New Year, New Stuff
Every year brings new discoveries. My kids are growing. Seasons of life are changing. Goals are reached and new ones identified. Things that once worked great are no longer effective and things you thought would be great aren't working at all.
It's a delicate balance. Too much evaluation and you never give something a fair chance. Not enough and things drag on for way too long. For me, the end of every semester is the time for evaluation. We have given new things long enough for a fair trial, but not so long that we can't recover from a misstep.
I am now in my 9th year of homeschooling. We have tried more things than I can count: Online, books, worksheets, unit studies. It has led me to a process. A method that has worked for me to get the chaos in my brain onto paper and then into a system that works. I have spent this week in the midst of this process: reflecting and recording, planning and brainstorming. Trying to figure out how to move forward and settle into a routine that works for everyone.
My process isn't neat and tidy. It's full of paper (much to my husband's dismay, the final outcome will be paperless!), lists and doodles. There isn't a fancy graphic organizer or system to it. It's prayer bathed and Spirit-led. It's not quick. It takes days or weeks to reflect and pray before anything is actually put into motion. It is something that I find myself repeating whenever our routine gets changed, whether by choice or circumstance.
1. Start by making a list of things you are thankful for
This isn't a practical step for me, it's about getting my heart and head in the right place. Often when I find myself in this place, it is after upheaval or change. It's usually not a mountain top experience that leads me here, but a valley. No one needs a reset when things are going great! I need to start my process by making a list of things that I am thankful for and praying over that list. I need to remind myself of the tremendous blessing that God has bestowed on me, even in times of change or trial.
2. List the changes that got you to your current place
Reflect on the road that has been traveled and how you arrived at your current stage of life. What are the transitions that led you to the need for change? Usually some of those events will lead you to the obvious changes or adjustments that you will need to make.
3. Figure out what IS working
It is ain't broke, don't fix it! There are always things that are working in your schedule or routine. There are also methods or routines that have worked for your in the past. List out these things and evaluate if some the things on your "used to work when I actually did them" list will work again. This is usually more than half of my issue. I generally have the right tools to fix the scheduling issues, I'm just not good about actually doing them. It takes self- discipline to stay on routine and that isn't easy!
Ask those around you for input on this list. I can't tell you the number of times that I thought something was working great, only to discover that the rest of the people being subjected to my "great idea" were miserable. If your family won't follow through on it, it probably isn't working as well as you think it is.
Once your list is made, circle the items that you think you would like to try again or keep. Then make a separate list of action steps that you would need to do to currently implement them.
4. Make or Update your list of goals
What do you want your day to day to look like? What goals are you working toward that need to be included in your day- to- day routine? This is another item that I usually seek input on: always from my husband, occasionally from my kids. This helps me set the direction that we are headed and begin to set a coarse on how to get there. It gives purpose to the rest of the process.
5. Evaluate the Resources
There are two sides to this coin. First, what resources do I already have? Are there parts or pieces of things that I already have that will help the process? Generally speaking, this is a process of realization for me that I already have 99-100% what I need to continue. It's a good opportunity to evaluate the tools that you have in your belt.
The other side is that if you are going to make a change, now is a good time to do it. Is your organization method working for you? What is new and shiny out there that might be better? There an overwhelming number of choices out there, but if I don't occasionally go out there and look into the latest and greatest, I may miss an option that would eliminate a process that you are currently spending a lot of time doing.
It is super important to go slow here and fully evaluate the new options. Very rarely have I stuck with a new thing, if I jump in and set it up without doing the proper research first.
Perhaps I am just a creature of habit, but when I actually use the tools that I already have, I am usually most successful. I occasionally surprise myself though...
6. Go Back Over the Lists
Look through the lists through you have made and pray for wisdom. How can you best take your goals and dreams and pair them with the resources that you currently have been blessed with and make a routine that works best for you and your family.
I usually start making a list of ideas and eventually one jumps off the page as the right option. Pause at this point again for wise council. I usually run my idea by my husband and at least one other person.
7. Begin Implementing the Ideas
Gather and put the structure into place to reset your day. Put together the materials you will need to make the changes and work through any organizational infrastructure you might need.
8. Follow Through
You have done all of the research and prep to change, now you have to have the self-discipline to actually follow through with it. I usually go to my husband a few days before any household change I am implementing and let him in on my timeline and ask him to check in with me on it.
