If you know me well, you know I live for a schedule, and routine. It is what helped me during those postpartum months, and saves me when things are in limbo. I love a schedule so much that I have gone so far as to map out my day hour by hour, sometimes even by the half hour. I sat down yesterday to type up the new schedule for this school year, and I felt the frustration coming. I don't like having my days mapped out to be that ridged. The problem is, if I get off the schedule somewhere, or just don't feel like doing something, my day is ruined and I feel like a failure. There are plenty of other things that are worth getting your day ruined over like when you buy a 32oz. Diet Coke and your sweet 6 year old spills it right after you get it home, but that's another issue. I think I'm hard enough on myself without some piece of paper making me feel worse.
So, here is my solution. Our mornings are pretty structured, we start with Scriptures at 7:15, then instead of being driven by the clock its more of an order of things that come next. We have Job meeting, breakfast, devotional, and I make the daily school list. I am going to have certain benchmarks, that keep us going throughout the day, or help get us back on task if we stray a little (I'm all for being open to where a new thought will take us, who know what we might learn along the way, and I don't want to stifle any learning). So, we have jobs and school in the morning, then I start Lunch at 12:00, followed by finishing up school. I start Dinner at 5:00, bedtime is 8:00. I have our big calendar in kitchen that has the times of lessons and appointments, and I can glance at that throughout the day so I don't forget anything important.
I feel a weight has been lifted. I don't need every hour of my day planned in order to be productive! I have my school log that I fill in each day, so that I make sure all the really important stuff happens. Its more important that it happens, then what time it happens. I'm still finding my way down this home-school path, and it has only taken me a year to figure this part out. If I am stressed about a schedule all day, I'm not creating the learning environment for my children that I want. This is huge for me!
5 comments:
That is absolutely AMAZING! Seriously! It's so hard to let things like that go. You're on such a great path and your family is thriving. You're doing great, Em!! What a wonderful example.
I feel the same way Em! I now hate schedules. Just give a list of things to do and let me choose which is most important as I go along. Sometimes the most important thing to get done isn't even on my list of things to do.
Sorry, just one more thought. John the Revelator tells us there won't be time in heaven. (Rev 10:6). If there won't be time in heaven, why do we act like it is so important while we are here on earth? We don't need watches in the temple and we don't need to watch the clock when we do God's work. As someone once said, "He watches the clock will always be one of the hands."
I am so glad I am not the only one who feels like this aboaut a daily schedule. I am honestly excited to live with you to see how you put it all together.
it's all good, isn't it? If I don't keep to my to do list or stay in my order of things, House of Order, right? than I feel like a failure so I have tried to stray from the to do list and occassionally one can be seen in my house. But whoa if I don't stick to my daily schedule...
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