One of the most freeing truths for homeschool moms is Stephen Covey’s Habit 3: Put First Things First. It’s simple, but it’s life-changing. Covey invites us to stop reacting to urgency and start aligning with importance. And when you’re building a Christ-centered homeschooling lifestyle, this principle becomes the difference between burnout and peace.
Urgent things shout.
Important things whisper.
When you learn to hear that whisper—and build your homeschool around it—everything feels lighter, calmer, and more purposeful.
Urgency vs. Importance
So much of motherhood feels reactive. Someone needs you. Something breaks. Someone cries. Something spills. Everything feels immediate. But the most important parts of your homeschool—the parts that shape hearts and build character—almost never feel urgent.
They’re quiet.
They’re slow.
They’re relational.
They come from presence, not pressure.
This is why First Things First matters. Because the pace of the world pushes you toward urgency, but the pace of heaven invites you toward importance.
Why You Can’t Be Efficient With People
Covey teaches a principle every LDS homeschool mom needs:
You can be efficient with things, but never with people.
Efficiency belongs to chores.
Efficiency belongs to errands.
Efficiency belongs to systems.
But children aren’t chores.
Children are souls.
They need slowness.
They need softness.
They need connection.
They need your face, not your speed.
Homeschooling is a relationship-based lifestyle. If you try to rush it, you break the very thing you’re trying to build. When you slow down and prioritize connection over efficiency, your homeschool begins to reflect the way Jesus Christ ministered—one person at a time, with time.
That is the heart of a joyful homeschool.
Good, Better, Best
(Then,) Elder Dallin H. Oaks adds another layer in his talk “Good, Better, Best.” He teaches that the hardest decisions in modern life aren’t between right and wrong—they’re between good and best. Most overwhelm in family life doesn’t come from bad things. It comes from too many good things.
Good activities.
Good opportunities.
Good curriculum.
Good invitations.
Good groups.
But even good things can crowd out the best things.
Elder Oaks reminds us to choose the things of greatest eternal worth.
Covey reminds us to protect those choices with intention.
Put together, their message becomes crystal clear:
Your homeschool becomes peaceful when you choose the BEST things.
The Bigger YES
Covey says you can only say no when you have a bigger yes burning in your heart. That one truth can save a homeschool mom’s sanity.
Your yes might be:
- peace in your home
- a calmer pace
- emotional safety for your child
- a Christ-focused atmosphere
- time to truly teach and connect
- your own mental and spiritual health
When your YES is strong, your NO becomes gentle and clear. You stop apologizing for protecting your home. You stop feeling guilty for simplifying. You stop saying yes to things that pull you away from your values.
A bigger YES brings freedom.
The Heart of First Things First
Ultimately, this principle is not about time management—it’s about heart management.
It’s about choosing the things that build your child’s soul, not just their transcript.
It’s about creating a peaceful rhythm instead of living in a pressure cooker.
It’s about mothering like Jesus Christ ministered—slowly, intentionally, relationally.
It’s about choosing eternal things over temporary noise.
When you Put First Things First, your homeschool becomes aligned instead of frantic.
Simple instead of overwhelming.
Spirit-led instead of guilt-driven. That is how you build a truly Joyful Homeschool—one rooted in purpose, peace, and the things that matter most.