Scheduling Hacks For Homeschool Moms

Vintage Homeschool Moms

Scheduling Hacks ~ Episode 433

When you are a busy mom it is important to have scheduling hacks that work. And, that goes double for anyone out there who is a homeschool mom. In this episode, I share scheduling hacks that work well for me and how I get so much done in the little time I have each day.

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When we think about scheduling so many things to come to mind. Scheduling time for work, cooking, cleaning, shopping, errands, and lessons. Each day there are so many interruptions as well as unproductive times. If we could bottle all of that time wasted it would add up to hours and hours each week. You know your problem areas so I’m not going to list all the of the downfalls to trying to schedule and to keep to a schedule. We have interruptions each day and how we handle these will help.

Scheduling takes planning. And, scheduling takes prioritizing. Two things we can improve up. Scheduling also takes flexibility. So, planning, prioritizing, and flexibility. Saving time also includes understanding what is a time-waster. Is it talking on the phone, social media? Is it text messaging? Whatever pulls you out of your train of thought wastes time.

Also, when we talk about scheduling we are talking about using the time you have the best you can. So, what makes the most sense in your already busy life, and… what is the best use of your time? Is it time-effective? Can you have someone else do this task or it is something you have to tackle? These are questions we can ask ourselves as we look at our projects!

Look at your schedule with the thoughts of planning to get the most out of your time, setting up your schedule with the most important things first and remembering that life happens.

1. Schedule time to schedule. We are usually too busy to even stop and plan. I love to plan months ahead of time and that gives me such a sense of accomplishment. If you can trade off with someone to watch the kids or hire a babysitter if you have little ones. Uninterrupted planning time can really help. For example, you are going to work on scheduling household chores, or homeschool days. Maybe you want to schedule your year. Remember that we can be overscheduled and to leave time for flexibility.
2. Schedule out-of-the-house trips. By planning trips in one day, you can save so much time. And do your errands in order. Just think it through where you have to go and start from the farthest location from home and work back. Or prioritize if necessary. Some families leave Friday open for catch-up days, or to schedule a field trip or something fun to do.
3. Schedule online tools. Do you pay bills online? Shop? When do you do these things? If you can set up auto-payments that is a huge time saver. I have a spreadsheet I use (Google Docs) and I look at it one time a week for about 5-10minutes to be sure payments have been made. Some payments I still manually pay. However, others are set up on auto. Huge time saver.
4. Block time. This has been a lifesaver for me. Knowing when you are going to do which task helps tremendously and cuts way down on the actual time to do the project or task. Block times for answering emails, grocery shopping (even if it shopping online), and other tasks that can be done in increments of 15 minutes. You will be shocked at how much you can get done in 15 minutes. Also, I block mega-cooking time or — cooking double or even triple and freezing the rest. These are ways to schedule your time in a way that is the most useful.
5. Schedule break, exercise, reading time with your kids or without kids. I found that if I have something to look forward to I am more productive. You will feel better and while I didn’t think I had time for a break it was amazing that just a few minutes could be invigorating!

Does this give you ideas for the ways that you can increase your productivity by smart scheduling? I hope so! One last word. There is some debate about whether multi-tasking is effective, and I think it depends on the person. For some, it works fine and for others, it can disrupt their concentration. So, think about this when you schedule and work on ways that will enhance your productivity. Scheduling is just one way.

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