We all experience symptoms of burnout at one time or another: the loss of joy in a task we once enjoyed; the day-to-day grind of working at the same thing for years; the feeling of wanting to escape our current situation.
Homeschooling moms are no different. But we can't afford to get burned out because we don't want to send negative messages about homeschooling to our children. If we do, it will affect their attitude towards homeschooling, and they’ll feel negative about it too.
On the contrary, we want them to see us engaged and excited about learning just as they are. (Children are naturally eager to learn unless they've had it socialized out of them.)
But burnout is real, and we have to accept that it is always a possibility. We start out the new homeschooling year feeling excited along with our kids, and we've got all sorts of plans and ideas on our minds. We've set our homeschool schedule to make sure we stay focused, but then some of us reach the mid-year break feeling exhausted, and we start to daydream about putting our kids into school.
However, burnout is avoidable if we accept that it will probably happen at some point, and we put a “burnout” prevention plan in place.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
It may seem counter-intuitive, but if you stick to a “start” and “end” time to your homeschooling day, it will give you more freedom and less overwhelm, and that’s why it is a critical strategy to avoid burnout.
The reasons become obvious once you start to think about them. Let's say you get into the habit of waking at 6:00 am every day, and you set your homeschool to begin at 9:00 am. That gives you two entirely free hours to yourself before you wake uour children up around 8:00 am.
You can do anything! Drink a cup of coffee, read a book, chat with your spouse, meditate, go for a walk - anything you want which will help you start the day feeling relaxed and refreshed.
By the time you are ready to teach, you've been able to do "something for yourself," and you don't feel overwhelmed by the duties and responsibilities that lay ahead.
These two quiet hours in the morning are yours alone and you don't have to do a thing if you don't want to.
You then carry on with your homeschool schedule, whatever that might include, careful to end your teaching day at the appointed time.
It's not that you have to bring your homeschool day to an abrupt halt, but you can help your children wrap things up at the time you are ready to retire from teaching for the day.
What keeping a strict schedule does is force us to focus during the time we are working with our kids, because we know we have only a limited amount of time for homeschooling. When we have boundaries around homeschooling, we don’t allow ourselves to get distracted by other things because we recognize that time is of essence, and we need to use it wisely.
“All things are ready, if our mind be so.”
Whatever we don't finish, we will have to save for the next day, so we are intentional and diligent in making the best use of our homeschooling hours.
Whatever you decide to do before and after you teach, the point is that you're not mentally weighed down with the feeling of never having time for anything else. It's that feeling of overwhelm that leads to burnout.
The key to tasks that will go on for years is to keep the end goal in mind, but stay very focused on taking it one day at a time. If you stay too focused on all the years of homeschooling that are still ahead of you, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
One day at a time with a focus on the small wins is how we stay the course and keep ourselves motivated.
We want to avoid burnout at all costs because it leads to inefficiency, lower productivity, less enjoyment, and, as I mentioned earlier, it sends our kids the wrong messages.
Homeschooling is not always easy, as life is not always easy, but we want to find enjoyment in it in spite of any struggles we might face.
Keeping a beginning and an end time to your homeschooling day will help you avoid burnout and discover the joy of watching your children thrive under your tutelage.
Don’t miss our free download, Ten Books Every Well-Educated Child Should Read.
When you join the Smart Homeschooler Academy online course for parents, Liz will share her 6-step framework to raise children of higher intelligence, critical thinking, and of better character.
As a homeschooler, you will never have to worry about failing your children, because Liz will empower you to feel confident, calm, and motivated; as well as provide you with the tools and support you need to homeschool successfully.
Teach your child to read before sending him to school! Learn more about Elizabeth's unique course, How to Teach Your Child to Read and Raise a Child Who Loves to Read.
For parents of children under age seven who would like to prepare their child for social and academic success, please begin with Elizabeth’s singular online course, Raise Your Child to Thrive in Life and Excel in Learning.
Elizabeth Y. Hanson is a homeschooling thought-leader and the founder of Smart Homeschooler.
As an Educator, Homeschool Emerita, Writer, and Love and Leadership Certified Parenting Coach, she has 21+ years of experience working in education.
Developing a comprehensive understanding of how to raise and educate a child, she devotes her time to helping parents get it right.
Elizabeth is available for one-on-one consultations as needed.
"I know Elizabeth Y. Hanson as a remarkably intelligent, highly sensitive woman with a moral nature and deep insight into differences between schooling and education. Elizabeth's mastery of current educational difficulties is a testimony to her comprehensive understanding of the competing worlds of schooling and education. She has a good heart and a good head. What more can I say?”
—John Taylor Gatto Distinguished educator, public speaker, and best-selling author of Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
