Sometimes our days do not go as planned. 🤪 🤨

When that happens, you don't have to feel like a failure. You can still have a successful day. But you will need to change your expectations!

In this episode, we'll talk about how you can identify your minimum viable day so you can still end your day well even if it gets way off course.

If you want help identifying your minimum viable day, I'd love to partner with you. You can schedule a coaching call and we can walk through the process to identify what you need to have on your list. If you aren't sure if coaching would be a good fit for you, schedule a free Discovery Call to learn more. (I promise, no pressure.) Click here to schedule a call.

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One way to reduce your feelings of overwhelm when you have too much to do is to delegate some of your tasks to your children. In this Quick Tip Tuesday, I'm sharing the four steps I use to effectively delegate tasks to my children and turn over responsibility to them.

In this episode, I mentioned that we use a Responsibilities and Privileges List as a part of delegating to my children. Click here to learn more about the Responsibilities and Privileges List.

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We've been talking over the past month about practical strategies for managing your day. Today's focus is a little different. We're going to look at 7 barriers to effective time management and how you can overcome them. These obstacles are just as important to consider. If we can eliminate the barriers, we can more effectively focus on implementing the strategies we've talked about in the last few episodes.

Click here to join the free Take Back Your Days email challenge.

Until next time,
Crystal

P.S. Want to share this episode or see the full post? Head over to the blog: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/barriers-to-effective-time-management/

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We all want our children to develop important life skills, especially time management. It's not a neat or pretty process, though! Helping our teens develop time management skills is often messy, frustrating, and a test of patience - yours and theirs. In this episode, my daughter and I share lessons we've learned about transferring responsibility for her schedule. You'll hear practical tips that your teen wishes you knew about helping them learn to manage their time.

Click here for Executive Function Coach recommendations.

Click here for How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport.

Click here to learn about Focus Me software.

Until next time,
Crystal

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It can be challenging to design a family schedule that doesn't make your head spin trying to get everyone where they need to go. In this episode, I'm sharing the five steps you can take to design a family schedule that supports your values and helps your family thrive. You can live with intention in a way that supports what is important to you. You got this!

Until next time,
Crystal

P.S. Want to share this episode or see the full post? Head over to the blog: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/family-schedule/

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In this last episode of the Take Back Your Days Challenge mini-series, we're talking about three common obstacles to staying on track. You've hopefully invested effort in determining your top priorities and making a plan for your day, and I know you don't want to sabotage those efforts. So let's dive in and talk about how you can overcome these three potential obstacles.

Click here to join the Take Back Your Days Email Challenge.

Until next time,
Crystal

P.S. Want to share this episode or see the full post? Head over to the blog: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/stay-on-task/

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We've been talking all week about getting control of your days. In the first three episodes of the Take Back Your Days Challenge mini-series, we've talked about identifying your priorities and having realistic expectations.

Now, let's get down to the nitty-gritty in this fourth episode of the mini-series and talk about the 3 benefits of having a dedicated time to plan out your day so you can feel in control instead of allowing your day to control you.

Click here to join the Take Back Your Days Email Challenge.

Until next time,
Crystal

P.S. Want to share this episode or see the full post? Head over to the blog: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/time-to-plan/

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I hope you've listened to the first two episodes of the Take Back Your Days Challenge series. We talked about prioritizing what is most important to you and two different ways to identify your top priorities.

Today, on the third episode of this mini-series, we're talking about having realistic expectations for your days. You'll learn three steps you can follow to have realistic expectations of how much you can accomplish in your day.

Click here to download your copy of the Daily ATM.

Click here to watch Rory Vaden's TED Talk.

Click here to learn more about the Responsibilities and Privileges List.

Until next time,
Crystal

P.S. Want to share this episode or see the full post? Head over to the blog: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/realistic-expectations/

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In the last episode, we talked about the rocks in a jar analogy and how using that framework can help you accomplish more of what is important to you by making time for your big rocks first. We talked briefly on that episode about how to identify your big rocks.

In this episode of the Take Back Your Days Challenge series, we're diving deeper into how to know your priorities so you can define your big rocks. You will learn the three steps you can take to juggle your priorities like a pro.

