In 1992 or so, I had to make a decision. I was running a daycare out of my home and had a direct sales business. My oldest child was in public school and things were looking grim for her. The school did not treat advanced children well. So my husband and I made the decision to take her out and home school. I was organized, but now it was imperative that the whole family get even more organized so I could be an effective teacher while running a day care and my little direct sales biz out of the house at night. With God and a wonderful husband I was able to take 3 weeks off while we got the house ready for all that would be happening inside. I explained to my young children what we were doing and as a family we got ready to home school by cleaning out everything we no longer needed, putting things in proper and permanent places and learning what type of schedule worked best for each of us. I used an empty scheduling template and printed out 10 copies. Here's a link to the PDF Blank Schedule. I put a child’s name at the top of each one and each night I’d map out the next day. I even did one for myself. Each day I’d change things around that did not work and leave things that did. I had 3 children of my own 2, 4, and almost 7, then several day care children who came in and out at different hours on different days. Here's a PDF of our sample Full Daily Schedule So picture stopping in the middle of whatever it is you’re doing because you notice that a particular thing is not working. I would say to the kids, “Okay, guys, this is not working. Let’s regroup.” I’d go over what I thought was not working and ask the 4 yr old about it or the 7 yr old and we’d actually discuss things. They loved having a say and being respected. After a little less than the 3 weeks, we were like a well-oiled machine. I was fortunate enough to be able to plan 6 months in advance for most things, such as field trips, days off, & vacations with the family, which is such a blessing! Here is one of our last type of schedule from when my youngest was old enough to be able to handle the after school routines but still needed the school time routine set before her. Simple Daily Schedule I think this made all three children feel better to see it. And we had such a joyful time while homeschooling, that the kids will never forget it. If you’re a type A personality, getting into a routine and scheduling come naturally or is at minimum easier for you than the type B personality. So let’s give the type B woman some time here. There are several ways to organize with the type B mindset. A. Have a Type A come and help. She’ll do most of it for you and it will be done THAT DAY! (Okay, so it might not be done “that day” but it certainly will be leaps and bounds ahead of where it was.) B. Do as much as you can in 5, 10, or 15-minute increments. This helps you get revved up and keep going. If you truly don’t have the time, then it also serves as a means in giving you permission to stop. Let me get into some detail to help you visualize. I’m a “learned type A”. My father was a type A and therefore I learned by experiencing. My father physically taught me how. When my bedroom would get out of control, he’d come in and take everything that was out of place and put it in a pile in the center of the floor. He’d have me put away everything I could and then I was to get him. He’d come to my room, help me a little, and then leave me to work some more. By doing this I learned how to view the room the way it “should” be and then put the out of place things where they belong. If you can do that for each room of your home, one room at a time, you’ll gain instant gratification as well as have the ability to go through the out of place items one at a time. C. Multitask by visualizing your home as it is at the time you plan on cleaning and set out a path in your head: for example, I start in the kitchen collecting anything that does not belong. I stop in the laundry room along the way to put up a load, then put away the things I collected in the kitchen before returning back to the kitchen, etc. I start by putting all dirty dishes in the dishwasher and get that started. Then I clear off the counters, spray and wipe down everything I can before putting things where they belong. I put up a pot of coffee and go back to the laundry room to put the wash to the dryer. After this I’m ready to start my workday in the home office. There “can” be benefits to doing things this way. If you get on a roll like I do, it gets my heart rate up while accomplishing all the housework. By working on things this way each morning, you can move onto the next level of cleaning a little at a time, each day. For me, that meant more time on the weekends with the family. Of course there are the times when I turn into a type A and plan out my deep cleaning on a weekend. Then I gather all cleaning supplies for the area I’m starting on. I go from top to bottom in that one area before taking a break. However, the type B in me needs to visualize the time of day I’d like to be done so I’ll still have time to rest or go out. Many type B women do what we call, Piggybacking tasks so that they feel they are accomplishing more in less time. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. If the type B woman can train themself to do the visualization of the house and what needs to be done, they can map out their piggybacking of tasks and get the job done. What type are you? ©2007 Susie Glennan ---- BIO: Susie Glennan has been in direct sales for over 23 years, home schooled & ran a daycare for 8 years, is a teacher, technology trainer, Toastmaster, Speaker, and Author of numerous articles that have been published in magazines and across the web. She teaches personality based time management & other seminars on various topics. Her passion is teaching others to use their God given personalities to enhance their lives and relationships by effectively managing their time and staying true to the values in life that are most important. For more organizing articles & free downloads for homeschoolers, click here and scroll down to the homeschooling section. Susie has been happily married since 1982, has four children and 2 grandchildren. Her home is in the beautiful CA. She is also the President of The Busy Woman, Inc. - DBA: The Busy Woman's Daily Planner®. The company provides daily planners, purses, car & home organizers, Memory Books, and other organizing tools to help enhance the busy life of today’s family. The company contact info is: www.thebusywoman.com or 800-848-7715. Related Tags: homeschool mom, relationships, mom organizing,nurturing, help for mom, mother, mom

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