband to come home after work instead of meeting us at the baseball field for my son’s practice. Once we had come back, he had knocked out all the dishes and the laundry, and I could breathe again!
I hope these tips spark some ideas for how you can better balance homeschool and life, and give you some peace that you’re not alone. We are in this beautiful struggle together!
And when in doubt, pray about it. Let God guide you in what decisions to make and also to give you peace through the chaos.
Let me know what you think below…
What do you think?