Homeschool moms frequently call me, telling me they can’t handle even thinking of setting up or being on a schedule. They say it will make them a slave to their schedule. NOT true! I homeschooled three children, taught homeschool courses, worked part time at night, and ran a day care. I was able to manage it all because I was on a welloiled schedule.

Answer this question: Who is in control of what you have to do each day?

Okay, let’s rephrase that question: who is in control of what gets written on the schedule? You may feel as though you have no control over what you have to do each day, because

• Your children are in sports, so you “have to” get them to practice at the time the coach has set up that practice.
• Your husband “has to” have his suit dry cleaned and picked up by a certain time, and you’re the only one there to do it.
• Your house is a mess, so you “have to” get the cleaning done.
• And if you don’t prepare the meals, no one else will, so you “have to” shop and fix dinner.

These are all very valid issues I hear about often. However, if you step back a minute and try not to be on the defensive because you’re being pulled in too many directions, the suggestions below might shed some light at the end of your tunnel (vision).

1. Lay the groundwork by talking with the family and having them participate. This has been said before, but if they know that your goal is to have FREE TIME in the schedule and plan fun for all, they might give it a try.
2. Make a decision on your own about what the family as a whole can handle in the way of outside activities. I’m seeing a lot of articles talk about the mad rush to practices and appointments. What if the time is just not there to do all of the activities and such?
3. Write it out. This is the most common and the most stressful suggestion. If you’re like me, when you hear the words “write it down,” you may shut down. I was speaking with a business advisor the other day, and he started talking about a lot of financial mumbo jumbo. I had to stop him and say, “Okay, my brain just shut down. That’s too much overwhelming information for me.” It’s the same with writing out a plan, whether a business plan, vacation plan, or even a schedule. We’re actually racing around so fast that the thought of sitting down and writing anything out overwhelms us. If you can think of it as only 15 minutes of your time, it might ease the pain.
4. Schedule in your must-dos. I’m not talking about the children’s practices, either, because your children might be in too many activities. I’m talking about work, showers, preparing for your day, lunch (how many of you forget to eat or just grab an unhealthy snack while you’re racing?), dinnertime, bedtime, and so on.
5. Cut out some activities. After you can see your schedule written down with the must-dos, you might see that there really isn’t enough time for living unless you reduce some of your add-on activities. I went through the stage of letting the kids be in 2-3 activities each. That lasted only one season. Everyone had to pick and choose only one activity after that.
6. Write FREE TIME into your schedule each week. That is time where no one “has” to do anything. They “get” to do what they want, within reason. In my home we have Friday movie night. Sunday is our day to go to church and do something relaxing and fun. If the family sees FREE TIME written on a schedule, it can help them get through stressful times during the week.

If you can bring yourself to write down a micro-schedule of every aspect of your day, you will notice a difference in how you plan from then on.

We were like a well-oiled machine. On days when something fun came up, we could miss school for the day and pick up where we left off the following day. There is time in the above schedule for everyone, including myself. You do not have to be a slave to your schedule. You are the one who writes it. If you don’t like it, change it. It can be done!

Susie Glennan has been happily married since 1982, is mom to three, former homeschool mom, teacher, Toastmaster, speaker, and author of numerous articles published in magazines and on the Web. She is President of The Busy Woman, Inc.—DBA: The Busy Woman’s Daily Planner. The company provides daily planners, car and home organizers, Memory Books, and more! Susie teaches time management and scheduling seminars and offers free consultations with your order. She will help you set up a schedule that’s right for you. Find out more at her website, www.thebusywoman.com, or by calling 800-848-7715.

Here's a Sample of one of my schedules when my children were young and I was homeschooling: