Understanding Your Personality

I was talking to a homeschool friend and she said one of the most important aspects of her homeschool journey was learning about herself. Honoring the fact that she’s not a morning person made space for her homeschool to thrive. That reminded me that often when we are trying to grow in consistency and accountability, we can get side tracked if we don’t take our own personality into account.

Gretchen Rubin’s book Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Everyday Life offers this list of traits:

• Are you an introvert or extrovert?
• Are you a lark or an owl?
• Do you crave a sense of simplicity or abundance?
• Do you thrive with familiarity or novelty?
• Are you a finisher or an opener?
• Are you a marathoner or sprinter?

Understanding these things about yourself is a straightforward way to begin to build a schedule that plays to your strengths. It can also help streamline curriculum choices. If you know you crave novelty, then a schedule with 6 weeks on and then a break can help you deal with the day to day grind. The simplicity of open-and-go curriculum might be a plus or you may prefer building your own curriculum from an abundant booklist. Knowing if you are a finisher or an opener can help you build systems to guide the challenging parts of the school year.

For the record, I am the first in each of the pairs! I’d love to hear your preferences.