How to Stay Organized in Your Homeschool

Planning is an essential component to Homeschool success. But, have you ever made great plans only to not follow through with them? Sometimes not following through with plans is the result of poor organization and execution. In this post we'll talk a bit about staying organized in your Homeschool — all to help you better execute your plan while maintaining your sanity!

Create Systems of Organization

If you had a closet with an amazing organization system like the one above, do you think it would be easier to stay organized and keep your closet tidy? The same goes for your Homeschool. Developing and maintaining robust systems of organization can go a long way.

Here are a few areas of your Homeschool where adding a well thought-out system will certainly benefit you:

Agenda - Every Homeschooler needs an agenda or calendar of some kind. Many rely of paper binders, while others prefer an electronic option. As with all systems, finding one that works for you, and sticking to it is the most important thing. Homeschool Tracker's agenda is a powerful tool that will also allow you to generate daily task lists for you and your students.

Record Keeping - Stacks of graded assignments, post-it notes, and random spreadsheets is not a system. A specific routine for processing all of the items that you need to record and keep is a system. Something as simple as an in-box that you process each week and log in a consistent way can be a great start. Utilizing a tool like Homeschool Tracker is an even better way, as all the data-entry you complete throughout the year will pay off when it's time to create a report card or transcript.

Resources - It's not uncommon for a homeschool student to use hundreds of books in a single school year. Having a system of organization to track where the books are located and which ones go with which curriculum or activity is essential. A simple spreadsheet or clipboard could accomplish this. If you're using Homeschool Tracker, adding these books to your online "Library" and attaching them as resources to assignments is the way to go. Having a solid log of your resources is important, but the physical organization of the resources is even more important. Investing in proper storage and establishing a sorting process will complete this system.

Supplies - An accurate supply list for your activities can not only help you and your students prepare for a lesson, but it can help you track your usage and expenses throughout the year. Homeschool Tracker can track your supplies and help you generate reports.

Try to Limit Your Paper Usage

I know this is a touchy subject as most Homeschoolers love to print. But, it can be helpful to do a "paper audit" and be aware of just how much you are printing. There are times when it makes sense to print (worksheets, checklists, etc.), but I have found that it is much easier for me to stay organized in the "digital" world than the physical one. Especially if you are using an online tool like Homeschool Tracker, it makes sense to try to leverage the cloud and perhaps save a tree :).

If you're looking for a solid tool to help with your organization, record-keeping and lesson planning, why not give Homeschool Tracker a try? We've helped over 150,000 homeschooling families since 2002.