We are back to school and so far, so good! This week I’m excited to share some hot math, history, language arts, character, and organizational resources with you. Be sure to follow me on Pinterest and you won’t miss a single hot resource. I scan Pinterest so you don’t have to!
JK Mergens has shared her wisdom on teaching math fast with my readers before. Now she is sharing a free bookmark that has the basics of math condensed on one form. It makes a great cheat sheet for moms, too. Be sure to take a look at her no-nonsense curriculum. We use it and love it.
I love Mystery of History and have no affiliation with it. Wish I did! This year we are using Volume I for the second time. We don’t take time to do the activities because we do hands-on activities during our homeschool co-op. But I would like to make the material come alive in a less time-consuming way.
I have always thought we would watch the recommended videos as a family in the evenings, but it just never seems to happen with sports and other activities. I decided to look for short videos on YouTube that could accompany our lessons. I have created a playlist of them for you, but a few warnings. First, I haven’t watched every video in its entirety. I cannot promise you that they will be appropriate for your family. They may not even be appropriate for my family, but I will be watching with my children and can stop the video and offer explanations if needed. Some videos mention millions of years which we don’t agree with, for example. In no way is this playlist endorsed by Mystery of History. Second, the videos are frequently deleted. Because that is the case, I have only added videos through the first semester of Volume I. I will complete the playlist as that time gets nearer so I don’t have to redo the work. Finally, the videos may not be appropriate for your children’s ages. I included a number of Bible cartoons which may be too young for some kids and documentary material which may be boring for younger kids. The basics are there, however, saving you time if you’d like to look for a few alternate videos or just not watch any videos at all. I pray these videos will be a blessing to your family.
This project is absolutely on my to-do list as it’s perfect for a homeschooler, scrapbooker, and organization junkie like me. It’s pretty and practical.
One of the questions I am most frequently asked is how I teach many grade levels at once. Jill of Blessed Beyond a Doubt has six children like I do, but apparently has more time to answer the question properly on her blog. Now I don’t have to!
If you’d like to get some of these great ideas early or you want to see the pins of top homeschool bloggers, be sure to follow the What’s Hot in Homeschooling board.
This week I tested the Accountability Chart from Sparring Mind.I broke my day up into 90-minute work periods followed by 15-minute breaks and then wrote down what I accomplished during each 90-minute block. Scroll to the bottom of last week’s post for more details.
How an Accountability Chart Saved My Sanity This Week
Gave me something new to try. I was excited to give this method a try. Maybe because it was based on research, but I think more because I thought the “accountability” factor would work for me just like it does for dieters.
Helped me get a lot done at first. The first day I cruised through lots of work and enjoyed writing what I accomplished next to each time block.
Enjoyed the longer work periods. This week I have been preparing materials for the new school year. I was so motivated to complete these tasks, that I honestly didn’t take 15 minute breaks after every 90 minutes of work. I took little breaks here and there and long breaks in the evenings.
How an Accountability Chart Made Me Crazy This Week
Hated writing things down. After the first day, I resorted to using my phone’s Notes app to record what I’d done. The longer I did this, the more time I let go by before recording. Soon I was just thinking about what I’d done and not writing. I was getting lots and lots done and it just felt silly to take the time to write it down. On the other hand, if I had been goofing off, I wouldn’t have wanted to write that down either. My response to this approach was very much like it was when I wrote down what I ate while dieting: yuck.
Resisted the time limits. While I used a timer for work and breaks at first, I quit in part because I overused the method by continuing it all day long. I think that’s because I was in binge work mode. I quickly realized that I liked the 50-10 approach I used with Pomodoros much better because it didn’t interfere with the rest of my routines. Often a 90-minute block would overlap with lunch or dinner, for example.
No help with knowing what to do. As I’ve said, I’ve been focused on school preparation. That means that other things I need to be doing started to slide through the cracks. The time blocks and chart were no help with this.
Did an Accountability Chart Help Me Get Things Done?
Overall, no. Even though I was very productive, I felt like this approach got in my way more than helped me.
**UPDATE**
While I don’t use an accountability chart, the warning feature of Skedpal keeps me accountable. I am not able to slack off or try to squeeze in too many tasks without consequence.
