Are you staring at a fresh homeschool year with that familiar knot in your stomach? Maybe you’re already a few weeks in and wondering how you’re possibly behind already. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone—and there’s hope.
The secret to not feeling constantly behind in homeschool isn’t about doing more. It’s not about finding the perfect curriculum or color-coding your lesson plans. The real game-changer? Adding margin to your days.
What Is Margin?
Margin is breathing room. It’s the space between your planned activities and reality. It’s planning for life as it actually happens, not as we wish it would happen in our most optimistic moments.
Here are four practical ways to build margin into your homeschool routine:
1. Create a Stop Doing List
We’re all familiar with to-do lists, but have you ever made a stop doing list? This is your permission slip to remove things from your schedule.
Not everything on your plate is actually necessary for helping your kids learn. Ask yourself:
- Does my child need to answer every single question in the workbook?
- Are all these craft projects serving our learning goals?
- Am I holding onto elementary-level activities that no longer fit my tween?
Put each activity through this filter: Does this serve our bigger educational goals? If not, add it to your stop doing list. Remember, everything you say yes to means saying no to something else.
2. Build in Transition Time
Here’s a common scheduling mistake: Math 9:00-9:30, Writing 9:30-10:00, Social Studies 10:00-10:30. No breathing room anywhere.
But we don’t function like robots. When your child finishes math at 9:30, their brain needs time to shift gears. They need to:
- Process what they just learned
- Take a bathroom break
- Get a drink or snack
- Reset mentally for the next subject
Try this instead: If math runs 9:00-9:30, start writing at 9:45. Give yourself that 15-minute buffer. You’re already spending transition time—you just haven’t accounted for it, which is why you feel behind.
3. Plan for Your Worst Days
Stop planning schedules that only work when everyone’s on their A-game and well-rested. Instead, create a routine that functions even when:
- Someone didn’t sleep well
- A child is having an off day
- You’re feeling overwhelmed
- Life throws unexpected curveballs
When you plan for your worst days, you’ll complete your goals regardless of circumstances. On good days, you’ll simply do higher quality work—but either way, you’ll get it done without the stress.
4. Look Ahead with Intention
Keep a visible calendar and regularly review what’s coming up. When you notice a week with multiple appointments, you have two options:
Option 1: Do a little extra in the days leading up to it. Get everyone on board with the plan: “We have doctor appointments next week, so we’ll do slightly longer days this week to stay on track.”
Option 2: Extend your deadlines. If you planned to finish a unit by December 10th, give yourself until December 15th instead. In the grand scheme of your child’s education, those five days won’t matter.
The 20-Mile March Principle
In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins tells the story of two exploration teams. One team marched exactly 20 miles every day, regardless of conditions. The other team varied their distance based on how they felt—sometimes 30 miles, sometimes 10 miles.
The consistent 20-mile team reached their destination first.
Homeschooling is your 20-mile march. Margin helps you maintain a sustainable pace, even when life gets unpredictable. While other families might seem to be racing ahead some days and falling behind others, your steady, planned approach will get you to your educational goals without the constant stress.
So here’s my challenge for you. What would your homeschool year look like if you planned with margin in mind? I know you’ve probably planned your homeschool year already. Very likely. You might be starting it already. You might be a couple weeks in. If you look at it, is there margin? And if not, what could you put on your stop doing list? Where could you put in transition times? How could you plan around what’s really happening in your life instead of just planning for the best days?
Give yourself the gift of margin. Your sanity, your child’s love of learning, they will thank you.
Want more practical homeschool tips like these? Join Tween Talk for regular encouragement and strategies for homeschooling your middle school tween. Sign up at tweentalk.co/newsletter and get tips delivered straight to your inbox.