The Mistake New Working Homeschool Moms Make & 5 Tips To Fix It

When you are deciding to juggle both your career and homeschooling your kids, it can mean a lot of changes at once. If there is one mistake you don’t want to make, it’s this one!

If you are a brand new working mom who is homeschooling, chances are you are doing one of two things:

  1. Adding homeschooling to a full schedule, or
  2. Adding working to a full schedule.

When I returned to working outside the home and set about juggling homeschooling and working, I oddly thought in my “homeschool” that nothing would need to change.

I was wrong. This was a mistake!

woman sad about a mistake in chair

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Figuring Out What Went Wrong When Nothing Changed

Are you in the same boat? Are you wondering why you are exhausted? Yet, not sleeping?

Your house is destroyed, you need groceries, and you can’t remember the last time you tasted food, never mind actually ate?

Maybe you are comparing your “before working/homeschooling” life to now. You’ve got a new part-time job and withdrew a child from public school. Nothing else in your schedule has changed.

You go to bed at the same time. You wake at the same time.

Yet…

You are constantly exhausted! You can’t get seem to get enough sleep. You can’t quit your job you need the money! You are homeschooling for a reason, so that’s not an option. What can you do? You are at a loss!

Sound familiar?

Or maybe you are one of the lucky ones.  At first, everything seemed to be working great you are slamming it.

But.

Bit by bit.

You notice things getting out of hand. No matter what you do, you just can’t figure it out when nothing has changed.

And that, dear momma, is your mistake.

How Do You Do It All?

When other people ask me how I do it all, I laugh.

Because I don’t do it all. I have tried, and it didn’t work out so great. The mistake of trying to do it all only resulted in me being burned out.

The thing is, we all have a fixed amount of hours in the day, and no matter what you do, you can’t increase those hours.

As a homeschool mom, you wear many hats. You are not only a mom and teacher but also you may be a wife, daughter, friend, cook, chef, maid, errand runner, and the list goes on and on.

As a working mom, you also wear many hats. You are not only a mom and employee/boss, but also you may be a wife, daughter, friend, cook, chef, maid, errand runner, etc.

Add both the “working mom” and the “homeschool mom” roles, and you have a very full schedule.

How To Figure Out What Needs to Change

Either role you are adding, be it working or homeschooling, something needs to give. You can’t add more water to a full glass without expecting a mess. It just won’t work.

Both of these activities require time, energy, thoughtful planning, work, and you.

You can’t do it all, and trying to be a one-woman show or superwoman can be harmful to both you and your family.

While you can work and homeschool successfully, you need to make adjustments to your old way of doing things and embrace the new.

5 Questions To Ask To Help Fix Your Mistake

I am going to share with you 5 questions to ask yourself to help you make changes and fix your mistake. These 5 things are things I wish I had considered right away instead of going into this blindly.

1. Are your family members chipping in even in little ways to make a difference?

If the answer is no, this is the first thing you need to do.

Be specific. Or, in my case, very specific. Write a list, and put it where they will see it. On the fridge, on a cell phone, text it, email whatever you need to do. Use a family planner, create a cleaning schedule and write it down.

Be reasonable and remember who is doing the task. Keep it short. Remember 3-4 things done by each person results in 3-4 things you don’t have to do.

I’ve been working and homeschooling for over 14 years, and the one thing that has helped me make sure everyone is on the same page regarding housekeeping is creating a plan. I love using printable planners to help me figure out the best cleaning schedule. Check out this Cleaning Planner For Busy Moms. Inside you’ll find printable tools to help you stay focused and get things done!

Cleaning planner for busy moms ad

Resist the urge to do the work over again. Let it be if it is not done your way but works. You have bigger fish to fry.

Check out how I use chore charts in my family for ideas.

2. Are you getting enough sleep?

Adding a new role to your life can result in worry or an increase in anxiety, so make sure you are getting enough sleep.

This may mean going to bed before you finish all your housework. It may mean going to bed without double-checking all your kid’s homeschool work, or it may mean going to bed before you have dinner planned.

At this point, sleep is more important than those things. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

Give yourself time to adjust to your new schedule and realize you might be crashing earlier than usual. This is okay.

