It's 9:57 am. My airpods are missing AGAIN!
I am supposed to be on a call in 3 minutes. My husband can help but he's got our 10 month old fully soothed after a 10 minute crying spat. He looks at me through our glass porch door, like don't even think of coming here: the fussing can start back up anytime! Our son who is 8 is independent in that he doesn't require a diaper change or feeding sessions but he surely needs our check in before he warps into his video game world with no clue or tether to reality. We all need to be fed, and cleaned and kids need to be organized for the day or chaos 101 will prevail!
Sound familiar?
Overwhelmed with all things that come with a new baby (sleepless nights, breastfeeding supply/demand problems, and so much more), continuing to stay on top and manage your business can be extremely challenging. How are we coping and managing these priorities? It’s really simple (kinda, sorta, not really)… Accepting that we can't do it all, asking for help, and showing up when needed. That's great as a big picture idea, but what about day to day? Keeping to task helps not becoming overwhelmed even when the situation really is that. Sharing some tips below!
1. Create a schedule
Have you heard of the 5 Ps? Here it goes - Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. We live on this stuff! Planning is key. Do not underestimate the power in planning, whether it's for a meeting, presentation or meal prep. What do we mean by that exactly? World domination (ha)! No, more like pick a day to organize and plan the week. Sundays are used for planning the week ahead – day by day. We all know that baby ‘plans’ don’t always work out – so you need to be flexible to move your schedule around as needed. We try to stick to our schedule by shifting things around in the day to make it work. Our thing really helps with that:
2. Create or join a community for yourself
This is the bread and butter. You know the saying, "it takes a village to raise a child?" Well it’s true. We would not be where we are without our support systems, family and friends. Our husbands not only ‘take over’ mom duties whenever we need, but they also do some of the cooking and cleaning around the house when we get busy. Teamwork makes the dreams work! Having extended family and friends nearby helps immensely. Join a mom group, a virtual happy hour, a yoga class -- the community you create will help you allocate time towards your goals without the guilt of 'overworking' or ignoring family needs. Meeting like-minded people solidifies your confidence and conviction in your own goals.
3. Utilize that baby nap time
Sure, we could hit the sack with our little one during nap time, but realistically that won’t help move things along. Finding time during babe's nap time to check things off can be very satisfying. Not only will it free some time when they're awake to be with them, but you also save yourself late nights and evenings catching up on things you didn't accomplish earlier.
4. Stay Organized
Planning is a deliberate approach, which helps all of stay organized. We have created spaces for ourselves where we can focus and get in our zone. Of course, a clean and dedicated workspace is more inspiring than clutter and disarray – we all know this. But I can say from personal experience that this is also reflected in your work and performance in meetings and high priority projects. And (shameless plug) I actually use our ShoreBags to keep us organized! Not only do we use our bags for different uses but I also utilize our accessories pouches for a ton of little things!