On prioritizing and doing my best

Oliver, 7 days new

I've been told by so many people that I must 'sleep when baby sleeps'! In the first couple weeks, there was nothing else I could do - I was exhausted and in a lot of pain and discomfort. He slept, I slept.

Now, almost 3 months later, the honeymoon (you know: mom here cleaning the house, friends bringing meals, sleeping whenever I feel the need, Camillo at my beck and call) is over and it's getting a little harder for me to let myself sleep during the day. After all, who is going to wash the dishes, switch the laundry, plan the meals, cook the meals, write the blog, snuggle the husband, take the shower, read the bible, or clean up the house if I'm napping with Ollie? There's a lot to do but only a few short windows throughout the day that they can be done. This calls for some prioritizing and planning ahead. 

Oliver is a short napper - 45 minutes at a time at most. And there are many occasions where he can't stay asleep unless I'm holding him. (Remember the stages I'm reading about?) Sometimes I fantasize about sleeping all day but I have to remind myself that I'll feel better if my dishes are done or the garbage is taken out. But of my arm's length to-do list, what should I do first?

I'm still working out the kinks to that question but, in the meantime, I've got a couple guidelines that will hopefully help me cross off to-dos and leave some space for flexibility throughout the day.

First, I'd like to get up around 7am each morning. I'll have to give myself a lot of grace on this one without losing my will power. There are mornings when we're up at 4 or 5 for a half hour or more and, let's be real, I can't expect to wake up for the day at 7am. But on the mornings I can, a 7am wake up call gives me a little quiet time to have a cup of coffee, read my bible and map out the day.

Next, I want to do the dishes every night. This will be totally doable as long as I discipline myself. Oh my goodness, if I take 15 minutes to stand at the sink each night, I'll be greeted by a sparkly clean kitchen every morning (at 7am?). What a great way to start the day? So much better than walking in to a pile of dishes and counters so crowded I can't even pull out the coffee maker!!

Hanging up our bags and coats when we first walk through the door will solve the disappearing dining table problem. While I'm at it, I'll sort the junk from the mail and decide what goes where instead of leaving it all in a toppled stack. Imagine - eating dinner at the table?!

These three ideas will alleviate some of the clean up stress and leave the house tidy even if I can't scrub down every day. As for those 'scrub down' chores (toilets, vacuuming, windows, laundry, etc), they'll have to fight their way to the top of the priority list. Getting to them will take some planning on my part.  If I plan to clean the bathroom or write a post during Ollie's first nap, I'll be able to start right when he goes to sleep instead of spending his whole nap trying to decide which thing I should do. I can't do it all. I can only do my best and that's going to have to be enough. 

Here's to longer naps, everyday showering, and a date night or two. Until then, I'm learning that productivity doesn't mean working 10 hour days and completing long lists. Feeding my baby, snuggling my hubby, and getting enough veggies are productive enough.

xoxo
Joy

Anybody got any tips for prioritizing? I'll take all the advice I can get - leave it in the comments below!!

Today I'm thankful
That the elections are over (omg)
For a husband who understands that a messy home and frozen pizza are only for a season
For my new friend, Chelsea