Finding Balance as a Family in a Busy World
Do you ever feel pulled in a million directions?
You want to keep your house clean (forget tidy!), feed your family, homeschool the kids, serve at church, serve in the homeschool co-op, grow in your relationship with the Lord, and stay healthy. Is that possible?
Feeling pulled in so many directions leads to being overwhelmed.
Feeling overwhelmed causes anxiety which can stop us in our tracks. So instead of getting more done or having a focus, we become more scattered.
What can we do?
If you really want to get out of being overwhelmed, then you must take some drastic measures. Here is something that works for me.
I like to take a ½ day to get off alone to think and pray. Now, before you shut me out – I realize that’s hard – we have to grab some intentional quiet to stop and think and plan. It is worth the price of a babysitter.
#1: Describe Your Dream Life with Your Family
While you are alone with the Lord, write down what you want your life to look like. It might be attending church together cheerfully, the kids cleaning their rooms, and getting their schoolwork done quickly so we can go to the playground in the afternoon. Or maybe you want the family to read aloud each day and pray together while keeping the house immaculate. Just be honest here.
What is it you really want?
Now, go back and honestly cross out the things that are unrealistic. Keeping your house immaculate is probably not a realistic goal, but reading aloud 3 times a week is.
Realize that goals that are unrealistic in this season may be realistic in another season.
For more about getting away along with Jesus, read my blog post How One Young Mom Found Spiritual Refreshment in the Midst of Overwhelming Mommyhood.
#2 List Everything You Do Each Week
Next, list everything you and your family do every week. Yep. List it all! Church, sports, overnights, shopping, doctor’s appointments, dance class, co-op, choir practice – everything you do.
Circle the absolute priorities like church, visiting Grandpa once a week, and family devotions.
Is there anything on that list you, your spouse, and/or the kids would be willing to give up?
Often our lives get filled up with the good at the expense of the best. Your family can only participate in so many activities. Your children can only take so many classes. You can only serve in so many areas of the homeschool co-op.
After you have a plan of cutting out some activities, add a backup plan for negotiating. For example, instead of doing sports all year long with practice and games and playoffs, maybe you could play 2 seasons a year. That gives break time in between.
Now comes the hard part. Keep your plan under your hat for now.
#3 Family Discussion Time
Ask the family to get together to talk.
Make sure you don’t give away your plans here. Just ask everyone to share their favorite family and personal activities and what they don’t like. Listen to your children and husband here.
Take a few weeks to mull over what they have shared along with your plan. Ask God for His plan. It’s really important before this step to know and understand what everyone wants, including yourself. It’s fun to see how God’s plan incorporates what we love and what we need.
#4 Pray Together as a Family
After a few weeks go by, it’s time to gather everyone together and pray together about how God wants to simplify your schedule so that there is room for the important things.
Don’t pray your agenda. Just really ask God for His plan.
After prayer, ask everyone to keep an ear out for Scripture verses or ideas that come to their mind over the next week about things that would work for the family.
Reconvene in a week and have everyone share their thoughts and Scripture verses. You will be so surprised at what everyone shares.
This method of seeking God brings so much peace and unity in the family. It allows everyone to share their feelings and everyone to seek God. Remember the Lord is your Heavenly Father. He has a plan that is good for your family. Most of all, He wants your family to love and serve one another, shining the light of Jesus!
Maintaining Balance
To maintain freedom from being overwhelmed requires prayer scheduling. If kids are gone every afternoon, they might have trouble getting schoolwork done or be too exhausted to do their best.
You might try Flexible Scheduling in your quest to maintain balance. Read my blog post Flexible Scheduling Can Work for You!
Until Next Time, Happy Homeschooling!
Bio
Meredith Curtis, homeschooling mom, writer, speaker, and publisher, loves to encourage families in their homeschooling adventure. She is the author of Travel God’s World Geography, Travel God’s World Cookbook, and HIS Story of the 20th Century. You can check out her books, curricula, unit studies, and Bible studies at PowerlineProd.com. Read her blogs at PowerlineProd.com and listen to her at Finish Well Podcast.
