Productivity for Parents

Productivity doesn’t have to stop when you become a parent. In fact, you may find that your productivity actually increases.

That is what happened to me.

I’m a stay-at-home mom to my ten-month old son, Hayden. Despite the demands on my time (and energy!), I’ve completed several side projects: Learning Babies, Baby’s Weekly & Daily Log Book, and my eBook, Problem-Solving for Beginner Programmers Using Python. I’ve also launched Entrepreneurial Parent Newsletter, all while being a parent first.

I’ve re-thought my work habits now that I’m a parent. I have very limited free time each day, so I’ve got to make the most of it. Here are five things to try.

1. Take care of yourself.

Michael Hyatt is right: “You can’t take care of anyone else unless you first take care of yourself.”

Little gets done when you’re worn out. Although being a parent is demanding, it’s important to take care of yourself: eat well, get some sleep, and exercise. You’ll get more done and you’ll be a better parent if you do.

2. Get baby on a routine.

Babies and young children thrive on routines. A routine gives the day a regular rhythm; it’s not a by the minute schedule.

A routine brings predictability and security to baby’s life. Baby knows what’s happening each day -- and so do you. Hayden follows an eat, activity, sleep routine. When he wakes up in the morning, he eats. Then, we play. Then, he naps. This routine repeats until bedtime, when he sleeps through the night.

I benefit, too.

Since there’s a regular rhythm to his days, I know when he’ll nap. I know when he’ll go to bed at night. I know when he’ll wake up in the morning. This predictability gives me regular slots of time to get stuff done.

3. Wake up one hour before baby does.

Start your day off on a great note by getting up one hour before baby wakes up. And you’ll know what time baby wakes up if he’s on a routine!

That’s how I wrote my eBook, Problem-Solving for Programmers. I worked on it for about an hour each day. Several weeks later it was published.

This hour has proven to be essential. Even if Hayden’s routine gets disrupted, I still got that hour in. Plus, it’s nice to have some time to myself before the busyness of the day begins.

4. Make progress.

Adjusting my productivity mentality has been one of the biggest changes for me as a parent. I have slivers of time throughout the day to focus on a side project. So I’ve had to realign my expectations: less will get done.

I accept that.

But that doesn’t mean everything comes to a halt. Rather, things just get done more slowly. But I’m still making progress. That’s the goal: make progress.

If I move the needle a bit on a project or learning objective, then I’m satisfied.

5. Don’t multitask.

Either work on your side project or parent -- don’t try to do both simultaneously. Otherwise, something will be compromised because your attention will be split.

Above all, don’t be too hard on yourself. Work will always be there. Enjoy the time with your kids -- it goes so fast!

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