How to Organize your Life BEFORE your Baby's Birth
It is extremely helpful during your pregnancy to eliminate the clutter in your mind and in your life so you can focus on family bonding once your baby is born. Brainstorming all the tasks that need to be completed is a great way to start. Take a large piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. Designate one side for home tasks and the other for work tasks and then inventory of your home and work life and list everything you find that needs completing, no matter how large or how small.
Here’s an example to get you started:
Unfinished Things to Do
Take back library books
Take in car for oil change
Clean out room for baby
Plan for maternity leave
Clean out closets
Buy nursing bras
Once you have made a list of all the tasks that you can think of, take three highlighter markers and go over your list again.
Color in yellow all of the things that are important for you to finish before your baby is born, such as special projects at work, choosing the paint color for your baby’s room, buying those nursing bras.
Color in pink all of the things that need to be done but aren’t important for you to do them. For example, could you have someone else take your car in for an oil change, and the library books back? Could you get a local charity to come and cart away the junk you’ve been saving for the garage sale that you’ve never got around to?
Color in green all of the things that really aren’t important for you to do anymore. Do you have unfinished projects that are taking up space in your closets and are no longer interesting? Do you have obligations at work that aren’t really necessary?
Once you have finished highlighting your tasks, you’ll find that it now becomes much easier.
Yellow items are top priority for you. These arethings that you need to finish before your baby is born. Or, at least, these things would free up time and emotional involvement so that you can relax and enjoy bonding time with your baby. Number the yellow items in order of priority and give yourself a reasonable deadline to get them done.
Pink items are tasks that you can delegate to your partner, family members or friends. Make a list of these items in order of importance. When anyone asks if there is anything they could do to help, simply pull out your list and find a job that they would be able to do for you.
Green items are projects and commitments that you need to purge from your life. Get rid of that needlework that you’ve been pecking away at for the last six years and now decide that you don’t like very much. Throw away or recycle your unwanted items, you’ll feel light and free once you give up old obligations to tasks that no longer work for you.
If you take the time to organize the clutter in your life, you will find that once your baby is born, you will be able to relax and enjoy your time together. Taking the time you need to bond with your baby is quite simply one of the best gifts that you can give yourself.
Dr. Melanie Beingessner is a pregnancy and pediatric-focussed chiropractor, a breastfeeding counselor, an infant massage instructor and a mom of three awesome kids.