what's your most important habit?

[mudboots]

What habit do you have that seems to make your day go much more smoothly if you follow it? (I'm excluding spiritual disciplines, because I already know those should come first for me...)

 

Is it getting up at a certain time? Checking a planner? Following a weekly menu? Setting out materials the night before?

 

I'm neck-deep in organizing books and curricula that have just arrived, and I'm realizing that none of this will work unless I have good habits & routines in place. It's a little overwhelming, so I thought I'd focus on just a couple of the most important habits at first.

 

Thanks in advance! :001_smile:

Edited April 25, 2012 by mudboots

[mytwomonkeys]

my first thought is coffee.:001_smile:

 

aside from that, i would say limiting my own computer and TV time. i could sit here for hours, so i give myself a limit - otherwise nothing would get done. i also clean before school, otherwise it will go untouched.

 

ETA - i wish getting up was an issue. i wake up by 6 every.single.day. it's annoying! i'd love to sleep in later! and i do meal plan as well. it helps to stay within our grocery budget for sure.

Edited April 25, 2012 by mytwomonkeys

[fairfarmhand]

Getting my kitchen cleaned up and sparkly the night before and the school area decluttered. If I have to shovel out from under yesterday's mess before I even start today's mess, I am in serious trouble.

 

 

My kitchen sink is stopped up right now, so I can't take care of the dishes and it is driving me CRAZY!

[-M-]

My daughters are both in high school and juggling many outside lessons and activities. To ensure that we don't go BONKERS, I zealously protect the remaining white spaces on our calendar. We require downtime -- to think, to sketch, to journal, to daydream, to unwind, to be.

 

That, I think, is the most important habit I have developed -- protecting the white space.

 

Awareness that I had, in fact, developed some less than helpful habits was also helpful. Instead of enumerating them (*wry grin*), I will share some of the remedies: I get up between 5:45 and 6:45, every day. I eat a yogurt and banana and then take scrupulous care of my teeth. My daughters and I complete the daily chores (beds, cat care, laundry, etc.) Then we walk three miles, usually within an hour of getting up. (ETA: We depart for the walk within an hour of rising. We do *not* do all of the above within an hour. (Although it would be cool if we could, huh? *grin*))

 

These may sound like silly habits to mention, but the three combined greatly improved my physical and mental health. More, they have given the girls reliable daily rhythms by which to dance.

 

Finally, ruthlessly trimming my virtual itinerary could be read as either a habit I changed or a habit I adopted. Either way, the simple fact is that for every worthwhile, edifying "rabbit trail" one discovers, one ends up traipsing along 49 dreadfully dull ones. I don't know about you, but I don't have time for that, so for me, it was trim, trim, trim.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Mental multivitamin
To clarify

[TraciWA]

Getting up before the kids. We have a small house and when the kids get up, the noise starts. I have to get up before them so I can have some quiet in the morning. Jumping into the day after they are up puts me in a grumpy mood for the rest of the day.

[fairfarmhand]

My daughters are both in high school and juggling many outside lessons and activities. To ensure that we don't go BONKERS, I zealously protect the remaining white spaces on our calendar. We require downtime -- to think, to sketch, to journal, to daydream, to unwind, to be.

 

That, I think, is the most important habit I have developed -- protecting the white space.

 

Awareness that I had, in fact, developed some less than helpful habits was also helpful. Instead of enumerating them (*wry grin*), I will share some of the remedies: I get up between 5:45 and 6:45, every day. I eat a yogurt and banana and then take scrupulous care of my teeth. My daughters and I complete the daily chores (beds, cat care, laundry, etc.) Then we walk three miles, usually within an hour of getting up.

 

These may sound like silly habits to mention, but the three combined greatly improved my physical and mental health. More, they have given the girls reliable daily rhythms by which to dance.

 

Finally, ruthlessly trimming my virtual itinerary could be read as either a habit I changed or a habit I adopted. Either way, the simple fact is that for every worthwhile, edifying "rabbit trail" one discovers, one ends up traipsing along 49 dreadfully dull ones. I don't know about you, but I don't have time for that, so for me, it was trim, trim, trim.

 

AH! I didn't think of this right off-hand, but yes, I am also very vigilant about protecting our time from too much busyness. We have a farm, so we cannot do all the activities that many homeschooling families do. And farming is an extracurricular in my book, but sometimes my kids forget that!

[Susan in KY]

Forgiveness. I know that's not what you were looking for, but.... YMMV :)

[elegantlion]

Napping - I function better if I get an hour of downtime after school. I don't always sleep, but I go lie prone in bed. Sometimes my mind just wanders, sometimes I work out issues in my head, sometimes I just close my eyes and relax.

