{"id":62640,"date":"2024-06-19T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T10:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/?p=62640"},"modified":"2026-02-16T10:52:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T15:52:38","slug":"homeschool-not-to-do-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/homeschool-not-to-do-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Intentional Mediocrity: The Homeschool Not To Do List"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/homeschool-not-to-do-list\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-62661\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/planner-3485992_1920.jpg\" alt=\"Homeschool Not To Do List\" width=\"675\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/planner-3485992_1920.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/planner-3485992_1920-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/planner-3485992_1920-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 675px) 100vw, 675px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Intentional Mediocrity: A Homeschool Not To Do List ~ <\/em><br \/>\n<em>Written by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.karipatterson.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kari Patterson<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.&#8221; -GK Chesterton<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Okay, this quote doesn&#8217;t top the charts of most-inspiring, but this idea has helped me immensely through the last 15 years of motherhood, homeschooling, and juggling the never-ending demands of ministry life.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prefer to listen instead? Check out <a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Episode 69<\/a> of the Simple Homeschool podcast!<\/em><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/20244437\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/backward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/3ebdc0\/\" width=\"100%\" height=\"90\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Like you, I&#8217;ve been asked many times: &#8220;How do you do it all?&#8221; <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And my answer is always: &#8220;I don&#8217;t.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-62649\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/family-joy-dad.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/family-joy-dad.jpg 640w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/family-joy-dad-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/family-joy-dad-550x413.jpg 550w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/family-joy-dad-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/family-joy-dad-260x195.jpg 260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On those glass-is-half-empty days, when I&#8217;m discouraged and my perspective is skewed, I feel as though I don&#8217;t do anything well.<\/p>\n<p>Dinner&#8217;s made, but it&#8217;s chicken and rice <em>again<\/em>. Laundry&#8217;s done, because I no longer fold. Kids finished school because I told Heidi to skip the Base 2 math problems (again)<em>.<\/em> The house is tidied but the sliding glass door has so many smeared handprints I can barely see through it.<\/p>\n<p>But eventually I remind myself of Chesterton&#8217;s wisdom and the power of <strong><em>intentional mediocrity<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Truth: We can&#8217;t be awesome everywhere.<\/strong><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>I remember reading Michael Hyatt&#8217;s book\u00a0<em>Platform<\/em> years ago, where he teaches the importance of exceeding customer&#8217;s expectations, of &#8220;baking in the Wow&#8221; to every aspect of your business. And I remember writing this realization in my journal that day:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t be awesome everywhere. I can&#8217;t &#8216;bake in the Wow&#8217; in every area of life.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Truth: Some things <em>have<\/em> to be neglected.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-62650 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/happy-justice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/happy-justice.jpg 480w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/happy-justice-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, many people only &#8220;bake in the Wow&#8221; in the business world, or in the areas of life that are visible to others, but neglect the hidden places, the small people, or the health of their souls. We&#8217;re all in danger of mis-prioritizing which areas are worthy of\u00a0<em>Wow<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re wise to give it some consideration so we don&#8217;t drop the ball on what really matters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Our task as parents and home-educators is to <em>thoughtfully<\/em> and\u00a0<em>intentionally<\/em> choose where we will &#8220;bake in the Wow&#8221; (i.e. focus our attention) and where we will <em>deliberately<\/em> and <em>confidently<\/em> choose mediocrity.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If we don&#8217;t do this we&#8217;ll be enslaved to perfectionism, or convinced we must be failing since not everything is awesome.<\/p>\n<p><strong>One simple exercise that can help: A well-chosen Homeschool Not To Do list.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Of course my priorities will likely be different from yours. There&#8217;s freedom, friends! But as a friend sharing with a friend, here&#8217;s a bit of what this looks like for me.