Time Management Tips for Homeschool Moms

Take control of your schedule, get things done, and have time for things you love with these simple time management tips for homeschool moms.

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Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the tasks on your to-do list for the day? From homeschooling all of the children to getting the housework done and making time to sit down for a moment?

As a mother of 5 and homemaker for the last 8 years, these tips have helped me optimize our daily routine. It is possible to get everything done I need to, as well as make space for the things I enjoy.

Simple Time Management Tips for Homeschool Moms

Managing our time well as mothers brings life and intentionality to our homes and families. With these time management tips, I hope to help you go from overwhelmed to a place of peaceful productivity.

Tip #1: Simplify

The first thing that I’ve done in every area of my life is to simplify things. That includes simplifying our calendar as much as we can, simplifying our inventory of items, simplifying meals, etc.

I would not consider myself a full-blown minimalist, but I do keep our home items to a minimum. With five children, simplifying as much as possible is a great way to start managing our time better. Each item that comes into our home needs time, space, and maintenance. Every activity we say ‘yes’ to is a ‘no’ to something else. 

Consider the needs of your family members and your home. What can be put away for this season, and what can be managed consistently well. 

For more ideas on simplifying, check out my post on areas I simplify to help our days run smoother. (coming soon)

Tip #2: Systems

Throughout our home, I have taken each area and created some kind of system for home management.

This takes time and does not happen overnight. Creating systems also takes some effort in communication and training. Communication is key so that the system works for the whole family and everyone is on board. If I am the only one out of seven people maintaining order in an area, the system will not last long.

Some key components of a well-working system:

A good system is easily kept up.

For example, we have one bin for children’s socks that goes by the shoes.

This simplifies things so no one has to rummage through their drawers of clothing to find a pair of socks. Everyone knows where the socks go. A sock bin makes getting out the door very simple when socks and shoes are in the same place.

Another simple system on the sock topic is to only have black socks for boys and white socks for girls all the same pattern and/or design. Even easier to manage, purchase only one type of sock. Eliminating decisions makes getting dressed simple. When I simplify our wardrobe in this way, our energy and decision making can go towards the more important things.

For more on simplifying laundry, see how I create a simple capsule wardrobe for our children here.

A well-working system doesn’t need frequent overhauls.

Systems that serve us best only have to be fine-tuned once every couple of months. Fine tuning will come as seasons of life change. A well working system should not have to be tweaked every week or it is not a great system.

I can tell when trying to implement a system, if it will be a good fit after about a week of implementation. 

For more details on how to create and implement systems in your home, you can check out this blog post here. (coming soon.)

Tip #3: Create a timetable for yourself

One of the key time management tips for homeschool moms is having a proper time during the day to complete a task. Whatever does not get done during that time is work that needs to be moved into another day or another time.

So often in today’s age, we can squander our time by scrolling our phones, getting distracted, and just not having a plan for the valuable time we’ve been given in a day.

Make the timetable visible

Having a written-out timetable and schedule in view throughout the day is very helpful. Have blocks of time that are designated to certain tasks. These specific times help give us guardrails on our time. Having set boundaries for our time is essential to getting the things done we have set out to accomplish.

As we stick to the goals we have set, accomplish the things in that given time, we can end the day knowing we gave it our best and that feels great.

Have an ideal and keep it flexible

When drafting out an ideal timetable for my day, I know with young children it needs to be flexible and not rigid.

I think about my top priorities in a given day. I know the first things that need to be given a slot on my timetable are home tasks, meals, our children’s education, meeting my husband’s specific needs, and my personal time.

Next to those basics, I put in a block for allocating my set work hours, time for extracurricular activities, and time for creative projects.

I know that if I want each of these things to happen, I need to put them in a block of time where this task makes the most sense.

For more on creating a mother’s timetable, you can check out the blog post here. (coming soon)

Tip #4: Time blocking

One of the best time management tips for homeschool moms I have learned is to schedule our days with time blocking. When creating my timetable, I use time blocks as my scaffolding.

Time blocking gives flexibility to our days versus trying to stick to a rigid schedule with little ones in the home. Using time blocking also helps us have predictable routine alongside the flexibility.

Having a predictable routine is essential as a homeschool family, especially with having younger children in the home that thrive off of routine. 

Using time blocking is a great tool for busy moms to complete the most critical tasks while still making time for personal activities they enjoy.

Having time limits and clear boundaries during the day is essential to taking control of your schedule. 

Start with Anchors

Certain things happen that anchor our days. Our daily anchors include wake-up times, meal times, rest times, school time, and our bedtime routine. I like to begin with our anchors when creating my time blocks. 

Starting with these anchors when creating my time block schedule is important to setting realistic goals for our days. Working around these anchors is also crucial for making sure the transition times in between blocks are life-giving and smooth for the whole family.

Anchors give us a starting place to plan around since they are immovable and must happen no matter what is going on in life.

Build out your time around the anchors

After your anchors are in place, build out your day with the next pressing priorities. Give those tasks a block of time and build out from there. 