Until next time,
Crystal

P.S. Want to share this episode or see the full post? Head over to the blog: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/know-your-priorities/

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This is the first episode of the Take Back Your Days Challenge week.

It is possible not to feel like you are controlled by an impossible to-do list! Throughout the week, we'll explore different obstacles to getting control of your days so that you don't feel like you are always putting out a fire.

Today, we'll be exploring how the rocks in a jar analogy can help you fit more into your day and two simple steps you can take to apply this principle in your life.

Click here to download the core values worksheet.

Until next time,
Crystal

P.S. Want to share this episode or see the full post? Head over to the blog: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/rocks-in-a-jar/

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We have so much we need to do in a day that it can be difficult to slow down long enough to focus on connection over productivity. 

In this episode, we'll talk about three practical ways you can slow down so you can be fully present with your children.

If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, would you consider showing your support by sharing it with your friends and family as well as take a moment to rate and review it in your listening app!

Links mentioned in the episode:

• How to do the yoga lion pose
• Take Back Your Days Free Email Challenge

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Now that you have a mission statement, what do you do with it? In this episode, I'll share three ways you can use your mission statement.

You'll hear practical tips and advice as well as examples from our homeschool.

If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, would you consider showing your support by sharing it with your friends and family as well as take a moment to rate and review it in your listening app!

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Vision and mission statements define our destination and the route to get there. They help us live with purpose. In this episode, you will learn a four-step process to write a vision and mission statement. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to join a free guided work session to write your vision and mission statement!

If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, would you consider showing your support by sharing it with your friends and family as well as take a moment to rate and review it in your listening app!

Links mentioned in the episode:

• Subscribe to the Triumphant Learning email list.
• Learn how coaching can help you live out your life purpose.

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This is the first episode in a mini-series about preparing your homeschooled child for college.

College prep skills are beneficial for every homeschooled student, regardless of their future career path. 

One of my homeschool goals is that by the time my children graduate from our homeschool, they will be prepared for life. I want them to succeed regardless of how they continue learning—college, vocational training, or self-study.

In this podcast series, you will learn the four skills I incorporate into our homeschool plan. 

In this first episode of the mini-series, I share the four-step process I use to teach any new skill to my daughters. You will learn about this process and hear examples from our home.

Full show notes, as well as additional links and resources, can be found at:  https://www.triumphantlearning.com/prepare-your-homeschooled-child-for-college/#life-skills

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

• How to use a Responsibilities and Privileges List to motivate your children to assume responsibility for themselves.
• How to write a homeschool mission statement.
• Episode 14: How to help your child assume responsibility for his education.

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Just about everyone struggles with being consistent. Keeping a few principles in mind will make it easier to maintain your consistency. We'll discuss those principles in this episode of the All in a Homeschool Day podcast.

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This is a culmination of everything we've talked about thus far in the Getting It All Done series. We'll bring all of the pieces together of knowing your purpose, practicing self-care, eliminating, automating, and delegating to identify the biggest struggles in your homeschool and what small, incremental steps you can take to make improvements.

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It takes a lot to keep a household running smoothly, especially when you live and school in your home! These four principles help me stay on top of my household responsibilities.

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I'm sure you've heard it before: Take care of yourself before taking care of others. It really is important for us to put our self-care as a priority in our lives and it is not selfish to focus on your needs. When you take care of yourself, you will have more energy and a better mood to take care of your family. In this episode, we will explore practical suggestions for four areas homeschool moms often struggle with to take care of themselves: sleep, exercise, healthy eating, and finding joy.

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As moms, we have a lot of responsibilities. And when you add homeschooling on top of that, it can be overwhelming. So how do we get it all done? In the next five podcast episodes, we will be exploring this topic and talking about how you can pare down your to-do list so you don't feel so overwhelmed and can find joy in your role as a mom and homeschool facilitator. Today we are talking about the key questions you need to ask yourself as you begin to assess why you feel behind. They are simple but powerful.

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It's so easy to focus on what we could have done better or what we should have done differently. It is much harder to be brave and acknowledge what we are doing right. I was so thankful for this reminder from Jamie Erickson in this podcast episode to remember that we are doing a lot right. And we should celebrate it! She also reminds us of the importance of having routines and rhythms in our day instead of rigid schedules.

