Simplifying Your Life By Lorraine Curry The simple life is a life lived with only one main focus. The more responsibilites a person has, the more complicated life becomes. For generations the focus for women was their families. I have thought how wonderful if we could turn back the clock. I also secretly hoped that Y2K would happen. (But was very thankful that it didn't, realizing the disaster it might have been.) But here we are, in a 21st century world and now most of us have at least two major responsibilities in our lives: 1) homes-families and 2) running a school. Some of us have added the responsibility of a home business. Others are involved in a ministry or a church that takes a good portion of their time. You may even be attending a college, working at a job or doing something else that divides your focus. If you feel overwhelmed by your responsibilities, here is an unusual schedule that you might like to try. Since more can be accomplished when you concentrate on one thing at a time, do just that. Each week will have a different focus. That week most of your activities will be related to that major area, although there will be some things that will need need doing every day, whether or not they are in that week's major area. These daily activities will be few and will include meals, dishes, Bible and devotions. You will first need to decide and make a list, if you choose, of your major responsibilities, such as Cleaning, Homeschooling, Business, etc. Week 1 Homeschooling Week. This week, morning to night you will focus on your children's education. You will read homeschooling books privately, plan homeschooling, set goals, monitor progress, give tests, read aloud, hear narrations, do projects and research and give your children assignments and tasks for the week(s) you will not be homeschooling. Having a Homeschooling Week every other week for a year would give you plenty of hours of homeschooling but if your children can work independently, you could have this week less often. Week 2: Cleaning Week. Yes you can clean for a week! I spent a whole month on our house one time! This is when you do the major jobs - appliances, walls, scrubbing and perhaps even painting and sewing for the home. See EasyHomeschooling Techniques for details on cleaning and organizing your home. Week 3: Cooking and Baking Week Make Once a Month or Mega Meals (see below) to have on hand for your other weeks. We have done this and it is a wonderful time saver. It helps one get more done on all the other days when busy with other activities. Bake lots of whole wheat bread, muffins, bagels and so on for your freezer. You'll have one mess and save lots of time. This is the week to make some extra special meals and invite friends to dinner. Week 4: Business Week (or other major focus area) This is the week you focus on your business if you have one. Read related books, work on marketing and those important extra projects you can't usually fit in. Your children will be doing independent study, helping with the business or just having free time. Week 5: Repeat the cycle or go into another of your focus areas. You may choose to alternate your weeks like this. Week 1: Homeschooling Week 2: Cleaning and Cooking Week 3: Homeschooling Week 4: Extra Curricular for Mom (or business activities) Many are already dividing their days into: Morning: Homeschooling Afternoon: Business Evening: Cooking, Laundry, Cleanup Or you could divide your week: Monday: Homeschool Tuesday: Cleaning Wednesday: Homeschool Thursday: Shopping/Cooking Friday: Homeschool No matter what the focus of the week, never neglect responding to your children and their needs. With many responsibilities, it is even more important that we includes more prayer, Bible reading and meditating on the Scriptures. I've found that when I do this my productivity goes way up. It can't be explained. It is a supernatural law. **See Once-A-Month Cooking by Lagerborg and Wilson and Dinner's in the Freezer! and/or Mega Cooking by Jill Bond for the how-tos of freezer cooking. Lorraine Curry is the author of 5 Star Easy Homeschooling books. See and link to more articles, FREE copywork, subscriptions, ebooks and more at http://www.easyhomeschooling.com