Planning is one of my favourite topics to write about because I LOVE LOVE LOVE planning. I love pulling out my planner (together with it’s partner in crime, coffee), the feel of the soft leather in my hands and the weight of all my dreams and vision and goals carried within the pages. I love creating something new on paper and seeing my jumbled, chaotic thoughts come into clarity as I scribe them onto paper. You don’t have to be an artist to plan, you don’t have to have a lot of time, you just need a pen and paper and some peace and quiet (midnight anyone?) and you too can watch the magic happen! In today’s episode I am going to explain a bit of my planning system: Why I plan, how I am planning out my summer, making your own planner, morning basket and looping, and more! There will be more episodes in this series because I know it’s a hot topic, but this post will have all the links and information you need as you follow along.

my Travellers notebook and hand painted/sketched inserts

But I don’t need to plan…

There’s a lot of homeschool moms out there that view planning with a bit of disdain. They, like myself in some seasons, see it as restrictive and too rigid for their free-flowing spontaneity. So before I share the episode with you I want to address my friends in the skeptic camp for a few moments. As a perfectionist I can relate to this sentiment. I generally try to stay away from planning because as soon as I draw them out I feel bound to them and they *can* bring a sense of failure if you don’t keep up. That being said, there are so many ways to plan and list and sketch out your year that don’t include lesson planning. The big picture planning of your homeschool are things like routines and books to get from the library and writing projects you want to do and what your plan is for your loops or morning baskets. Think of it like a vision casting meeting for your homeschool. Just you and your thoughts and figuring out how you can make sure you are implementing those into your day. It allows you to check and balance your mission or goal for homeschooling against what you are doing… do they line up?

Ready? Let’s go! And don’t forget if you like my podcast, hit subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher so you don’t miss an episode AND bonus points for reviewing it on iTunes 😉

My Brave Writer Plan (learn more about Brave Writer here)

Show notes (links about homeschool planning)

1. Check out my blank/undated planner!
PDF format $9.99: Uncomplicated Homeschool Planner
Find it on Amazon: US/Canada

2. Making your own planner:
Where I got my Travellers Notebook: Elrohir Leather
Where I got my inserts: option 1/option 2
Check out my pre-printed inserts (including meal planning): in my etsy shop!

3. Let me teach you how to create your own planner:
My new book is out for pre-orders and it is on sale right now on Amazon! I teach you simple listing strategies, organizing your planner, how to use a Travellers Notebook, hand lettering, doodling, water-colour and more! It’s all there! PLUS you get to see hundreds of pictures of my planner! This is an entire year of my life, including glimpses into our homeschool planning, in a beautiful full size coffee table book. Over 190 pages of planning beauty! (Plus you can use this as your homeschool art with your daughters, win-win!)

Check out Journal Me Organized in the US
Check out Journal Me Organized in Canada

4. Learn more about homeschool looping

5. Learn more about a morning basket

6. Learn more about Brave Writer

But I’m not motivated…

Sometimes the lack of motivation in our homeschool comes down to not having a clear idea of what we want or how we are going to get there. Often it comes from a roadblock we are hitting along the way, something like our curriculum or our schedule or our homeschool style. Homeschool planning is key to taking the time to think about what is working and what isn’t and evaluating your day and how you can improve on it.

Whether you choose to plan the big picture or the nitty gritty of your day to day, taking the time to think about your day will only make your homeschool journey more successful and more in line with what you want it to be. <3