Flexible Scheduling Can Work for You!

Flexible Scheduling Can Work for You! In “Flexible Scheduling Can Work for You!,” Episode, #141, Meredith Curtis can help you if you feel overwhelmed by trying to get it all done. Is there a way to schedule that is flexible enough to deal with the interruptions every day brings? Can a free spirit live a scheduled life? Yes! If it’s flexible. Flexible scheduling brings order to the chaos while still leaving room to be spontaneous and fun!         Powerline Productions, Inc. Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere! Show Notes I sat down with another homeschool mom who confessed her kids hadn’t gotten any schoolwork done the whole year (it was November), the house was a constant mess, and she had all these homeschool dreams, but she was giving up. She needed help! We can be led by the moment or derailed by the interruptions of our day. It is hard to direct children who want to do their own thing when you are up all night with a sick baby. Yet, you look at rigid moms who run a tight ship and you think, “That’s not me.” Or you were on a rigid schedule at one time in your life and now it is IMPOSSIBLE to stay on a schedule. What can  you do? I have help for everyone! A schedule is your servant, not your master, but it is a great servant. Change the Template Instead of thinking in hours (from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.), I have learned to think in blocks of time (between breakfast and lunch). It makes more sense as a mom. Our days have these blocks of time: * Before Breakfast * Breakfast (short for some and long for others) * Between Breakfast and Lunch * Lunch * Between Lunch and Dinner * Dinner * After Dinner * Bedtime Ritual. These things happened in your house every day. Your bedtime ritual might be a nightmareish showdown, but you have one. Breakfast may be on the run dashing to homeschool co-op, but your kids eat it. Reality Check! When we don’t have a plan, things fall into chaos. When we don’t give direction to our children for the day, they slide into neutral, the easiest thing for their brains—TV, videos, internet, napping, eating. If I am led by my “heart” I will eat candy and watch old TV shows or talk on the phone all day. Poof! The day is gone. Psalm 90 verse 12 addresses this: So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. What Really Matters I like to step back and thing about what really matters to me. * What do I want to run my days and weeks to look like? * What do I want to accomplish each week (chores, school work, free time, reading time)? * I want Jesus to be Lord of my homeschool. But what does that look like? Ask yourself questions like these so you can determine what you want the days/weeks to look like. Be practical and realistic, not idealistic here. Then examine yourself, your husband, and your children. What factors will play into this plan? When my children were little, I discovered that we all worked best in the morning. In addition, my parents raised me to work first, play second. Now everyone will come up with their own values and priorities. What’s important is that you know what truly matters to you because if  you don’t take that into account, it will derail your plans. Planning Blocks of Time