Is Nap Time Productivity a Myth?
Babies bring a lot of joy – and a lot of responsibility. Whether it’s your first little one or your fifth, parents quickly understand time is precious and no longer fully in our control. We know the best laid plans rarely happen as expected and even with twenty four hours in a day, we often feel like someone has stolen most of that time from us.
With a newborn, you’ll start to recognize sleep habits but still be at the mercy of an ever changing nap schedule. After your baby reaches four months, the ideal age to begin their sleep training, you’ll have a better idea of when they’ll be sleeping and for how long.
But how do you manage nap time productivity with a newborn, especially when you aren’t sure when they’ll fall asleep or how much time you’ll have to cross something off your to-do list? If you feel more accomplished, you will sleep better. Instead of tossing and turning at night worrying about how you’re going to get everything done, use those (un)predictable naps to your advantage.
Here are five tips from our team to help you manage your at home nap time productivity with a newborn.
1. Write a to-do list the night before and order it from short tasks to time-intensive tasks.
We tend to write our lists in order of what we feel the most pressing issue of the day is, and then spend the next day dwelling on that one issue. We lose valuable time worrying about when we’ll get it done, starting but not being able to finish, and feeling frustrated. Structuring tasks from quick to complex will help you feel accomplished when you are able to mark anything off!
2. Manage your heavy tasks by breaking them down.
When you’re looking at complex tasks, ask yourself if you can do them alone or if they’re easier with help. Set your most time-consuming tasks to be done when you have someone who can soothe the baby when they wake up. If you don’t have help, try to break the heaviest tasks down into manageable chunks. Likewise, don’t start a heavy task that can’t be paused if you aren’t sure how long your little one will nap.
3. Plan ahead with meal prep.
Imagine being able to take a delicious meal out of the refrigerator or freezer and have it ready to eat in minutes. If you’re having a hard day with the baby and in charge of that night’s dinner, you can have something ready to go quickly and not add additional stress to your day.
4. Prep your household tasks.
Just like planning with meal prep, if you’re responsible for the household, you can do some prep work to help you fully use that precious naptime. If your baby likes to be worn, you might be able to tackle household prep a little more easily. If they like to be in a bouncer, even if you have to move your little one from room to room, doing some tasks like collecting dishes older children might have left behind in other rooms seems simple at first, but a huge time saver later. Other simple efforts that might seem small can be a huge help, like sorting the laundry, putting cleaning materials in the room where they need to be used, or having a central location in each room for items out of place that need to be put away when you have free hands.
5. Take a mental break.
Most importantly, don’t feel like you have to be productive with work during every nap break. Self-care is also important. Taking time to sit and close your eyes, meditate, wash your face, have a quiet cup of coffee, or eat a snack is just as important. You are not a robot!
Gentle reminder: don’t feel guilty for taking time for yourself during your little one’s nap. Don’t feel guilty if you don’t make it through your to-do list. Don’t feel guilty if you have to order dinner out because time was simply unmanageable for the day. You are doing an amazing job!
Related articles:
Sleep & Your Newborn: What to Expect & How to Help Them
Infant Sleep Aides: Helpful or Harmful?
Five reasons your baby is waking so much at night