The Productivity Approach I’ll Be Using for Week 28
This week I’ll be testing whether limiting choices can help me get more done. The idea is that the fewer options we have, the more we get done. I have simplified my routine and will reward myself with an A for every day I accomplish 90% of it.
The concept. This week I was telling a friend how much my 15-year-old likes to know exactly what school work to do on a given day. That’s when it occurred to me that I like that, too. Unfortunately, I don’t have much of that in my life and when I do, I give myself more tasks for a day than anyone could accomplish. The result is that I never feel like I’m doing enough of the right things. I’m striving to be an A student in a course that has hundreds of fuzzy objectives. And it’s exhausting.
A friend sent me a link on Raptitude that motivated me to limit my choices of what to do. My first strategy was to use the routine I set up using Home Routines. This would enable me to limit the choices I make. The second strategy was to reduce the number of steps so it is humanly possible to finish them all on a typical day. I went over each aspect asking myself if my husband (one of the most balanced, productive people I know) would say it was stupid. I eliminated work that I wasn’t doing anyway and wasn’t important. I limited cleaning to a time limit per floor rather than several specific tasks. I limited the true task time of my routine to “must do’s.” I reviewed the blogging tasks for the traffic they produce and decided to eliminate the smallest returns on investment. I asked to be excused from a ministry that stretches my time. And I will no longer write first thing in the morning on non-gym days, allowing myself time for a leisurely chat with my husband and oldest son over breakfast.
The result is a routine I think I can really do. If not, I will pare it down further this week.
If you’d like to join me this week, here’s what you do. Read the Raptitude article on minimalism in task management. The Barry Schwartz video he links to is worth the watch, but note that there is a cartoon with sexual content. (Note that I am not necessarily endorsing the views expressed on any site I link to).
Do a review of what you’re doing and your expectations of what you should be doing and make your day manageable. If you prefer not to use a simplified routine, make decisions now that will limit your choices later.
Click here to see if limiting choices helped me get more done.
If you’ve tried an accountability chart to increase your productivity, please comment. Click here to follow me on Facebook.
Here are the links to the productivity hacks I’ve tried so far:
This week’s post serves as a to-do list for me. In fact, after I hit publish, I am going to make good use of these links. I hope you’re as excited about them as I am.
Every year I give the kids new binders. Some years I have had them decorate their own and others I have designed my own covers. I love that Thirty Handmade Days has made covers for me and more. There is also an About Me page for your kids to record a snapshot of their lives that just screams to be scrapbooked. Update: here’s my daughter’s photo using one of the printables.
When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I was so excited. I absolutely love surprises and so do my kids. Teach Mama provides ideas for leaving materials on the table with instructions for creativity. I would love to use supplies I already have to get the kids’ creative juices flowing about once a week.
Speaking of clever ideas…how about turning acts of service into a secret service agent role play? The kids won’t groan when you tell them it’s time to think of others using the free printables from the Melissa and Doug blog.
If you’re like me, you’re loaded down with creative learning ideas, but when it comes to family time, you aren’t sure what to do. Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling comes to the rescue. Print out the ideas, cut them up, put them in a jar and voila! You can surprise your family with some fun.
If you missed my post about our student from Spain, I think you’ll enjoy it. We’re all more motivated to learn Spanish now and I love the idea of improving our skills with podcasts. I need to subscribe and have my high school sophomore subscribe, too.
I can still remember my first day of homeschooling when my plans went awry within the first 15 minutes. As we embark on this new school year, the 2:1 Conference blog writer has some good advice. Sometimes we just need to quit.
I was in the middle of my prayer time when I received a message from a Facebook friend. It was crazy last-minute, but she wondered if we would consider hosting the 16-year-old son of a friend of hers from Spain for three weeks.
I hadn’t seen my Facebook friend in years, I didn’t know her Spanish friend, and I certainly didn’t know her son. But I knew that I was supposed to do this.
I asked my husband and kids what they thought and they were game. So a week later, we met Lucas. The idea was he would stay with us after his family went home from their American vacation so he could learn more about our culture and improve his English. I thought it would be a good opportunity for my kids to learn about Spain and improve their Spanish.