See the full show notes: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/how-to-plan-your-day/#AHD034

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We all have good intentions. We might have nicely made lesson plans or we might have a general idea of what we want to accomplish during the school day. At the very least, we all desire to have a productive homeschool day. And then the day gets started and after what seems like a gazillion interruptions we realize it is 11:00 and you have accomplished almost nothing! In this episode, I share the strategies I use to minimize distractions so our homeschool day stays on track. See the full show notes: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/how-to-plan-your-day/#AHD024

Key Takeaways From The Show

• Your day starts the night before. As cliche as this may sound, it is so true. What we do to help our day get started off on the right foot.
• Reduce decision fatigue and eliminate distractions. The notifications I turn off so I do not have to choose whether I should interrupt lessons or not.
• The mindset that has helped me eliminate many distractions. Home educating your children is a profession so I try to guard our school day ferociously.
• Tips for a successful homeschool day including how we use timers to increase attention, what I do during lesson time, how incorporating movement breaks helps us stay focused, and how an independent work basket can help your children keep working even you are not available.

Links And Resources From The Show

•  A Tour Of Our Portable Homeschool Room
• Our favorite timers
• 3 Ways To Incorporate Movement And Improve Focus
• The Ultimate Guide to Brain Breaks
• Rogue Fitness pull-up bar

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Jen Mackinnon is a working homeschool mom of two teens. In this episode, she shares insights on learning to integrate working and homeschooling and how it's not about learning to balance it all but to redefine our definition of balance.

Regardless of whether you work outside the home, work in the home, or work to get dinner on the table, you can apply so much of what Jen shared with us to help your homeschool run smoother and teach your children important life skills.

Connect with Jen at Practical by Default

See the full show notes at  https://www.triumphantlearning.com/is-homeschooling-hard/#working-homeschool-mom

© Triumphant Learning, LLC

A reader wrote in...

I feel like I'm pulled in 100 different directions and I can't get it all done!

I'm sure we have all felt that way.

There are a lot of demands on your time that drain your energy and leave you feeling overwhelmed. In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about ten ways you can conserve and renew your energy so you are ready to face your homeschool life head-on.

10 ways to conserve and renew your energy

1. Recognize that your batteries do not recharge as effectively as they did before.
2. Have a daily quiet time.
3. Remember to breathe.
4. Get enough sleep.
5. Eat well to fuel your body.
6. Move every day.
7. Make time for motherly inactivity.
8. Identify other health problems that may be draining your energy.
9. Delegate responsibilities to your children.
10. Reduce distractions.

Links and resources from the show

• Jessica Smith TV YouTube channel
•  Encouraging Maturity With Responsibilities And Privileges Lists

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Learning how to eliminate, automate, and delegate your responsibilities can reduce your stress and help you accomplish more each day. This is important as a homeschool mom with many demands on your time. In this episode, we will explore what you can eliminate, automate, and delegate as a household manager and homeschool teacher.

Key Takeaways From The Episode

Can you eliminate...

• unrealistic expectations
• decision fatigue
• clutter
• distractions and time wasters
• tasks and activities that do not line up with your priorities

Can you automate...

• decisions
• routines and habits
• checklists
• recurring alarms

Can you delegate...

• outsource chores and responsibilities to others or your children

Links And Resources From The Episode

• How To Multiply Your Time by Rory Vaden (TEDxDouglasville)
•  Write Your Family Mission Statement
• Overwhelmed: How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore Your Sanity by Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory

© Triumphant Learning, LLC

How can you get it all done as a homeschool mom? There are so many demands on your time and never enough hours in the day! In this episode, I address a reader's question about the daily struggle to keep the household running smoothly when devoting so much time, energy, and mental focus on homeschooling and mothering. See the full show notes: https://www.triumphantlearning.com/how-to-plan-your-day/#AHD003

Key Takeaways From The Episode

• Identify your priorities and run everything through this filter.
• Know yourself and how you function best.
• Remember the season of life you are living right now.
• What expectations can you let go?
• Involve your children as much as possible!
• Accept that you will have to let some plates fall and shatter.

Links And Resources From The Episode

•  Write Your Family's Mission Statement
• Overwhelmed: How to Quiet the Chaos and Restore Your Sanity by Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory

© Triumphant Learning, LLC