New Parents Guide To Time Management

Hi Friends! Time management is something so important in every persons lives right. It just keeps things on track and organized. When you become a new parent it can seem like you’re starting over in life. Everything is so new and you all of a sudden get all these new fears that consume you. Managing your time is going to be essential to feeling like you’re in control of your life again. It will help you to feel like you can take on each and every day with confidence.

Avoid Social Media Time Warp

Try to avoid going on social media and going down the rabbit whole of scrolling through your bottomless feed. What seems like 5 minutes will turn into three hours and now you’ll have to feed the baby, switch over the laundry, and make dinner. I found that setting aside time later in the day for social media has helped a lot with productivity throughout the day.

Makes Lists

Making lists will help you visualize your day and see how realistic it is to get what done when. I like to make lists on everything. I’ve made a chore list with what to do on what day, a list of baby’s daily nap and feeding schedule, and even a diaper bag list. Creating lists are definitely a huge tool for success in being able to manage your time. You need to remember that being a new parent comes with a lot of things you’ve never had to think of before. Creating lists will help you keep everything organized and keep you from becoming scatter brained and feeling overwhelmed.

Delivery Service

Take advantage of delivery services. There are so many different apps that deliver groceries right to your door. It takes one more thing off your never ending to-do list so now you can prioritize other things like a workout or a shower or bath. There is even a service for laundry where they will pick up your dirty laundry and bring it back within 24 hours clean and folded.

Some apps I like to use are : Instacart, Walmart Grocery Delivery, Shipt, Amazon Prime Now, Peapod

Meal Prep

Make meals that are easy to throw in a crock pot or InstaPot to have dinner ready with little to no effort. You can even make enough to store in your freezer to heat up on another week. There are tons of different recipes on Pinterest that you can look up which makes switching up dinner a breeze. I really like to make one-pot soups and even making carnitas in the crock pot is super easy.

At the beginning of each week create a list of what dinners to make on which night. It will help you prep your meals and get them started in the morning without being overwhelmed.

Learn To Say No

Learning to say no is going to be so important when becoming a new parent. Time seems to run out so quickly and it is something that can bring on unwanted stress. You really need to prioritize what’s in the best interest for you and your family. For example, if you are asked to go to a dinner that you know you don’t want to attend, just say no. This is something that a lot of people struggle with but it’s what’s going to help you prioritize what’s important.

Delegate Your Tasks

Self care is extremely important for not only your mental health but your overall wellbeing. Make a point to create time in your day for yourself. Im not talking just to shower and brush your teeth but to also wash and style your hair or read a book or take a bath. You will be able to do this by delegating out daily tasks.

They say it takes a village so there is no reason why we should feel we need to do it all on our own. If you have older kids have them take out the trash or have your partner give the baby a bath. Maybe ask a teenage neighbor to baby-sit for a couple hours while you get your nails done. Delegating will not only help you with feeling tightly wound and overwhelmed, it will also get you to make yourself a priority without feeling guilty.

Prioritizing Self Care

Self care as I stated before is so important but you should still be smart about it. You’re not going to have the same time as you did pre-baby. If you spent over an hour doing your makeup then you will need to adjust your products and routine to fit a smaller time frame. Choose your makeup wisely so that you are also able to do you hair and whatever else needs to get done to feel like yourself again.