I figured I would learn some things, too. But I had no idea how life-changing the lessons would be.
#1 We’re not in a hurry.
When Lucas first arrived, we enjoyed using Google translate to communicate. I was frustrated with the slowness of my computer and kept clicking on the same tab trying to get it to cooperate. That’s the first time he told me we weren’t in a hurry. After several more situations in which I found myself frantic only to have Lucas remind me that we weren’t in a hurry, I realized he was right. I wasn’t in a hurry, but I was living like I was.
#2 Why not?
Most of the time if we asked Lucas if he wanted to do something, he would respond, “Why not?” After three weeks of this, I realized that I usually provide plenty of why not’s. See Lesson #1. I’m always in a hurry and don’t feel I have the time to do spontaneous things that would add joy to my life. We would usually laugh when Lucas would say this because it’s such a great response. I want to live in a Why-not way.
#3 It’s perfect.
From our home, to my husband’s physique, to my teen’s driving, Lucas refused to agree to any criticism. He insisted that it was all perfect. I didn’t realize before his visit how often I tell myself and others what’s wrong with life, instead of acknowledging that it’s fine the way it is.
#4 Is it important?
The morning Lucas was leaving, he had on a dress shirt that was wrinkled. I kept insisting he let me iron it for him and he refused. Finally he asked me in all sincerity, “Is it important?” I hung my head because no, it wasn’t. What’s more, I realized that I’ve been in a hurry, refusing to do fun things, because I see imperfections in things that just aren’t important.
#5 I go with you.
Lucas insisted on accompanying me to the grocery store at the beginning of his visit. I assumed his mother had threatened him to be helpful to us, so I wasn’t as impressed by this as I was with the other occasions he wanted to be with us. My husband had to drop us off at the zoo entrance and go off to find parking. Lucas was there telling him, “I go with you.” When my son, Sam, played guitar for the first time at church, Lucas told me he preferred to sit close to Sam. Of course, he pronounced his performance ‘perfect.’ Lucas’s example made me realize how many times I don’t take the opportunity to go with the people I love, whether it’s to help them, keep them company, or to encourage them.
I know why I was supposed to host Lucas. God had some lessons to teach me that had nothing to do with Spanish. God wanted me to know that I’m not in a hurry, that there’s no good reason not to do something fun spur-of-the-moment, that I’m OK just the way I am, that most of what I worry about isn’t important, and that He is going with me wherever I go.
Do you need to learn any of the lessons Lucas taught me?
This week I tested Deven’s modification of one of Mark Forster’s Autofocus approaches that I called Focus & Relief. I worked from two lists–a Focus list with urgent and deadlined tasks and a Relief list for everything else. Up to three Relief tasks could also be moved to the Focus list. Scroll to the bottom of last week’s post for details.
How Focus & Relief Saved My Sanity This Week
Gave me a true focus list. When I tried the original Autofocus approach, I had to hunt through an enormous list to find urgent or deadlined tasks. I really liked having all these tasks on their own list plus three more tasks that I just wanted to get to–and no more. I tend to overdo it on the “want to get to” tasks being added to my focus list. Both lists were short which empowered me to get more done. This advantage likely wouldn’t be present the longer I worked the system.
Helped me accomplish non-deadlined tasks. Just the fact that these tasks were on a separate list motivated me to do them. It may be a language thing (calling these tasks “relief tasks”), but I also felt free to work on them whereas I haven’t before. I felt I should be doing urgent work or recreating and little in-between.
Gave me an alternate reward for work. When I used Autofocus originally, I included absolutely everything I wanted to do–even fun, frivolous things. I realized partway into the week that I could do this again, including them on the Relief list. I found that the system rewarded my work with tasks rather than time as the Pomodoro did. Jacq, a blog reader and friend, calls this a “task sandwich” and it was very effective. Finally, I really enjoyed the Autofocus approach of crossing off and rewriting tasks that I had worked on but hadn’t completed. This functioned as a reward as well.
How Focus & Relief Made Me Crazy This Week
Resisted starting with the Relief list. I understand the idea that we can get so stuck on urgent and deadlined tasks that we never get around to the not urgent, but important tasks. But feeling forced to start with that list didn’t work for me. Part of that is because I had urgent things to do that had to be addressed first thing and part of that is because I have already experienced the value of Eat That Frog. If the Relief list is used to record recreational tasks, there shouldn’t have to be a requirement to use it to be effective.
