Organization Archives - Schooling with Grace

Have you ever wanted to peak into other homeschooler’s rooms? I convinced 12 homeschool moms to share the space they homeschool in. A few of them immediately got to cleaning, A few chose just to be authentic, and a few others really are just that neat and tidy! I love all the variety of the rooms and what it says about our personality and the personality of our families. Mostly I love that these spaces represent the commitment to teaching our children. So take a look around and remember- No judging here!

I love the colors and the natural light that streams into this room. Notice the desk, turned teacher command center. I like that at the end of the day, the doors can be closed and the chaos can be hidden.

This is exactly how two of my children do school too. All of their books must be strewn about on the floor. Who needs a school room when the floor works just fine!

Something about this traditional classroom makes me happy. I love the added comfort of the cushions on the seat. I don’t recall my teachers ever caring enough to make sure my bum was comfy while I did my school work. ha! Each student has their space here with their books at arms reach.

I love the calming colors and LOVE the storage space in this little room that sits right off the main dining room. It’s small and cozy.

Check out that gigantic chalkboard in the back of this room. How fun is that! You can just glance around the room and see all the learning that has taken place here.

Do you need some help getting your homeschool day off to the right start? Hop over Here

A quick glance will tell you that girls reside in this home. I love the desks where each girl has their own space and the wall containers are very handy.

This mom, kept it real for me when she also included the room in it’s current state. Can I get a witness that this is how most of our multi- purpose rooms actually look on a regular basis. Thank you for the authenticity!

If you’re looking for ideas on how to homeschool and manage your household, check out this post!

No school room? No problem. Schooling happens everywhere in this home. Notice the containers. No homeschool mom can survive without them! And might I just throw in that I love that this teen is doing school on an old typewriter!

This space is amazing. The storage, the shelving, the colors and all the extra space!

Check out that storage locker and that huge map! This space reminds me of my teen daughters school work area. If I were to go snap a picture of it, it would look just like this.

My favorite part of this room are the bookshelves! The fun colors make you want to hang out and read.

When your space is tiny, you utilize it to the fullest. There is a lot of functionality packed into this tiny corner.

This room speaks to me. It’s like Pottery Barn and Joanna Gaines got together and made a baby. You can’t tell it from the picture but the shelving goes across one whole wall from floor to ceiling. I’m also in love with those framed maps.

Do you have a space that you just love, or are brave enough to share? Jump over to my Facebook page and share your picture.

I am not an organized person by nature. I manage to stay just organized enough to not look like a hot mess all the time. But I feel like I’m always one step behind and trying to catch up. I look on with envy at my friend’s color coded calendars and their tabbed binders.

Have you ever just been so frustrated with the “mess” of your life that you just can’t take it anymore, but your not sure how to fix it? I’m being slightly over dramatic, but I have been at that point for a bit now. As part of my 2018 book list I have been reading the book The 12 Week Year. I know it’s geared more towards business but it is completely applicable for anyone with any goals or aspirations in their life. I have taken the main principals in the book and have set up my own 12 week year. If you want to grab the book I highly encourage it, it is filled with tons of great advice and motivation. But if your life is as full as most, maybe you just want the quick not so thorough ~~Cliff~~ Angela Notes spin on it.

Dream Big

Begin by listing out every dream, goal or aspiration you have for the future. Think about where you want to be in 3 years, 5 years, 10 years. Think about the life that you deeply desire. Don’t be afraid to list it all. I had about a page and a half when I was done.

Once you have done this, you may notice what I realized. The things on my list fell into natural categories, for me it was: Family Goals, Personal Goals and Professional Goals.

I took those categories and I broke them down into what I specifically wanted from each of those areas. Some examples for me where: Stronger family and friend relationships, Live a healthier lifestyle, Grow my blog.

When I further broke some of those areas down, I realized that in each of these areas, The overall struggle is with the lack of organization. Not being organized is what prevents me from reaching some of my goals. Lack of organization leads to lack of time. I’m wasting time and focus doing things that will never get me to my goals.

Get Organized:

I spent several days (during various kids practices) really considering how I was going to work through each of my areas and set goals. In The 12 Week Year, you make goals on a 12 week cycle and for each goal, you create a list of weekly actions that will help you achieve your goal. This set up was helpful to me. But I’m a visual person and I needed it broken down more specifically. For each action that I wanted to accomplish I wanted a why and how I was going to get it done. I pulled out a calendar and got busy filling in dates, times, and my action plan. I like things pretty so doing it in different colors was a must.

Examples of My Goals and Weekly Actions:

Goal: Live a healthier lifestyle

Two of My weekly actions were:

Menu plan and shop for each meal. (I used to be great in this area, but over the years with less time and an increased income I haven’t made it a priority. Not being organized in this area was effecting my eating habits as well as our budget.)

I made a master grocery list and came up with a meal plan for the week. I will do this every week. I used to have a membership to Plan to Eat. I may consider joining again.

Drink a least 8 8oz of water each day

Purchased a water bottle that will help me keep track

Goal: Invest more time in family and friends relationships.

Two of my weekly Actions are:

Have 3 date nights a month with my husband.

I put those dates on the calendar and I settled on a plan, so that there would be no excuses for us when the time came.

Spend quality time with each of our children once a week.

I know that one of my daughters just loves for us to read together, I’m going to make sure that happens every Tuesday morning at the very least.

The greatest predictor of your future are your daily actions- Brian Morgan

I did this with each of my goals and now I have a goal and a plan for the next 12 weeks. Each week I will assess how I’m doing and at the end of the 12 weeks I will evaluate progress and set new goals.

Get your own Goal Planning Worksheets right HERE

I am committed to these goals, because I started with my end in site, and I desire that end, (my 3 year, 5, year and 10 year goals) enough to realize that it’s my actions today that will eventually lead me there.

Do you know the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago, Do you know the Second best time? Today. ~Chinese Proverb

If you are looking for simple organizational ideas on managing your household, check out THIS POST before you go.

Do you have goals or aspirations you are trying to keep? How do you keep yourself accountable?

12 Homeschool Rooms to Inspire and Encourage You