DIY Homeschooler

There never seems to be enough time in a day! Want to find more? Here are 6 time-saving ideas:

1. Prioritize.

Feel like you have hundreds of tasks requiring your attention each day? Most moms do. Homeschool moms tend to find themselves with an extra helping.

Ever hear of of Steven Covey’s Big Rocks demonstration? The idea as presented is that by doing those important/big tasks first, we will find more time in our day as the little tasks fit around the big tasks. Whether or not you buy into the entire theory, it is certainly true that if I don’t make time for the big tasks they will not get done!

Time-saving solution:

By prioritizing the things I need to do each day, those things that must get done will. And, if Covey’s theory holds, I’ll even have more time for those things I’d like to do.

2. Develop a routine.

Some days are simply chaotic and a great deal of time is spent deciding what to do next. This is especially true for homeschool moms and their children. How many times a day do your children ask you “what do I do next?” Or how much time do you spend checking to make sure each child did what he was supposed to do?

Time-saving solution:

Establish a routine. By having a firm routine in place I can try to reach for those rails that my day runs on even in times of unusually chaotic activity and spend less time thinking about all that needs to be done. Think of it as simply putting one foot in front of the other.

As an added benefit, if the entire family is used to a routine, then the interruptions in my day are reduced. My children won’t need to ask what they should be doing next — they’ll already know, thus saving me time. And I will spend less time (at least eventually) following up to make sure that everything that they needed to do was in fact done.

3. Plan meals in advance.

I wonder how many hours I’ve logged in life standing in front of the open fridge trying to decide what to have for dinner. Multiply that by three if I include breakfast and lunch meals. The time multiplies even more if I’m rummaging around for snacks to feed hungry stomachs! Then if you have to go to the store for ingredients (or make a trip out for fast food) the time increases yet again.

Time-saving solution:

Plan meals in advance! There are some great simple and free planners out there (see resources below). By spending just 15 minutes or so over the weekend looking ahead, I can save time … and a headache!

4. Keep up with the clutter.

Sure, it may seem like you’re saving time by tossing those shoes in front of the closet to be put away later so that you can run off and get something done quickly. Multiply that one action by several other ones like it, by the number of people in the house, and the next thing you know you’ll have to get out the cleaning brigade to work a 50-minute job!

Time-saving solution:

Clean as you go (and encourage the rest of the family to do the same). It is much quicker to just finish putting those shoes away when you’re already there and they’re already in your hand.

5. Get rid of time-busters.

We all have our weak points when it comes to those little things we love to spend time on — things that we probably should be spending less time on than we do. Whether it’s talking, texting, pinning, browsing, or another favorite pursuit, minutes and even hours can disappear before we know it — leaving us wishing we could redeem the time.

Time-saving solution:

Schedule a certain amount of time each day for that favorite activity. Set a timer. When it is over … it’s over!

6. Just say no.

In the end, we simply cannot do it all. A multitude of good opportunities will arise before us, all begging for our time. Of course, tough choices will undoubtedly have to be made between several good options.

Time-saving solution:

Before committing ourselves and getting in over our heads, we can make our knee-jerk response, “I’ll think about it.” By giving ourselves time to weigh choices, we can save time for those things we really want to focus on.

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Additional Resources

2-Step Daily Schedule
One way to prioritize a day.

Meal Planner
Another cute option from Spoonful.com with room for a designated helper and notes.

Online Stopwatch {Free}
Think I’m joking about that timer? We use this all of the time around here! Favorite: the bomb.