How to Know If You’re Doing Enough as a Homeschooler

As I write and record this episode of the Art of Homeschooling Podcast, the homeschooling year is coming to a close for many families. And one of the most frequent questions I’m asked is how to know if you’re doing enough as a homeschooler.

When homeschooling parents ask this question, they often want a specific, tangible measure of what is enough. Like hours per day, number of math problems, or amount of pages completed.

So often the question of doing enough leads to a deeper question of “enoughness” or self-worth. And an unsettled sense that maybe we’re not cut out for, or don’t have what it takes to be good at, homeschooling.

We worry that maybe WE ourselves aren’t enough! And the question of “Am I doing enough?” can erode our confidence and our joy in homeschooling.

Listen in to the full episode by tapping play above and you’ll hear my 3 tips for how to reframe this question of “enoughness” and look at productivity from a new, softer angle.

Below you’ll find highlights, links, and quotes from the episode.

How to Know if You’re Doing Enough as a Homeschooler

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
~MAYA ANGELOU

I’m sharing this quote with you in case you’re the one who needs to hear this today.

Maybe you’re experiencing some feelings of disappointment at the end of your homeschooling year. Maybe. Feelings like…

Why is it taking me until dinnertime to get all of our homeschooling done?
I don’t know why I can’t I keep up with my plans?
Why doesn’t it look smooth and easy like I imagined it would?
How does everyone else seem to juggle it all but I never can?
Why haven’t we finished everything I planned for the year?

You are so not alone in these thoughts and feelings! So here are my 3 tips to help you see your homeschooling efforts in a new light.

1. Perhaps you are trying to do too much at once!

Time is a finite resource!

Often, what we picture or plan in our heads doesn’t seem to measure up to what we’re actually able to accomplish everyday. And this can lead to disappointment. Especially if we feel like we’re falling short of our expectations day after day.

So I want to pass along some very wise advice that was once given to me.

You can have it all, just not all at once.

And it’s the “not all at once” part that I really want you to hear today!

There is a limit to the time and energy available each day. And if you’re asking yourself, “Am I doing enough?”, you are probably doing enough and more.

A slight shift in mindset can help you recognize that you can have it all, just not all at once. That you can do it all, just not all today. It’s important to decide what your priorities are day by day and to consider the time and energy available to you.

2. You cannot improve from a place of not good enough.

The place to start is with you. And believing in yourself. Believing that YOU are enough.

Make “I am enough” into your mantra and repeat it everyday, throughout the day. And fully embrace this idea. Let yourself soak it up.

We need to focus on one thing at a time and stay in the present moment in order to make change. And we cannot change from a place of “I’m not good enough.”

3. Celebrate what DOES get done!

So often as homeschoolers, we find ourselves focusing on what we HAVEN’T done, what we DIDN’T finish.

And then many of us have a tendency to push through our mental checklists, always thinking about what’s next. There’s always more to do, so we pressure ourselves into pushing on.

But the truth is, pressure is rarely motivating! It keeps us out of the present moment and creates a constant comparison between what is actually happening and what we think should be happening. The “shoulds” always seems to win out.

I encourage you to pause, stop for a moment, and appreciate everything that did happen. Everything you did get done each day, planned or unplanned.

Schedule time into your calendar even, to reflect back on what went well ~ yesterday, last week, last month, even this past year.

Celebrate and be grateful!

You Alone are Enough!

To wrap up this episode, I want to share another quote with you:

“Enough is a decision, not an amount.”
~ ALISON FAULKNER

That’s right, you get to decide how much is enough!

Productivity has an upper limit. And we can’t keep adding and adding to our homeschool day and expect to get it all done!

So remember these 3 tips:

You can have it all, just not all at once.
You cannot improve from a place of not good enough.
Celebrate what DOES get done!

This is how we build a homeschool life that’s simple, inspiring, AND doable. While feeling confident in ourselves, believing we alone are enough, and enjoying the journey along the way!

Resources for You

Reflections Coaching Calls are every month inside the Inspired at Home membership. Together, we reflect over the last month as well as look ahead at the coming month. Taking this time to reflect together builds confidence and increases gratitude. And I love the sharing that takes place on these group Zoom calls. So check out everything that’s offered with the Inspired at Home membership ~ these coaching calls are just one part of it!

The Summer Reset is a 5-day process of reflection and celebration I walk homeschoolers through at the end of each homeschooling year. I created this process for myself, to see and really know that I had done enough each year. And to focus on all of our homeschooling successes. To celebrate and reset for the summer! It’s a simple and fun 5-step process I want to share with you.

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