A System for Getting it all Done
Gess turned 13 last October and I have to tell you she is certainly showing great signs of maturity. I have blogged over the years of ways I taught her how to do chores, remember her homework, and regulate her screen time. Well, all the hard work has not been in vain! We seem to have a system that is working quite smoothly!
I believe the My Student Logbook was the final tool that helped pull it all together. I reviewed this last September and it is a constant in our daily use now.
What I do is list each subject that Gess must complete each day. Below that are other things she must accomplish such as chores, practicing her piano, reading a book, and making her bed. To motivate her to complete them we have one rule. No Media until every box is checked off. That means:
No TV
No Computer (except for school related)
No XBox
No CD or MP3 music.
She does get breaks in her day. She can play outside, with legos, color, or any other thing that is not media related.
This has been a great encouragement for her. It has helped her self-regulate media teaching her that work must always be done before play and that there is some play that is more beneficial than others. It has been so wonderful to have my daughter run up and ask what chore she can do! Its on her list and she wants it done. No arguing to get out of it and instead asking to do it! How is that for a great system!? In fact she is in her room reading right now to complete her list for the day.
These are important life skills that will follow her all the days of her life. Yes, she has a list telling her what to do. But so do we! In fact another review product we use all the time around here is the Motivated Moms Daily Planner I reviewed last year.
Motivated Moms is MY checklist for what to do. I just downloaded the 2015 version last week. I admit near the end of the year it got away from me, but I am back at checking off my list each day and therefore my house is cleaner, my quiet time is more consistent, and well, I'm just more organized!
You know there may be days where we don't get it all done all of the time, but using these systems has helped us to have more days where we do. That's all I need.
I believe the My Student Logbook was the final tool that helped pull it all together. I reviewed this last September and it is a constant in our daily use now.
What I do is list each subject that Gess must complete each day. Below that are other things she must accomplish such as chores, practicing her piano, reading a book, and making her bed. To motivate her to complete them we have one rule. No Media until every box is checked off. That means:
No TV
No Computer (except for school related)
No XBox
No CD or MP3 music.
She does get breaks in her day. She can play outside, with legos, color, or any other thing that is not media related.
This has been a great encouragement for her. It has helped her self-regulate media teaching her that work must always be done before play and that there is some play that is more beneficial than others. It has been so wonderful to have my daughter run up and ask what chore she can do! Its on her list and she wants it done. No arguing to get out of it and instead asking to do it! How is that for a great system!? In fact she is in her room reading right now to complete her list for the day.
These are important life skills that will follow her all the days of her life. Yes, she has a list telling her what to do. But so do we! In fact another review product we use all the time around here is the Motivated Moms Daily Planner I reviewed last year.
Motivated Moms is MY checklist for what to do. I just downloaded the 2015 version last week. I admit near the end of the year it got away from me, but I am back at checking off my list each day and therefore my house is cleaner, my quiet time is more consistent, and well, I'm just more organized!
You know there may be days where we don't get it all done all of the time, but using these systems has helped us to have more days where we do. That's all I need.
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