And there is so much I want to do--a fence, deep cleaning, exercise (though what I can do right now is limited by some early minor pregnancy complications), hobbies, adventures with Zoë, etc.
So, here's my question for the day: Where do you find extra moments to get things beyond the routine accomplished? What tips do you have for being more efficient in your daily responsibilities?
Two things I'm working on now:
1. Sleeping less (this is getting a little easier as I come out of the first trimester)
2. Cleaning as I go (I read somewhere about the "one touch" rule, meaning you only touch objects in your house one time--in other words, you put them where they go the first time rather than dumping them on the counter, the floor, etc.)
I also need to be better about scheduling fun things into our lives. I think I'm more efficient in general if I don't feel burned out. A date this Friday night was lovely.
2 comments:
You are right date nights always help... and we are always willing to watch Zoe! You could even stay home and do something productive (although that would be much to practical.)
A couple of things that help me to feel like I'm staying on top of it all:
1) List of daily tasks--I have mine laminated on the 'fridge. This way I know if I do the five or six things assigned to that day six days a week, my house stays reasonably clean, everyone has clean clothes, and we have groceries, plus the kids have quality time with me every day. I just wrote down everything I had to do on a weekly basis to keep life running and then assigned it all to a different day--it feels WAY less overwhelming this day, because when I'm done, I'm done.
2) Get up earlier than the kids--even if it's just to brush your teeth and put in contacts. I'm just now getting back to the point where I'm going running before they all wake up, but if I sleep until they wake me up, I am behind (and grumpy) all day.
3) Don't expect too much of yourself. I usually figure I can get two--maybe three--"extra" things done every day on top of my normal daily routine. I count things like exercise, grocery shopping, visiting teaching, trips to the library, etc., as extras--that way I don't overload myself too much.
4) Remember that you're pregnant! And you have every right to be exhausted and to think, "There is so much I want to do right now, but I'm growing another human being, and that requires serious effort." I always forget this and my husband always has to remind me.
and I don't know whether you're planning/needing to keep working after the baby is born, but I've found that the older my children get, it is more difficult both logistically and emotionally to continue to work. I'm still doing it, but I've had to consciously plan out when/how and make some very significant shifts (like teaching online classes rather than face-to-face classes, since I can do that early in the morning/late at night when the children are asleep).
I also don't have the same level of free time or "create" time that I did several years ago--I've just had to decide what's most important, focus on that, and let the guilt go.
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