 

I believe part of that is knowing your weaknesses. Mine is to get over stressed trying to transition from school to evening activities without some chill time.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Getting up at least 2 hours before the rest of my household is critical to the well being of our days.

Gives me time to do my chores, make lunch, prep school and dinner and then have ME time without which I am flustered.

[3browneyedboys4me]

Your children are so young that I think you need to keep in mind what you can do realistically with those ages. That will help you the most. I wouldn't over load yourself with lots of work.

 

I have found over the years that planning really helps me out. If you have a day to plan your meals, house work, and school that will really help. I never really planned at the early ages. I found it the most helpful when they were in the middle school years. However, if you can find a system for planning each child and have it ready for them each day, that would be a good start.

 

I would try to create a routine that they can adapt to. That way they know every day what to expect. :) Also, try to keep it as simple as possible at this age.

 

HTH!

[Tracy in Ky]

Exercise. It keeps me sane (literally-I need the serotonin and the endorphins that it gives me), and if I put it off or don't do it at all, I get stressed because I feel like it is so important for my long term health.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Sticking to The Plan! (Conveniently, The Plan includes unplanned time. :tongue_smilie:)

[Momma2Many66]

My most important habits are making green smoothies every morning which makes me and my children just feel invigorated to start our day, all that vitamin C does wonders. :D

 

My other good habit is having a clean kitchen to start our day out right.

 

On Sundays I spend the day photocopying and laminating all their school work for the coming week and putting it in their binders so they are ready to get moving early Monday morning. I laminate the pages so that they can use them over and over again throughout the week to save on paper by using a dry erase marker. Some of the pages of course are just one time only and they don't get laminated, but instead after finished are deposited in the appropriate file folder for our end of year portfolio. Keeping up on all the paper work helps our school day run smoothly.

 

And the last most important thing is grocery shopping on Sunday to have a kitchen waiting and ready for speedy healthy breakfasts and lunches for the coming week. I also spend Sunday baking up some muffins for the coming week and freezing them if needed to extend through the week. We start our weekday mornings with homemade wheat germ or fruit muffins and green smoothies at 8AM. We then do school until 12 noon when I make a lunch of sandwiches, salads, fruits, cut up veggies with dip and yogurt and string cheese. Having all these things ready and prepared in advanced helps me to fix our lunches quickly so we can hit the books again for the afternoon school subjects.

 

Having four children in four different grade levels and subjects means I have to stay organized or I will not be able to stay ahead of the game and our schooling will fall behind. These daily habits help me to complete the task in an efficient manner.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Planning all the meals before the week starts.

Grocery shopping on Sat./Sun. so we have all the ingredients.

Checking the dinner plan at breakfast so I can get things started if I need to.

[hivemom]

Assignment sheets for us. Each morning I hand my children a sheet that has all their assignements for the day and check-off boxes. They decide what order to complete their assignments (although we tend to do math, Latin, and English first). As the children complete their daily work, I mark it off in my planner and add tomorrow's lesson to a new sheet that I will give them the next day. We have found this system helps them to feel a sense of control, gage their speed, and to know when they are "done". We also start at 7:30, 7:45 at the latest - if we start later than that we tend to have a bad day. :)

[ErinE]

Emptying the dishwasher every morning while my coffee brews. Otherwise, I feel lazy all day long and don't get my chores accomplished.

[swellmomma]

Mine is to hit the floor running with chores. I hate chores, I am not a morning person. BUT if I don't do that I am up all night. We do school starting around 11 am and a few nights a week we have extracurriculars which means I have to do those same chores starting at 9 at night if I put them off, setting me up for a very late night with no down time.

 

So as soon as I get up I start the laundry, put the clean dishes away, feed and potty the dog, pick someting that needs cleaning and get started. I still spend time in front of my computer and sipping my coffee. BUt if I am diligent I can have my chores done by 8am. The toddler I watch has a morning routine here that includes 1 dvd in the am, because my kids are still asleep and she is tired. She gets here at 730, I am nearly done chores by then and have already had my shower etc before she got here. Which means for 45-60 minutes I have a rather quiet time, for coffee and computer, with a happy fed dog at my feet, and the chores already done for the morning.

 

When the movie is ending I switch the laundry again, and my kids get up and begin their breakfast etc. And on we go.

[regentrude]

Getting up early, starting work promptly, no procrastination.

