One Small Habit That Transforms Your Homeschool

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Are you drowning in interruptions, curveballs, or the chaos of real-life homeschooling? Wondering if you’ll ever get back to consistent days? You’re not alone, friend!

This week on the Homeschool Better Together Podcast, I’m joined by DaLynn DeWitt—a South Texas homeschool mom of three, rodeo wife, and self-confessed “all or nothing” personality—who opens up about what it really looks like to homeschool when life goes sideways.

DaLynn shares how her school year started with ceilings leaking, family camping out in one bedroom, and a kitchen-turned-homeschool zone. She felt zero hope of a “normal” routine. And yet, she found this was actually one of her most consistent, joyful years ever.

(Spoiler: You do NOT need a perfect plan or a Pinterest-ready schoolroom to make homeschool work—you just need a launch point and a whole lot of grace).

We discuss the power of starting with just one thing (even if it’s reading the Bible or a good book). We also talk about utilizing tools like the Minimum Viable Day.

DaLynn explains how to overcome a rut after illness, loss, and any other interruption. She shares her brutally honest take on mindset, figuring out your “good enough” day, and learning when to keep pushing—and when to step outside and catch your breath.

If you’re stuck in a season of hard, or just want practical ideas (and a good laugh) on building better routines, you do not want to miss this episode.

Links and Resources From Today’s Show

Put Your Homeschool Year on Autopilot
Homeschool Consistency Bootcamp
Wonder Studies
Homeschool Better Together Free Community

What You’ll Learn About Homeschool Consistency

What to do when your “perfect” plan is torpedoed by life (construction, illness, travel… you name it)
How starting with just ONE anchor habit can launch the rest of your homeschool day
The magic of the Minimum Viable Day (when it really is “good enough”)
Moving forward after a school slump, setbacks, or ‘failing’ weeks
Giving yourself grace—and permission to do less, not more—when everything falls apart
Why consistency doesn’t require perfection (and actually thrives on the opposite)
The real secret sauce to building homeschool momentum—and keeping it when you’re tired, grumpy, or overwhelmed

The reality? You don’t need a “complete” plan to get moving. (Spoiler: you’ll probably never get there anyway, and you’ll just get stuck.)

If you’re stuck in a season of hard, or just want practical ideas (and a good laugh) on building better routines, you do not want to miss this episode.

Let’s be honest, if homeschool “consistency” were an Olympic sport, some of us would be the kids sitting on the sidelines, clutching our color-coded planners as chaos rains down from above. Okay, maybe that’s just me.

If you’ve ever found yourself homeschooling from the kitchen table because the rest of your house is a construction zone, today’s post and podcast is for you.

I sat down with the wonderful DaLynn DeWitt this week. She’s a South Texas homeschool mom of three, rodeo wife, and all-around real-life encourager. We talked about what “consistency” really means when life is throwing curveballs.

The next thing DaLynn knew, she came home to a living room with water dripping from the ceiling, the entire house roped off, and her whole family squished into one bedroom like a sleepover that lasted way, WAY too long. No schoolroom. No tidy stacks of new curriculum. Not even a curtain for privacy—just a laundry room, kitchen, and a whole lot of grit.

And you know what? They made it work.

Start with the One Thing

With campout chaos swirling and routines out the window, DaLynn grabbed a Bible, her Wonder Studies unit, and called it “school.” She started with what mattered most—a simple, doable habit.

She gave herself (and her kids) permission to call everything else “bonus.” “Whether you learn to read or not,” she told her kids, “you ARE going to know who Jesus is.”

That anchor habit—her “minimum viable day”—became the launching pad for everything else. Once Bible was done, she’d move on to the next thing. Some days that was reading aloud or a messy apple craft banner in the kitchen. Other days it was just surviving.

And you know what? September wound up being the most consistent (and, dare I say it, joyful) month of their year.

Why Perfectionism is Your Worst Enemy

If you’re anything like me (or DaLynn), you’ve probably fallen into the perfectionist trap at least once: thinking you can’t start the day unless you’ve got every lesson prepped, every room tidy, and all the kids dressed in matching outfits. The reality? You don’t need a “complete” plan to get moving. (Spoiler: you’ll probably never get there anyway, and you’ll just get stuck.)

Instead, DaLynn recommends:

Plan just ONE thing to start your day (Bible, morning basket, a read-aloud, you name it).
Give yourself permission to do “good enough.” When life’s messy, embrace a minimum viable day—just the essentials.
Use tools like loop scheduling or index cards (planning just ‘what comes first’) to lower the mental load.
Remember, there’s no gold medal for doing ALL the things every day. Progress beats perfection, every single time.

Plan just ONE thing to start your day (Bible, morning basket, a read-aloud, you name it).
Give yourself permission to do “good enough.” When life’s messy, embrace a minimum viable day—just the essentials.
Use tools like loop scheduling or index cards (planning just ‘what comes first’) to lower the mental load.
Remember, there’s no gold medal for doing ALL the things every day. Progress beats perfection, every single time.

Climbing Back Out of the Pit

No matter how good your intentions are, life WILL happen. Illness. Travel. Soggy ceilings, heartbreak, or just plain BLAH. DaLynn shared about catching a brutal flu, walking through loss, and falling off the consistency wagon more than once.

Her best advice?

Treat a bad week (or bad month) like an “extended, not very fun Christmas vacation”—and give yourself the same grace you’d give a teacher on sick leave.
When you’re ready, whip out your minimum day and just start small. Read a Bible verse together. Grab a book. Call-and-repeat a poem.
Reconnect with your kids first. The rest can—and will—wait.

Get Tools—and a Reality Check

DaLynn found her groove with two main tools: a written launch plan (hello, purple binder!) and the Homeschool Consistency Bootcamp, which she called her “biggest reality check.”

Planning isn’t just about lessons—it’s also about setting realistic expectations and having concrete tools for those “I’m in the ditch!” days.

Inside her binder? A step-by-step list for when her head’s on fire:

Pray.
Take a deep breath.
Remove yourself from the bomb detonator (aka—the kids).
Walk outside (just don’t forget to come back).
Play some music.
Pull out that minimum viable day.

Bottom line:

Consistency doesn’t mean “never falling off.” It means knowing how to climb back on, again and again.
Homeschooling is about flexibility, grace, and showing up—even when you don’t feel like it.
Anchor your routine with “just one thing.” Build from there.
Your “good enough” day is enough.
Community matters—lean on it.
When in doubt, do it anyway.

Actions to Keep Going

Listen to this week’s podcast episode for DaLynn’s full story.
Looking for support and encouragement? Join the free Homeschool Better Together community.
On the struggle bus? Try the Homeschool Consistency Bootcamp (aka, the REAL work that keeps you moving forward).

Let’s be real: You don’t have to have all your stuff together—you just have to start. And if you need a little tough love? I’ll let DaLynn say it best: “Don’t be a wussy. Do it!”

You’ve got this—and you’re never, ever alone.

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