Organizing Your Life

If you are a homeschool parent, you know it is hard organizing your life. Lesson planning, teaching, discipline, shopping, meal prep, supervising toddlers, lessons, co-ops, church and family time. It's hard to fit it all in! We feel like we are always on the GO, GO, GO! You think, "If only I could organize my life, I'd have more time!"

There are thousands of books and articles written about organizing tips and organizing your home. For the most part, they seem like common sense, but when often when we go to put them to practice we end up feeling like a failure. You know the drill. You decide to start using coupons to save some money. You sit down and clip and sort and organize and make a list. Then you get to the store only to realize you FORGOT your coupons! I've been there and I know it's frustrating.

One thing that really helps me when I am starting to feel rushed and overwhelmed is to slow down! Yes, your read that right. I conciously make an effort to slow down and visualize what needs to be done.

Have you ever heard about Olympians/professional athletes who use "visualization" before an event? I've started doing that with my day. I slow down long enough to think through my whole day and then each section as necessary. I also keep a notebook close by to make lists as I do this. It has really improved my ability to stay organized.

When you are always in a rush and can't think clearly, it's hard to organize your life. Maybe this sounds familar... Morning school, out the door right after your lunch (of leftovers) for a field trip(no time to clean up before you leave!) You get there and remember you need cash for admission, you have none, so you borrow it from your friend. You leave the field trip and go to dance lessons but your daughter has to wear her leotard with no tights because they were left at home. You stop at the grocery for a few items. You had your coupons in the car, but forgot to bring them in the store. Oh well, you'll use them next time...maybe. On your way home you realize you didn't make a plan for dinner. Ugh! "I should have picked up a pack of chicken! At least it would be thawed!" You throw the groceries and mail on the counter in your panic to try to thaw out some meat under warm water before your family starves. You feel overwhelmed. You need a way to organize your life without taking up alot of your precious time.

By visualizing your activities during a quiet moment before they happen, you can be better prepared for what lies ahead. In the last example, if you visualized your day as a whole, you might be more inclined to use paper plates at lunch and have something simple like sandwiches. You remember the cash for the field trip. You can remind your daughter about dance class. You lay out some chicken to defrost for dinner since you know you'll be getting home late.

But don't stop with looking at the whole day. Slow down and do a follow up visual during transition times too. In the morning, I think about all the things I want to accomplish with the girls in "school." Who might need to do spelling first? Will we have enough time to read two chapters instead of just one today? At lunch, I think about the afternoon, we may be headed to lessons. I remind them to get their stuff together. What will I need? I write it down or get it right then and put it IN THE CAR. When we are in the car ready to leave, I do it AGAIN! I sit in the driver's seat with the ignition off. "Does everyone have their art/piano/dance stuff?" Do I have the coupons for the grocery store? Is the dinner plan on track? When I pull into the store parking lot and have parked, I sit for just a few seconds and take a deep breath. This gives me a chance to think about what I need to buy, remember my list and my coupons. It only takes a few seconds (10-15 max) but it saves so much time in the long run.

I live in a rural area and going to town in a trek for us. Until I started using this tip, I thought I would never organize my life well enough to avoid surprise trips to town (a waste of time, gas and money.) This has worked for me. Maybe it can help you with organizing your life.Of course, it's not foolproof and things get forgotten every now and then, but for the most part, taking the time for a deep breath and a quick visualization exercise can make a big difference.

Leave the Organizing Your Life page and return to the HBD Home page