<\/p>\n<h2>Creating a Homeschool Not To Do List<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>I don&#8217;t extra-clean before company comes over. I keep our house <em>medium<\/em>. Clean enough that you feel welcome (and aren&#8217;t grossed out!) but not so perfect that you&#8217;re impressed. My goal is to <em>welcome,\u00a0<\/em>not\u00a0<em>impress<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>I don&#8217;t fold laundry, except Jeff&#8217;s.<\/li>\n<li>I don&#8217;t work out. Prayer walks alone, hikes with the kids, and house-cleaning have to suffice.<\/li>\n<li>I don&#8217;t make elaborate meals. Simple and healthy, that&#8217;s it.<\/li>\n<li>I don&#8217;t try to keep up with fashion, for myself or my house. I try to keep myself and home looking nice with tasteful choices, that&#8217;s it. <em>(Side note: I switched to Stitch Fix for this very reason. No more shopping, ever!)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>I don&#8217;t cook breakfast or lunch. I keep simple items on hand, and the kids can take care of this themselves.<\/li>\n<li>I don&#8217;t worry a lot about school subjects outside the 3 R&#8217;s. Other subjects are\u00a0<em>electives<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>I don&#8217;t watch TV or keep up on news and media much.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Hopefully, this Homeschool Not To Do list helps me focus more on what matters to me most:<\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-62651 \" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/little-ben.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/little-ben.jpg 480w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/little-ben-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>I will listen to my children and others as much as I can, truly seeking to understand them as much as possible.<\/li>\n<li>I will read, to myself and to my children, excellent books that draw my mind to beauty, courage, and truth.<\/li>\n<li>I will sleep eight hours a night and observe a 24-hour restful day each week.<\/li>\n<li>I will spend the extra time and money to create nutritious meals that strengthen our bodies and immune systems.<\/li>\n<li>I will discipline and train my children to be a blessing to our family and others.<\/li>\n<li>I will seek to love and serve the people in my immediate sphere &#8212; friends, neighbors, church family.<\/li>\n<li>I will respond to immediate, pressing needs when I&#8217;m made aware of them.<\/li>\n<li>I will follow the <a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/cleanslate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FlyLady and clean what she tells me to clean<\/a>. \ud83d\ude09<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Every single one of the things on this latter list is really time-consuming. Listening and seeking to understand others is time-consuming. Taking time to sleep and rest is time-consuming. Cooking nutritious meals is time-consuming. But worth it. Why?<\/p>\n<p>Because it&#8217;s also <em>life-giving.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_62662\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-62662\" style=\"width: 506px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-62662\" src=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Creating-a-Homeschool-Not-to-Do-List-1008x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Homeschool Not to Do List\" width=\"506\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Creating-a-Homeschool-Not-to-Do-List-1008x1024.jpg 1008w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Creating-a-Homeschool-Not-to-Do-List-295x300.jpg 295w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Creating-a-Homeschool-Not-to-Do-List-768x780.jpg 768w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Creating-a-Homeschool-Not-to-Do-List-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Creating-a-Homeschool-Not-to-Do-List.jpg 1261w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 506px) 100vw, 506px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-62662\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Originally published June 2021<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Again, your list will look different from mine, but it can help to actually sit down and figure it out:\u00a0<strong><em>Where do I want to be intentionally mediocre so I can give myself fully to &#8220;bake in the Wow&#8221; where it counts?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps being present with others and listening to them doesn&#8217;t seem like a &#8220;Wow&#8221; thing to do, but you know what? In a world that&#8217;s hurting and divided and discouraged, isn&#8217;t that what most people, including our children, are longing for?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let&#8217;s bake in the Wow where it matters most.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/simplehomeschool.net\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What&#8217;s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie&#8217;s quiz now<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Intentional Mediocrity: A Homeschool Not To Do List ~ Written by Kari Patterson &#8220;Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.&#8221; -GK Chesterton Okay, this quote doesn&#8217;t top the charts of most-inspiring, but this idea has helped me immensely through the last 15 years of motherhood, homeschooling, and juggling the never-ending demands of ministry life. Prefer&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":62661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[326,343,341,28,339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-picks","category-homeschool-sos-inspiration","category-homeschool-tips-hacks","category-inspiration","category-planning-organization"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Intentional Mediocrity: The Homeschool Not To Do List<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Truth: You can&#039;t be awesome everywhere. 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