Do What You Love…
because minimalist homeschooling is
so much more than purging books.

We all want to love homeschooling, and the first mindset hack in the book Minimalist Homeschooling is: Do what you love; use what you love.

You can listen to this post here:

 

This isn’t named first because it is novel (hello there, cliché), nor because it is especially profound advice.  “Do what you love” is named first because it is the basis of the minimalist mindset.

Minimalism has become synonymous with purging, decluttering, simplifying, and non-consumerism.  However, it is really important to me that we are clear: the purging and simplifying are the means to the end.  In reality, the whole point of minimalism is to fill your space with those things that are most valuable – either because they are truly necessary, or because they are truly loved.

Minimalists want to fill their space with only the most important things.  In order to do so, they purge and declutter.  In the process their space (and routines) are simplified, and they cease to buy so many things.  Minimalists live with less because they have the perfect amount of what they love and need.

We must be careful to understand therefore, that the rule of minimalism is NOT simply “Live with less,” but rather “Live with the perfect amount of what you need and love.”  It just so happens

that when you live with the perfect amount of things you need and love, and get rid of all the extra, you are going to end up living with less.

 

 

It appears as though, over the past years, minimalism has been reduced to the actions to achieve minimalism, or the outcomes as a result of minimalism, rather than the motivation behind it.

Minimalist homeschooling follows the same logic: It is not just about decluttering your books, or purging craft supplies.  The mindset is not focused on dogmatic rules to educate with less.  Simplifying and purging are merely a way to accomplish the main goal: fill your homeschool with the perfect amount of the most important things – both what is necessary, and also what is loved – and no more.  Which, in turn, allows us to love homeschooling more often.

So, while “do what you love” isn’t very novel, it is vital to the minimalist homeschool mindset… far more vital than a command to “purge and declutter.”

CHOICES ARE OUR BIGGEST ASSET.

The goal – the motivation – of minimalism is to do what you love.  You can’t just bibbity-bobbity-boo into a life that you love…. Or a homeschool you love, for that matter.  You can’t just wake up one day, and say, “ya know, forget this life, I’m going to have a different family, career, and wardrobe today.”

Or can you?

You can.  It just won’t happen spontaneously.  You can do it one small choice at a time.

Minimalists create a home that they love that is calm, and stress-free by choosing (or purging) one item at a time.

Minimalist homeschoolers love homeschooling by making one small choice at a time.  They choose exactly what is loved and necessary…

…which simplifies choices.

…which necessitates purging and decluttering the extra.

…which requires few or no additional purchases.

…which creates a homeschool that is loved.

And this, my friends, is minimalism at its best.

TIP THE SCALES

To be honest, “do what you love” often makes me cringe, or eyeroll.  To the practical person, that kind of advice seems commonplace, and unrealistic.  I mean, sure, in an ideal world, we would all spend our days skipping among rainbows and snuggling unicorns.  Or maybe that’s just me…

But in reality, that isn’t the way it works.  In reality, we don’t always get to do what we love.  We don’t always get the perfect amount of what we need or love.

We certainly don’t want to raise our children to believe that they will always only do what they love, and get everything that they want.  And in our homes and homeschools, sometimes children simply must do things that they don’t love.  It’s a fact of life, right?

How do we reconcile this idealism with the real world?  And how do we love homeschooling in spite of the unloved necessities?

By tipping the scales.

Another way to look at this mindset is to think of it as a scale: on one side is the loved and the necessary, and on the other side is the extra – the frustrating, the time consuming, and the mediocre.   Every time we choose something that is truly loved, and purge something that is mediocre, we tip the scales toward a homeschool that is generally loved.

Homeschoolers take their responsibility seriously.  Much to the disappointment of myself and my daughters, we are not out frolicking with unicorns, ignoring that which is necessary, but unloved.  We want our college-bound students to do well on the ACT, even though studying is their least favorite thing to do.  Luckily, many of our responsibilities, obligations, and requirements are clothed in choices.

Here are some ways that minimalist homeschoolers can make choices to do what they love and use what they love, even when the necessary is unloved:

 

Love your space and supplies.

Everyone perks up at new supplies, and clear, inviting spaces.  Reorganizing my children’s supplies and favoring those which they truly love is one way I make them feel special – they love it.

Tip the scales toward doing what you love.

Many times, a weak subject can be treated as a minor subject so that it is not neglected, but has a smaller impact on the mood of the homeschool (and child).  Remember, consider making a weak subject a priority if it is keeping your child from reaching their potential, or if it will keep them from reaching their potential (we all want them properly prepared for the future after all).  Even in that case, making a dreaded subject a priority doesn’t mean that it carries more weight than other prioritized subjects.  So if the other two prioritized subjects are loved, the scales are still tipped towards a lovable homeschool.  Try not to pile on too many dreaded subjects all at once – spread them out throughout the week, year, and lifetime.  Everyone is more likely to love homeschooling when you’re doing proportionally more of what is loved.

Do what you love even if it’s a subject you don’t love.

Many homeschoolers already practice this form of “do what you love” when they creatively teach any number of subjects to a reluctant learner.  Keep it up.  Find the most appealing way to do the things you don’t love in a way that you do love.

Love your resources.

Choose only the best resources you can for each educational priority.  Educators, this applies to you, as well: love the resources you are using, and your enthusiasm and interest will be contagious – it really is priceless for your children.  These days, countless resources for every subject are available one click away.  Put some serious thought into adhering to the “do what you love; use what you love” mindset.  It is so much easier to love homeschooling when your resources are valuable and meaningful.  Maybe there are state requirements to use certain resources, in which case, follow the law, but otherwise…

Realize that the “love” is usually in the end result.

If you’re intentional about your homeschool, then everything that your child is working on is coming from a place of what you want them to learn or experience, rather than a prescription from someone else.  Therefore, loving what you want for your child, not the task itself, may be where you find your motivation.  It’s not so much about whether you love homeschooling, but rather that you love helping your child reach their potential or be well-prepared for their goals.

The more often we choose what is loved, we choose to love what is necessary, or we choose to do what is unloved with love, our homeschools improve.  This stance simplifies our choices tremendously, and gaining freedom through simplifying our child’s education is what this is really all about… not how many books we purge.

So get to your minimalist homeschooling!  How can choosing what you love, and loving what you need simplify your homeschool today?  What helps you love homeschooling?  Leave a comment below!

Want more?  This post is part of a 36-post series on the Minimalist Homeschooling Mindset.  You can also read Post 1: What is Minimalist Homeschooling Anyway?

If you’re on this journey, and are looking for support, we have a facebook group.  We would love for you to join us!

This series compliments the book Minimalist Homeschooling: A values-based approach to maximize learning and minimize stress in which homeschoolers are empowered to make the most of their child’s education.  The book acts as a guide, asking the reader to take an in-depth look at their goals for their children; and how to best invest time, energy, and resources towards achievement, rather than mere completion.

Wishing you all the simple things,
Zara