How can I be more productive?
I need tips to help us be more productive with homeschooling. My daughter is in 1st grade, and I cannot say we have had a productive year. Last year I overbooked us with too many extracurricular activities. Lesson learned! This year we bought a house, moved, and had a baby. My children are 7, 3 and 3 months. I cannot seem to keep us disciplined to do Little Hearts for His Glory (LHFHG) full-speed on a daily basis. She might even be ready for Beyond! I think the biggest problem area for us is that I do not start my day early enough. Honestly, I am NOT a morning person. Meal planning and prepping is another big drain! My oldest loves HOD when we actually get to it! I’d love to start my 3 year-old with Little Hands to Heaven (LHTH) too. How can I be more productive?
Sincerely,
“Ms. Help Me Be More Productive”
Dear “Ms. Help Me Be More Productive,”
My tips for how to be more productive will vary a bit due to your specific situation. Since you’ve just moved and have a new little one, you are in a transition phase in life. With this in mind, I would first accept that you are not a morning person. I am not one either. With this in mind, set a time that you can realistically begin school each day, and then stick to it. This will help you be more productive. I began school at 9:00 or 9:30 for many years (until my older sons, who are more morning-focused workers could get up on their own and begin without me)!
Be productive by staying focused and by going half-speed.
To be productive, make sure that when you begin school you are focused on school. Set aside the distractions (i.e. mess, phone ringing, doorbell ringing, laundry, meals, texting, computer) as much as possible. For now, I would downsize to half-speed LHFHG. Do the left page one day and the right side the next. Do this until your house gets in order. It will only take 45 minutes a day this way, and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.
You can still do reading every day but make sure that it takes 15 minutes or less to do the reading. You can alternate days of math, doing it every other day for now until your house gets into shape. Can you set aside everything except school and caring for your little ones for 45 minutes a day? Definitely. At the end of the year, you can assess again and see if she is ready for Beyond Little Hearts. For now, use the materials that you already have and work on moving through LHFHG steadily until year end. Think of this as much about routine as it is about the skills.
Be productive by starting your 3 year-old half-speed too.
To be productive when you get ready to start your little one on LHTH, do it half-speed too. This means 3-4 boxes one day and the other 3-4 the next day. This will add 15 minutes to your day. Can you school for an hour a day total every day? Yes! Manageable goals done every day mean steady progress forward. This is better than random forward motion, and it will definitely make you feel you are productive!
Be productive by making a plan every 30 to 45 minutes.
Next, to be productive, have some sort of plan every 30-45 minutes or so for your kiddos throughout the rest of the day. This may sound exhausting, but in reality it will save your sanity. List all of the things each child does throughout the day, and make a loose schedule for each child to keep them rotating along through things during the day (changing every 30-45 minutes). Use your timer to time their activities and have them clean up when the timer rings. Doing this will buy you 30 minutes here and there throughout the day that you wouldn’t get otherwise.
Be productive by making an easy breakfast and lunch routine.
Another great way to be productive is to make a routine easy breakfast menu that is the same every week for Monday through Friday. Do the same for lunch. Type it and post it on the fridge. Enlist your older child to help make breakfast and lunch. Keep the menu easy prep-wise and clean-up wise. Having the same menu each week for breakfast and lunch helps you know what to shop for and helps your kiddos know what to get out when it is time to eat. It will cut down significant time in preparation and clean up too.
Make dinner your bigger meal and use your crock pot for that as much as possible to save you prep before dinner. Assign each child a “set the table” and a “clean-up after meals” chore(s) to do. Keep the chores the same all the time, so your kiddos get good at them and always know what “their” chores are to do automatically.
In Closing
Think of this time as a time to get your house in order, grow your baby up a bit, set some routines in place, and figure out how to calm the chaos. Start schooling with HOD steadily at a similar (realistic) time every day and school in a similar order. If you do this for even a week or two, you’ll begin to see your productivity soar! Make sure you allow yourself to sleep when you can. Think of this as a plan you’re striving to work up to!
Blessings,
Carrie