[MrsBear]

Getting up about an hour before the kids and having my coffee in peace and quiet while I read the news and whatever else without any interruptions!

[catz]

Coffee, regular exercise, no procrastination in the morning.

[besroma]

Getting in bed early enough to get enough sleep.

 

Starting the day with Psalms, Proverbs, and catechism.

[laundrycrisis]

Get up early (before 6). Shower, dress, make the bed. Do laundry and dishes before the kids get up.

[Parrothead]

The schedule.

 

Our schedule is pretty loose, but by sticking to it things get done more often than not.

 

The schedule includes times for waking up, school, more school, activities, down time, meals, and bedtimes.

[TranquilMind]

What habit do you have that seems to make your day go much more smoothly if you follow it? (I'm excluding spiritual disciplines, because I already know those should come first for me...)

 

Is it getting up at a certain time? Checking a planner? Following a weekly menu? Setting out materials the night before?

 

I'm neck-deep in organizing books and curricula that have just arrived, and I'm realizing that none of this will work unless I have good habits & routines in place. It's a little overwhelming, so I thought I'd focus on just a couple of the most important habits at first.

 

Thanks in advance! :001_smile:

Coffee!

 

Making Lists and checking off items daily.

 

Keeping a physical large paper calendar (I don't want this online or all on my phone).

 

Taping up schedules for everyone's activities (Soccer, hockey, etc).

[TranquilMind]

Get up early (before 6). Shower, dress, make the bed. Do laundry and dishes before the kids get up.

I'm impressed by this. Up before 6 and all that work done? Yikes.

 

Not happening. I'd rather stay up late, leave lists for my teens for when they get up, and get it all done at night.

[laundrycrisis]

I'm impressed by this. Up before 6 and all that work done? Yikes.

 

Not happening. I'd rather stay up late, leave lists for my teens for when they get up, and get it all done at night.

 

I find it very difficult to sleep past 5 am. I have to stop myself from starting housework before DH is ready to get up, so I don't disturb him. By the time he is finally up (5:30), I am so ready to get started ! And then DS2 is often up by 6 or 6:30 because he also loves the early morning. I am in high gear until about 9 am...then it is all downhill.

[Donna]

I must have a shower in the morning. I cannot function well without it.

[Another Lynn]

Planning all the meals before the week starts.

Grocery shopping on Sat./Sun. so we have all the ingredients.

Checking the dinner plan at breakfast so I can get things started if I need to.

 

Ahhhhh, so that's how it's done! I need this one!!

 

Not a very important habit, but I have to take victories where I can get them.... I do not switch laundry from washer to dryer (nor start another load in the washer) until the currently dried load is folded. No laundry moves until currently clean/dried is folded and put into appropriate stacks. (I have not folded a basket of cold, wrinkled laundry in a quite a while :D). (This does not necessarily mean that I'm great at getting all the laundry done, it just means it got folded before it got wrinkled, LOL.)

[mudboots]

Thank you so much! There are many helpful things here.

 

I'm working on creating a schedule now. I hope to start it next week. (We'll school year-round, with several breaks.) I'm always afraid I'm pushing myself too hard, so then I ease up, and I end up not being happy with the results. It's actually nice to read that people get up earlier... I'm not crazy for wanting to get my dishes & laundry going before the kids are up.

 

Creating the schedule has been my biggest challenge - it's so hard to tell whether it's realistic. Once the schedule is made, it's just a matter of sticking with it.

[OH_Homeschooler]

Getting up at least 2 hours before the rest of my household is critical to the well being of our days.

Gives me time to do my chores, make lunch, prep school and dinner and then have ME time without which I am flustered.

 

:iagree: I definitely need my "me" time, even if that means I have to get up at 5 am. And I've never been a morning person.

[Rosie_0801]

I find it very difficult to sleep past 5 am. I have to stop myself from starting housework before DH is ready to get up, so I don't disturb him. By the time he is finally up (5:30), I am so ready to get started ! And then DS2 is often up by 6 or 6:30 because he also loves the early morning. I am in high gear until about 9 am...then it is all downhill.

 

What's your crisis? The days you have no laundry to do? :glare::tongue_smilie:

 

Mine is putting beans on to soak the night before. If I don't, I'll either forget the next day until dinner time or I'll remember but be too grumpy from being woken up and sulk instead of getting off my behind and spending the three minutes to do it.

 

Taking the washing off the line before it starts raining is also a very important habit. I manage this 95% of the time. Last time wasn't one of those times and I've been waiting for another washing drying day for almost a week!

 

Rosie