I say ‘maintaining’ because for me to maintain my to do list while my hands are literally full is a success in itself. Remember when you have 24 hours to yourself and you still can’t finish your to dos? Now it’s harder to do! This post will definitely be a first in a series because being a first time, exclusively breastfeeding mom is seriously challenging my productivity skills. I’ll be sure to discover more hacks along the way.
Because I’m the only one taking care of my son (proud if it yeah) most of the day before my husband comes home from work, he is 100% dependent on me. So where do you think i’ll be most of the time? Sitting on the bed, in front of the tv of course.
Productivity = Zero. I love my son but I can’t be nailed to the bed for a year! So I needed to change my lifestyle.
My little one (LO) wakes up whenever I put him down during his active sleep so I have to work with one hand/arm while sitting in bed most of the time. What a challenge! So I have to make sure all I need is within arms reach, or else, I have to wait for another hour to get things done.
So if on a trip we prepare a diaper bag, inside the house I had to have a similar kit that is convenient. So when hunger strikes, or a brilliant idea comes to mind, I waste no time because I have the tools within reach. Here is my Handy Kit:
(1) Water – a breastfeeding mom needs all the liquid she can get. I recommend a container which you can monitor how many MLs you’ve gulped just like this one. I just refill this bottle but you can get a nicer tumbler for this. Get one that opens with a flip of a hand and not a bottle top.
(2) Remote (for everything) – One for the TV, another for the A/C and another for the tower fan. Because, duh.
(3) Tissue – For sudden spills made by you and the LO. This one must be high quality tissue coz you might me using it on LO’s face.
(4 and 5) Notebook and pen – I have my bullet journal with me here. LO’s nap time gives me tons of opportunities to think about the family business, personal plans and yeah, life. So I make sure nothing slips by by writing all of it down.
(6) Bite-sized snacks – Choose your snack wisely coz any type of food that’s within arms reach is easily consumed. The more organic or the less fattening it is, the better. This is for emergency – for the times LO still won’t sleep and you’re so hungry already. This snack is not a substitute for a full meal. NOTE: make sure you can eat one piece in one bite. You don’t want morsels dropping on your sheets and attracting ants.
(7) Charger – have your charger within your reach because for hours, your best buddy will be your
(8) Cellphone – This gadget is a trap if you only access Facebook or social media sites for hours. So I recommend you power up the following apps to help you be more productive
(A) Siri or Cortana – Activate her. She’s gonna be your bestfriend in looking up baby related questions, dialing grandma and reminding you that you need to buy nappies.
(B) Todoist – you can try other To Do list apps but this one works for me. I need my to do list to dangle in front of me so I’d be pushed to be productive on mobile.
(C) Gmail – it has another use aside from answering business mail. Make an account for your LO and send all his photos there. I’m even thinking of sending him notes there. When he’s old enough, give him the password. It’ll be like a digital album! After sending the photos, delete them from the album so you’ll free up space.
(D) BabyCenter – this app gives tons of helpful info especially when I was still pregnant. It gives you ideas too of baby milestones you can expect. I got another app that monitors baby feeding and which breast I used but now I felt logging it everytime was cumbersome. I used a more analog way: I wear an elastic around the wrist to indicate which breast I used and if my son empties my breast, I know he’s having enough.
(E) Google Drive – No you can’t type on a keyboard with one hand. I tried it and I was only frustrated. Thank God for G Drive, you can edit documents via mobile. This is more useful for work from home moms. Ask your team members if you can use G Drive or a similar program that can be used via mobile.
(F) Headspace – I told you being nailed on the bed has its up sides. It is glorious for meditation and thinking about life… the opportunity is amazing. This was the first app I used when I was learning how to meditate. Now I can just use a timer but for newbies, I recommend this app.
Additional Tip:
* Buy a bluetooth receiver for your calls, I tried using the earphones once and they only got tangled with my son’s legs. Putting the convo on loudspeaker wakes up my son too.
Rafi Sartin 