Back to school schedule adjustments are part of every homeschool, but the working homeschool mom has more than her fair share of adjustments to arrive at a good schedule. Work schedules can change at a moment’s notice, depending on the type of work you do, some homeschool opportunities are too good to pass up, and a schedule that looked good on paper isn’t working at all.

This is where I find myself as we move into the second week of our new school year. Knowing that back to school schedule adjustments are a normal part of each new school year makes it easier and less stressful. My son and I’ve been doing the weekly housework a little bit each day of the week, so that it didn’t have to be done on Saturday, which worked well last year. This year I already found that it’s going to work better to do all of the cleaning tasks on Saturday. I resisted the temptation to mop the kitchen floor and vacuum during the week. I have to say that having all of the house clean at once was really wonderful!

I’m self-employed and work from home. It’s tempting to try to multi-task all day long, but many times the result is that I end up working later at night. While it’s nice to have that option, it’s not optimal. I’ve had to give myself set work hours, so if a business call comes in outside of my work hours I don’t answer the phone. I let voicemail take the call. Many times the reason our schedule needs adjusting is because we didn’t actually set a schedule. Once I set my schedule, I became a lot more productive and more efficient.

I didn’t get any of my daily workouts done the first week of school. If I don’t workout first thing each morning, it just doesn’t happen. Taking care of my physical health has a ripple effect- my mind is sharper, my energy is higher, I have more patience, and deal with stress better. A 20-minute workout is essential in my schedule. This coming week I am prioritizing my morning workout!

Once I finish my workout, I wash my face, dress (I like laying out my clothes the night before), put on a little bit of makeup because I never know if someone will want a last minute virtual meeting, and get breakfast going. If I have any time before we start school, I check my email to see what needs to be done and take care of anything that’s pressing. Then I turn my attention to school for the next few hours.

We’re currently doing school from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and it’s working well so far. The first couple of hours are for subjects that need my direct involvement. Once we finish those, we grab lunch. My son works on his math at this time while I begin my work. He’s doing an online math course that he’s enjoying so far. We started with Math and Language Arts the first week of school. In the coming weeks, we’ll add in Science, World History, World Geography, and Family and Consumer Science. Once we have all of the subjects on board, I have a feeling that we’ll need a few more back to school schedule adjustments. To make it easier on our schedule, I may limit some subjects to three times a week rather than daily. Longer time spent on lessons doesn’t always equal more learning and in fact often has the opposite result.

When you’re a working homeschool mom, you have to be creative and inventive with how you’re balancing work and homeschooling. Your schedule only has to work for you and your family. I can’t stress enough how important this is! Don’t compare what you’re doing with what others are doing. It will only steal your joy and cause doubts.

If you’re struggling with your schedule, it’s often helpful to ask another working homeschool mom for her advice and input or join a Facebook group for working homeschool moms if you don’t know any working homeschool moms personally.

How are your schedule adjustments going so far? Let me know in the comments below! If you’re new to this monthly series, catch up on my introduction to The Working Homeschool Mom. I’m wishing you all the best! Happy Homeschooling!