It's going to be hard at first. Self- Discipline is hard!! If the change is positive, it will get easier with time, if it doesn't then time to start over and reevaluate.
It's a delicate balance. Too much evaluation and you never give something a fair chance. Not enough and things drag on for way too long. For me, the end of every semester is the time for evaluation. We have given new things long enough for a fair trial, but not so long that we can't recover from a misstep.
I am now in my 9th year of homeschooling. We have tried more things than I can count: Online, books, worksheets, unit studies. It has led me to a process. A method that has worked for me to get the chaos in my brain onto paper and then into a system that works. I have spent this week in the midst of this process: reflecting and recording, planning and brainstorming. Trying to figure out how to move forward and settle into a routine that works for everyone.
My process isn't neat and tidy. It's full of paper (much to my husband's dismay, the final outcome will be paperless!), lists and doodles. There isn't a fancy graphic organizer or system to it. It's prayer bathed and Spirit-led. It's not quick. It takes days or weeks to reflect and pray before anything is actually put into motion. It is something that I find myself repeating whenever our routine gets changed, whether by choice or circumstance.
1. Start by making a list of things you are thankful for
This isn't a practical step for me, it's about getting my heart and head in the right place. Often when I find myself in this place, it is after upheaval or change. It's usually not a mountain top experience that leads me here, but a valley. No one needs a reset when things are going great! I need to start my process by making a list of things that I am thankful for and praying over that list. I need to remind myself of the tremendous blessing that God has bestowed on me, even in times of change or trial.
2. List the changes that got you to your current place
Reflect on the road that has been traveled and how you arrived at your current stage of life. What are the transitions that led you to the need for change? Usually some of those events will lead you to the obvious changes or adjustments that you will need to make.
3. Figure out what IS working
It is ain't broke, don't fix it! There are always things that are working in your schedule or routine. There are also methods or routines that have worked for your in the past. List out these things and evaluate if some the things on your "used to work when I actually did them" list will work again. This is usually more than half of my issue. I generally have the right tools to fix the scheduling issues, I'm just not good about actually doing them. It takes self- discipline to stay on routine and that isn't easy!
Ask those around you for input on this list. I can't tell you the number of times that I thought something was working great, only to discover that the rest of the people being subjected to my "great idea" were miserable. If your family won't follow through on it, it probably isn't working as well as you think it is.
Once your list is made, circle the items that you think you would like to try again or keep. Then make a separate list of action steps that you would need to do to currently implement them.
4. Make or Update your list of goals
What do you want your day to day to look like? What goals are you working toward that need to be included in your day- to- day routine? This is another item that I usually seek input on: always from my husband, occasionally from my kids. This helps me set the direction that we are headed and begin to set a coarse on how to get there. It gives purpose to the rest of the process.
5. Evaluate the Resources
There are two sides to this coin. First, what resources do I already have? Are there parts or pieces of things that I already have that will help the process? Generally speaking, this is a process of realization for me that I already have 99-100% what I need to continue. It's a good opportunity to evaluate the tools that you have in your belt.
The other side is that if you are going to make a change, now is a good time to do it. Is your organization method working for you? What is new and shiny out there that might be better? There an overwhelming number of choices out there, but if I don't occasionally go out there and look into the latest and greatest, I may miss an option that would eliminate a process that you are currently spending a lot of time doing.
It is super important to go slow here and fully evaluate the new options. Very rarely have I stuck with a new thing, if I jump in and set it up without doing the proper research first.
Perhaps I am just a creature of habit, but when I actually use the tools that I already have, I am usually most successful. I occasionally surprise myself though...
6. Go Back Over the Lists
Look through the lists through you have made and pray for wisdom. How can you best take your goals and dreams and pair them with the resources that you currently have been blessed with and make a routine that works best for you and your family.
I usually start making a list of ideas and eventually one jumps off the page as the right option. Pause at this point again for wise council. I usually run my idea by my husband and at least one other person.
7. Begin Implementing the Ideas
Gather and put the structure into place to reset your day. Put together the materials you will need to make the changes and work through any organizational infrastructure you might need.
8. Follow Through
You have done all of the research and prep to change, now you have to have the self-discipline to actually follow through with it. I usually go to my husband a few days before any household change I am implementing and let him in on my timeline and ask him to check in with me on it.
It's going to be hard at first. Self- Discipline is hard!! If the change is positive, it will get easier with time, if it doesn't then time to start over and reevaluate.
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