With homeschool becoming more on the rise & acceptable in this day in age, many families are turning to this education option for many different reasons.
But, just because you have the desire to embark on this venture doesn’t mean that you think it’s truly plausible.
Especially if you’re already a busy business owner.
But, just because you’re a Mompreneur, doesn’t mean you cannot devote the time to homeschool your kids, and vice versa.
And, while it might seem a little nuts to run your own business from home while simultaneously taking on the role of lead educator for your children, I am hear to tell you that both CAN be done.
Yea, it might take a little extra work and dedication, but it is more than doable – just take it from me.
As a Mompreneur of 2 businesses (plus this blog), I can confidently say that I’ve been able to swing all these gigs (and keep my sanity intact- well, mostly) throughout the last 4 years.
So, what’s my secret?
I won’t deny that it takes some time and work to figure out your rhythm, but there are ways to manage both responsibilities seamlessly.
Here are my personal homeschool hacks, made especially for Mompreneurs!
Go with a pre-made curriculum
The best decision I ever made when it came time to invest in my children’s educational resources was buying a pre-made learning kit and curriculum.
Why?
First of all, diving head first into homeschool was scary enough. Not knowing my way around the whole concept or how my child preferred to learn was a little intimidating, to say the least.
By going with an all-in-one kit, I didn’t have to dig and dissect every corner of the earth looking for learning materials for my child; it was all there and ready.
Secondly, it saved me TONS of time.
I’m not a teacher, so I decided to leave the curriculum planning up to the professionals.
And not only did it save my sanity by not having to plan every single lesson for an entire year, but it freed up load of time by having it all constructed for me.
I’m busy enough with my businesses to have to take on a full summer of lesson plans, so having the option to invest in this has been a huge time hack for this busy Mom!
Set a routine
You’re not going to get anywhere in this venture if you don’t have a routine set in place.
Devoting certain times for chores, meals, school, play, and work is essential to making it all flow seamlessly.
I’ll be blunt and honest when I say that my worst weeks homeschooling are the ones where we just kind of wing it and have no rhythm.
Working while trying to direct your kids in their lessons has never meshed well for me, and has only led to frustration on my end.
But, when we stick to our schedule, we end up being more productive and happy.
Imagine that.
Your routine will vary according to the amount of work you need to accomplish in a day, how many kids you have, and other outside factors.
For us, our routine looks something like this:
7am – 8am: Rise & shine. Kids are responsible for making beds, getting dressed, and eating breakfast.
8am-9am: Quiet time. If they have finished their tasks, they can watch TV or play a game before school starts. If not, this is also extra time to get ready before school. I also use this time to check emails, social media, and work on any tasks I can during this “quiet” hour – even if that means that I eat at my desk.
9am- noon: School. Sometimes we finish early & can use the extra time to devote to my work.
noone-1pm: Lunch, cleanup, playtime.
1pm-4pm: Nap & quiet time. The little one takes a nap and sometimes I join (especially during this pregnancy). I also use this time to work during these quiet hours if I have the stamina & energy to do so. Some days I get less than 2 hours of work in, but it’s suitable for my business.
4pm-5pm: Dinner prep & daily chores.
5pm-8pm: – Dinner, cleanup, and family time.
8:30pm: Bedtime. Wake up to repeat the rest of the week.
This routine doesn’t always get followed to a “T”, but having it set in place makes our lives more organized when we have so many things to accomplish during the day.
Meal plan
This one is a BIGGIE.
Knowing exactly what’s on the menu for the entire school week will help you save time and won’t have you scrambling at the last minute to think of things to make for dinner.
If you can manage it, create a meal plan over the weekend to map out what you’ll need to buy at the store and prepare for ahead of time.
I personally love to do this over the weekend when my husband is home so I can get some input from him and the kids on what to make for the following week.
When I get my full act together, I will order my groceries on Sunday to have delivered on Monday morning. Ordering my groceries and having them delivered saves me so much time, and sanity! I definitely recommend it. Get $20 off your first Walmart+ delivery when you sign up with this link.
The best and most productive weeks that we have homeschooling and getting my work done is made possible by having a meal plan in place and groceries fully stocked up.
Less trips to the store with 3 kids saves us a lot of time and headaches, so this is definitely something that shouldn’t be skimped on!
Make sure you scroll down & sign up to get a FREE printable meal plan chart.
Content plan
When you are busy with educating your children, running the household, and trying to work on your business, having a solid structure is the key success.
This comes from many things, but if you want to make the most of your limited time when it comes down to focusing on your business duties, then having a marketing & content plan set in place is a MUST for Mompreneurs.
Related: 3 ways to plan 6 months of content for your business
Once you get a little break and breathing room from other daily tasks and finally sit down to work, are you scurrying to figure out what you’re going to do?
Do you have a hard time figuring out what to focus on?
Do you end up wasting more time on social media reading the news and mindlessly scrolling?
Doing so will wreck havoc on your productivity, so having a content plan in motion is your best bet to avoid this so you can be mega productive, even if your time is limited.
So, whatever you do, write down a plan, or create a to-do list, so when it comes time to work, you get it done without fail!
Daily chores
Homeschooling, working from home, and taking care of kids is A LOT of work. Add in taking care of the home, and you’re probably feeling just a bit overwhelmed.
What I like to do to lighten the load and keep our house clean 24/7 is by doing daily chores.
Each day of the week has it’s own special assigned chore that we get done in order to keep the house in tip-top shape.
Not only does this save us from doing a mega cleaning session over the weekend, but it keeps this Momma happy.
I am sort of what you call a clean freak, and any kind of disorganization, clutter, and mess doesn’t do anyone in the family any favors.
When the house is a mess, Momma is a mess.
So how does this work? Pretty easy! Here’s a sample of what works in our home:
Monday: tidy up all rooms.
Tuesday: sweep & mops floors
Wednesday: empty trash, water plants, dust.
Thursday: clean bathrooms
Friday: vacuum, sweep, & mop (if needed)
Saturday: catch up for anything that was missed during the week
Sunday: Day of rest
By following this simple routine, our house stays clean, Momma stays happy, and there’s rarely a need for a 4-hour cleaning session on the weekends!
Get my pre-made cleaning schedule checklist & many other helpful printables when you sign up to get not-so-regular emails from me. Scroll down to sign up now!
Task charts
I have gone through cycles of using task charts and chore charts and not using them over the years. But when I really hanker down and use them? More stuff gets done without feeling muddled and disorganized.
Using a visual chart for for kids of all ages can excite and motivate them to finish their daily tasks, especially when there’s so much to do.
These charts can be as detailed or simple as possible, it really just depends on your personal needs and the age of your child(ren).
Even if it’s as simple as tasks like “brush teeth”, “make bed”, “clean room”, “pick up toys”, “put shoes away”, this will teach your kids responsibility and keep them accountable for what they are in charge of.
This all ties in with having a set routine and daily chores to make it even more organized and attainable – even when you’re a busy workin’ Mom.
I use this chore/rewards system in my home to not only keep the house clean, but to reward good behavior and teach responsibility.
When you have all of your ducks in a row and a plan set in motion, taking on the dual act of homeschooling Mompreneur is simple &totally doable.
If you happen to be a Mom & business owner, then I invite you to download my Momboss Sanity Savers below to help pave the path of a better work/life balance and calming the chaos in your home – especially if you home school or plan in doing so.
These are AWESOME tips! And i love that you put a schedule in there!
Thanks – I am glad you found it helpful! 🙂