For kids who are prone to absentmindedness and distraction, we figure it's going to be an essential life skill to make a list and follow it. So, we practice every day.
A big part of our curriculum is a daily checklist. We typed up a list of all our common activities, and every morning we highlight the chores and lessons to be done that day. Then, it becomes the student's responsibility to get them done by the end of the day.
A side benefit is that we have a daily record of everything the kids do. Stick the completed checklist in a folder with the day's worksheets, and our record keeping is nearly foolproof. No more sitting down at the end of the month to catch up on paperwork and trying to remember what we did two weeks ago.
Another benefit is that each child's list reflects the lesson plan for the year. Here's one we use for our second-grader. It's organized by subject matter. This helps keep absent-minded and distractible parents on track. "What shall we do today? Oh, yes. Spanish is on the list for this year, and we have not been doing enough of that."
One time, we were having trouble scheduling which kid was working at the table and which was watching Between the Lions. We also were concerned that the kids were getting too much screen time, and not taking enough advantage of local museums and such. So, we tried this alternate record sheet, with the same lesson plan organized by location. We ended up sticking with the original design, but you may find this layout more to your liking.
Finally, our oldest uses a record sheet that is organized by the week, not by the day. There are weekly goals on a cover sheet, as well as the daily goals. The daily sheets include some Five In A Row-style studies that take all week.
Our kids are still small, but a home schooling friend has modified our record sheets for her 13-year-old. She reports that it works well. If you try them, we'd love to hear how they worked out for you! Just write to:
headmaster at saintcolumbans.com