Resisted the other rules, too. After writing down the focus tasks and relief tasks, I usually knew what I wanted to do and did it. At other times, I just wanted to scan the list in any order to decide what I wanted to do. As before, I both liked the paper list and didn’t like it. It’s very satisfying to cross off tasks and see the list shrink, but I hated carrying it around. I did like the approach I chose for listing tasks, however. I used the front of a notebook for Focus tasks and the back for Relief tasks.
Difficult to identify the 3 Relief tasks on the Focus list. I didn’t use any kind of notation for the three non-urgent tasks I chose, so after I had completed a number of tasks, I honestly couldn’t remember what they were. I didn’t know if I could choose more or not, so I just didn’t worry about it. I found myself as happy to work on the substantive tasks in the Relief list as any other anyway.
Did Focus & Relief Help Me Get Things Done?
Yes, and I enjoyed it. I am starting to think that rewarding myself with a task could be even more effective than rewarding myself with time–maybe because the time feels too restrictive? I have serious concerns about using this method on paper long-term, however. I can see how it could become unwieldy over time. It would necessitate the use of stars and rules that I’m not wild about using.
**UPDATE**
I don’t use any type of long task list anymore. I now find it rewarding to work ahead and get tasks done before their scheduled time. I also enjoy the free time I have over lunch hour and after 8 p.m. That’s what I was missing before.
The Productivity Approach I’ll Be Using for Week 27
This week I’ll be testing the Accountability Chart from Sparring Mind. The day is broken up into 90-minute work periods followed by 15-minute breaks. You write down what you accomplish during each 90-minute block.
The concept. Research of masters of music suggests that those who practice for 90 minutes and then rest for 15-20 minutes achieve the most in terms of skill building. The idea is similar to Pomodoros, but allows for longer periods of work.
Research also suggests that dieters who record what they eat lose the most weight. Combining these two approaches should theoretically help us get more done. Either that or I will lose weight and be playing piano better by next week.
If you’d like to join me this week, here’s what you do. Read Sparring Mind’s article on productivity and watch the 3-minute video if you’d like. It’s one of those cool white board animations. Choose a method of timing your work and rest breaks and have something ready (notebook, white board, smart phone) to record what you accomplish during each period.
To see how I did with an accountability chart, click here.
If you’ve tried Deven’s Focus & Relief method to increase your productivity, please comment. I will no longer be including polls.
Here are the links to the productivity hacks I’ve tried so far:
What’s Hot in Homeschooling is back! We haven’t started back to school yet, but it’s definitely time to share the best articles so we can all have the best school year ever.
Homeschool blogs are abuzz with talk of goals for the school year. I’m exhausted just trying to come up with multiple goals for the five kids I’m still homeschooling. That’s why I really liked the approach described in this article which isn’t a homeschool blog. See if you do, too.
Homeschoolers love printables and Jill of Blessed Beyond a Doubt delivers with this free set that will help you write out your goals (if you prefer), make it fun with a back-to-school scavenger hunt, and more.
I always like to give the kids something new for school, but I don’t want to spend a lot. Free Homeschool Deals shares the impressive back-to-school booty she got at Dollar Tree for just $15. You’ll want to subscribe to her site for even more money-saving ideas.
I was inspired by this post from Bible Based Homeschooling. I have found the most overwhelming part of homeschooling is making choices. Decluttering what you have to choose from is a great tip you’ll get here.
I think Jill’s been peeking in my windows to see us sleeping in on school days! Few things impact your schooling more than starting on time. You’ll love these tips.
You won’t need encouragement to keep homeschooling until after you’ve taught for fifteen minutes. When one of my friends had just started homeschooling, she bemoaned that her son just wasn’t a fan of her plan. We’ve all been there. Renee Gotcher of Next Gen Homeschool has some ideas for places to go when the going gets tough.
Be sure to follow the What’s Hot in Homeschooling board. If you’re a blogger, please comment with your Pinterest account link below to contribute to the board.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
