Episode 204: 1. 2. 3. Too Many!
What You’ll Learn
If you’ve ever bought a beautiful curriculum bundle, color-coded a schedule, and then felt like a failure three days in—this episode is for you. Today we’re diving into the guilt, the pressure, and the freedom of not doing all the subjects all the time.
The Real Reason You're Overwhelmed (00:50)
Is not that you're failing—it's that you're doing too much at once.
Homeschool isn’t traditional school: your day doesn’t have to look like theirs.
Every subject doesn’t have to have equal priority every day or even every season.
The "1,2,3, Too Many" Approach (01:45)
This strips away all the extra and focuses on math, and reading/writing, and faith as your foundation.
Then you rotate the rest through your week or month.
Create “peace days” or even "peace weeks" with less bookwork, more connection (natural family flow)…
This can come in the form of
4-day school weeks.
No-days.
6 weeks on, 1 week off.
Taking all of December off.
What's Actually Required vs. What's Nice-to-Have (03:05)
Laws and homeschool requirements are often fewer subjects than you think.
Check your state's requirements with HSLDA.
Most state/college/end-of-year testing is just Math & Reading.
Simplify by separating essentials from enrichment.
You don’t need to do every curriculum sample you downloaded or BOUGHT.
WHO is this approach for?
Morning Time & Looping Can be Secret Weapons (08:15)
What looping is and how it works…
What it is: simple rotation routine for other subjects (can be by day, but usually by some measure of a touch-point...like a lesson, a few pages, a project, etc.).
How it works: science, art, history, and poetry.
Sample week might look like: one or two “extras” a day, not all seven.
Morning/Meal-time/Nap basket: Any family subjects done together.
When to Drop, Pause, or Shelve Curriculum (13:30)
When you hit the same pain point day after day or you keep dragging your feet on it week in and week out or there are tears daily...
Examples of brave writer book packets to TGatB and gather round.
Giving yourself permission to shelve something for a season or for a particular child…
Back to BW and Gather!...so just shelved for a time...
Goes back to nothing we try being a waste of time.
Your child’s pace > finishing the book.
You can homeschool without a full shelf of guilt!
Don’t need that kind of negativity.
Don't let it stare at you.
The best feeling is cleaning out the school shelf.
The Heart Behind the Hustle (19:05)
Are you trying to prove you're doing "enough"? And WHO are you trying to prove it to?
What does your homeschool (You, your kids and your HOME) actually need this season?
Refocusing on connection over completion…
This feels so cliché, but there's real truth to it.
I don't remember my lessons...I DO remember hosting an entire backyard carnival, dissecting a shark, learning about buoyancy (and still thinking about it every time I see a cork), leaving home with life skills and deep faith.
Reflection (22:05)
What subjects feel life-giving right now—and which ones feel like pressure?
What would it feel like to let go of 2 subjects for the next month?
Is your current plan working for your family—or against it?
Have you tried the clipboard system to help you cut the extra and simplify? It's straightforward, and I stand by the fact that it is the best homeschool system in the midst of a survival situation. You can do it for less than $10, and you can drop, pause, or shelve as often as you need. Link for that in the show notes or in our shop at deliberate.day.
Remember...
You are doing beautiful work!
