How do you avoid homeschool burnout?

This is a holiday week for our homeschool. I dropped off my oldest daughter at the airport this morning. She going to a homeschool youth conference in another state. This morning, the younger kids went to do experiments at the ocean with their Dad and visiting uncles.

I really wouldn't call this a break because I'm going to go clean the house and go shopping today while the house is empty. But, it is our first non-school day since we started up this fall. Being a homeschooler is a lot like running a home business. You are never really "off the clock." If you are not actively "doing school" then you are probably planning, doing paper work, or something else related to "school." Even house work is related to school, because I can't do academics in a cluttered house.

So, how do you avoid homeschool burn out? Here's my list.

1. Take a week off from school. Since my oldest is out of town until Friday evening, I'm not going to worry (much) about school work for the rest of the week.

2. "Just don't think about school" sometimes. I'm kind of a list person. I get more done when I use lists. I also get more anxious about what is not getting done when I use lists. So, for the rest of the week, I'm not going to use a list (except maybe to prepare next weeks list.)

3. Clean your house. I feel so much better when my house and my life is in order. I sure that cleaning releases endorphins.

4. Go on a date with your spouse. I'm a better mommy and teacher when I take time to be a good wife first.

5. Read a report about your local public school. Low academic performs, high drop out rates, gang problems put everything in perspective.

6. Exercise. It is really easy to fall into the "taking care of everyone but me" trap.

7. Get enough sleep. It is easy for homeschoolers to fall into the staying up late pattern since we often don't have early morning commitments. Early to bed and early to rise is still a good idea.

8. Don't schedule too many outside activities. Rememeber to keep the "home" in homeschool.

9. Eat right. Meal planning pays off in the long run. The more cooking I do, the better things work.

10. Leave room in your schedule for unstructured learning. If you are a structured homeschooler, it is easy to lock yourself into a routine that doesn't leave room for spontaneous learning. Recently, my oldest daughter ignored her list and worked on her Halloween costume. She asked me to get out the sewing machine to hem her costume. I pulled out the sewing machine and after showing her how it worked, she finished her costume on her own over the next few days. I'm so pleased that I let her depart from her regular studies. She eventually went back and finished her "school work" and also learned a new valuable skill.


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