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Someone once told me, “If you work all the time, even at something you love, you will burn out.”

But I didn’t listen.

You see, when you work from home and homeschool, taking off is virtually impossible. Well, if I’m really honest, it’s possible to take time off, I just have to really work at it.

I am the type of person who always has something going. There are more ideas in my head than I can possibly complete. And there have been times when I truly believe I could do it all.

If I could just get up early…

If I could just stay up later…

If I could just manage to dust the shelves and teach math…

If I could just write a blog post and listen to my child read…

If I could just…

If I could…

If I…

The never-ending wheel of “if’s” played through my head constantly. And it was slowly driving me crazy.

I was constantly overwhelmed by all that I wanted to do.

It was a recipe for disaster and I was quickly heading towards burnout.

It was apparent to me and my husband that I needed to create rest in my day. I needed to get off the wheel of “if’s” and be satisfied with the reality of the “I am able’s.”

3 Tips for Avoiding Burnout

Here’s what I have learned about how to get off the wheel of “if’s” and avoid burnout in our homeschool:

Tip #1: Rest.

This seems so simple, but it’s not. I literally had to learn how to rest!

As a family, we decided that we would take one day a week off to really rest. No work allowed. No making plans for homeschool. Just relaxing and enjoying being around each other.

Rest was a discipline that I had to learn. But I’m so glad I did, because learning how to rest has restored my sanity.

Tip #2: Know your priorities.

There are only 24 hours in each day, some of which you need to sleep and eat in.

You need to know what your priorities are, so that can choose what to fill your day with.

You need to be able to decide which activities must be done, which can wait for another day, and which don’t really need to be done at all.  Each person is different, but for me, God and family come before work, so the activities that involve them come first. I’ve found that I’m happiest when I have my priorities are in order.

Tip #3: Get organized.

Once you know your priorities, you can structure your day.

I’ve found that when I structure my day, it alleviates a lot of the stress that leads to burnout because I know that I will have time to work, play, and rest. I don’t do well with a by-the-minute schedule, which is why I use the term “structure.” Instead, I have a general flow to my days, where I write out my goals for each day.

The Happy Ending

These three things—rest, priorities, and organization—have prevented me from crashing and burning. I am able to do so much with each day. And I am able to lay aside the fear of the things not done.

It’s taken some time to adjust to it all, but the end result is a healthier me, which in turn creates a happier family. Now, I live my life from a place of rest and organization, instead of fear, worry, and busyness.

How about you: how do you avoid burnout? Do you have any tips to share? If so, be sure to leave a comment below!