Adjust as needed

Timetables will need adjusting depending on the needs of your family and the season of life you are in. But having specific time blocks for things in a day and sticking to the times allotted, is a practical tip I have found keeps me focused, on task, and able to eliminate decisions for myself and my children. We get the things done that need to be done while still having time for the things we enjoy.

For a look at my personal timetable and more details on creating your own, check out the blog post here. (coming soon)

Tip #5: Office Hour

Because there are so many demands for our attention, especially with many children who all need to make it to dentist appointments and doctors appointments, I have found that scheduling a time block during the day from 3 o’clock to 4 PM when my children are playing outside after nap time, is the best time for me to schedule appointments reply to text messages and do some office home management.

An office hour helps prevent children from pulling on my legs while I’m on the phone with a receptionist, and when I schedule appointments to go out of the house during these times, it helps us avoid outings during our morning school lessons.

Time management tips: A note on distractions

I have set a principle for myself in our home to not be on my phone while my children are awake and present.

It is important to me that my children know that they have mommy’s full attention when I am with them. I also want them to know that mommy is working hard on her tasks while I’m expecting them to work hard and undistracted on their own.

This boundary helps prevent me from getting overstimulated by screens when I am supposed to be mothering.

I have found that trying to multitask in this way while children are awake and present results in children demanding attention in less ideal ways, me feeling more spread thin, and just a general lack of focus during the day. Lack of focus and deep work decreases wise time management.

Tip #6: Designate Tasks for Each Day

There are many ways to plan our weeks and our days that work well for different seasons. For some women that may look like cleaning a certain section of the house on a given day such as bathrooms on Monday, bedrooms on Tuesday. 

For me, I like to plan my weeks using the Entrepreneurial Time System.

The Entrepreneurial Time System

What is the Entrepreneurial Time System?

Focused days, buffer days, free days, and rest days

This concept of an entrepreneurial time system is one of the most game-changing time management tips that I learned about in my friend’s homemaking course, the Get it all Done Club. Which she learned from Dan Sullivan at Strategic Coach.

You can find out more about the Get it all Done Club course at the link here. (not sponsored)

Essentially the entrepreneur time system helps with time management because you are giving a name and a focus to each and every day. I use this for more than just my cleaning routine. I use the entrepreneurial time system to gauge how much energy I need to give to a given day. 

Focus days

Focus days are scheduled to be the most productive days that I plan out. 

These days have an intentional goal or list of goals to accomplish for the given day or time block.

Buffer Days

Buffer days make up most of our days. These days involve tying up loose ends on projects, recovering from a trip or sick days, keeping up with housework, and preparing for the next focus or rest day. I like to think of them as maintenance days. I may have 1-2 essential tasks to get done during my naptime work block, but overall, I am just keeping our home systems in rotation.

Rest days

Rest days are just for that- rest. As a family, we have a focus day the day before our rest day to prep the house as much as we can for a full day of true rest. Everyone looks forward to this day in our home.

Free Days

Free days are days my husband and I give to one another for a full break and time of refreshment. These happen about twice a year in our current stage of life but we would like to be able to do them at least quarterly. 

Everyone’s free day is going to look different based on what fills your cup. My free days always include bible time, prayer, journaling, a good book, or a project I am working on.

I try to fill these days with truly nourishing activities such as walks outside, maybe a massage, and time to contemplate. This is a great time for creative endeavors I haven’t otherwise had time for. During free days, I avoid social media and scrolling. These are not life-giving activities for me.

A free day for my husband may look like a day on the River for rockhounding, enjoying his book undistracted, going hunting. 

The point is that for the whole day there are no other demands than to nourish ourselves and have a break. 

Tip #7: Plan your day the night before

One of the rhythms I have established over the years is to take 5-10 minutes to plan the next day. This has been a great habit even before homeschooling. Since beginning homeschooling, planning the night before has become one of the most essential time management tips I have implemented.

I will write down meals, look over lesson plans, and map out 1-2 essential tasks I want completed.

Planning the night before helps give me a direction for the next day. If I wake up without a plan, I find that more time gets wasted than if I start the day with an intentional direction. 

Tip #8: Forecasting your lessons

Something else that I do for our homeschool schedule is forecast our lessons for the year and for the term.

I like the term forecast because it gives a tentative plan to accomplish the bigger goal. A forecast suggests that my plan is bound to change, but it still gives me a direction to follow.

For more on planning out your homeschool, check out my step-by-step lesson planning process at the blog post here.

Tip #9: Honor your season

Seasons of motherhood are constantly changing as children grow and mature, we add new little ones to our family, or maybe other life changes that require things in our home to change.

It is very important to honor the current season of life that you are in.

A few questions I like to ask myself are:

1. Are the goals that I set for myself in a given day something that I am able to do consistently well?
2. Am I wasting time in places that I shouldn’t be?
3. Am I not giving enough time to areas that I should be investing more time in during this season?
4. What has God called me to prioritize in this season?

Reflection: Are we using our time wisely?

Managing our time well as homeschooling mothers is essential to a thriving home and family life. Time management is essential for successfully homeschooling our children. 

Take some time for reflection.

Which of these time management strategies are you going to focus on this week?

What is one thing that you can implement right now for more effective time management as a homemaker?

Let us know in the comments below! You’ve got this mama!