Sleep seems to be one of the first things that go missing when your life changes. I shared a few tips here on how to cope with less sleep than you need. Ideally, you want to rest more!

While everyone is different, I want to share a few things that have helped me get more restful sleep.

5 Tips To Help You Sleep:

3. Are you fueling your body?

Your body needs food that is fuel to do its job.

Eating a balanced diet not only boosts your immune system to help you avoid getting sick. Eating healthy also helps your body cope with change.

You’ve introduced a big change in your life. Give your body the tools you need to cope. You may move more, drive to work, drop kids off at activities, and get errands. All of these things require energy!

Chances are, you are more “on the go” than you were before.

Most of us start skipping meals, like breakfast (guilty!). We start running errands during our lunch break because we look at our schedule, and it looks like the best time to check those off our list. Time speeds by, and before you know it, you are light-headed, dizzy, and just managed to hold your tongue before telling a customer to take a long walk off a short dock.

If that sounds familiar, chances are you are not eating. Or if you are, you are grabbing junk food!

The fix? Meal prep healthy, easy lunches and snacks, and make the time to eat them. I know you want to make the most of the time you do have but save errands for before or after work.

If you find yourself running to the nearest vending machine for a quick junk-filled snack, then you need to plan alternatives.

3 Ideas To Help Fuel Your Body On The Run:

My favorite grab and go snacks

Drink More Water. Use an app to track it if you need to.

Water flushes toxins and keeps you hydrated. Caffeine, not so much. Resist the urge to use caffeine to get you through the day. I am still working on this one as coffee is my comfort food.

4. Do you have downtime?

Wait, what? You are already crazy busy, and now I want you to add downtime? Yes, I do.

Take 5 minutes a day to rest. Mute the phone. Don’t answer the little people or the big people.

When I work at home, I walk circles in my yard either with the dog or by myself. Nope, not kidding. Round and round I go. I get fresh air and sunshine, stretch my muscles and clear the cobwebs out of my mind. It only takes 5 minutes, but I feel so much better.

These few minutes allow me to let go of bad days. Reset and recharge.

A few moms schedule this time in the morning. A few busy moms fit it a few minutes in before bed. Others grab it at lunch break.

Somedays, I need all 3 options. Do what you can.

If you need more ideas, I’ve compiled a list of 20 “me time ideas” when you have less than 30 minutes.

5. Are you using a method of homeschooling that works for you and your family?

This question is super important.

The last thing you want to be doing is fighting with your homeschool. Try different things until you find what clicks. This process takes time!

When choosing your curriculum, be sure to include you in the picture! You matter.

Also, try to find an independent and/or online curriculum so your children can learn while you are working. Even just a few subjects help.

If you are looking for ideas, I have a large list you might want to check out.

Dear Working Homeschool Mom, Don’t Make This Mistake

When you begin working outside the home, there is an adjustment.

You are adding stress both physically and mentally. Your schedule has changed. You are changing your habits. All of these “changes” impact you even if you don’t think it is that big of a deal.

Be sure to factor in these adjustments in your schedule. You need to make room for them. You need to change.

Ask yourself these 5 questions:

  1. Are your family members helping out? Remember to use tools, such as a housekeeping planner to keep everyone on the same page.
  2. Are you getting enough sleep? Try a few tips mentioned above to help you get more rest.
  3. Are you fueling your body? Pack healthy lunches and snacks. Try to avoid junk food.
  4. Do you have time to recharge? Try to aim for at least 5 minutes of downtime each day.
  5. Is your homeschool method right for you? Take a good look at your homeschool and see what can be adjusted to work with your new schedule.

Once I realized my mistake, I made small changes that had a big impact.

I started asking for help around the house and preparing meals ahead of time. I switched to independent learning programs for a solid month to regain my balance, then we slowly went back as we realized exactly what I needed help with.

Besides making sure you are healthy, be sure you have time to take care of yourself. It takes time to adjust, so be sure to give yourself that.

Are you making any of these mistakes?

Take care, 

Jen

PS. There are a lot of helpful resources mentioned in this post. I’ve listed them below for your convenience. Just click to read:

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