How I write my to do list now that I have another baby

I have another baby so that means it's time to get cracking on organizing my life differently.  By "differently" I mean "don't get all cranky because you can't get anything done".

Important Note: Don't let the word "baby" stop you parents of kids, tweens, or teens from reading this post.  This strategy works for parents with kids of all ages.  I just happen to have a baby right now, OK?

Now where was I?  Oh yes.

Take my To Do list.

(No, really, take it.  Ba-dum-CHISH!)

In the past, it was great to have a running To Do List.  It was all I needed.  Skim the list, pick something to do, do it, check it off.  It was so simple.

But then I had a baby.

Suddenly that To Do list was a huge, looming pile of "Can't Get Done's" - a shadow of shame and frustration hanging over me, weighing me down.  Nursing, changing diapers, rocking, holding a baby.... all great times when my body was busy while my mind was free to watch the clock tick, the dishes pile up, the emails to go unanswered, my hair to grow split ends, the thank you cards to be unthanked...

I felt like I couldn't get anything done.  I got frustrated when I was interrupted - again.  It was stressful.

So I started playing with how to organize my time.  First I tried creating a smaller, daily To Do list from my main one.  That seemed like a great idea. I could just pick the top three to five things I would, (really, truly, would) do that day that were critical.

Except it didn't work.

Now I had a smaller, but even more pressing To Do list looming over my head throughout the day as I changed diapers, rocked, held, soothed... and I felt even more stressed out because it was a shorter list and I wasn't even able to get thatdone right away.

Boo hiss.

After years of research and trial and error I have found the To Do list system that works for me - particularly when I have a baby or a toddler.  You know, one of those constant-interuptus little people who, bless their hearts, might not take a 2 hour nap that day when you need it.

My system is all about flow.

It's main design is not necessarily to get things done, but to keep me from feeling stressed out.  Which, ironically, means I end up getting more things done.  (Tricky, but true.)

Instead of assuming I have complete control over time, my To Do list works in a world where I don't have to.  (You mean I don't have to control time?  No!  Yay!)

I will still pick the top three to five things that I really want or need to get done that day and put them down on paper, but instead of just making a list, I categorize them into time opportunities.  Or, because I still have a daily paper organizer (in addition to my online calendar) I will pencil in the To Do near the part of the day in which they can - or are most likely to - get done.

For example:

What can I do while the baby is awake?
- Folding laundry. (He loves to play with the socks on the bed.)
- Light cooking. (He loves to be held and I am a one-handed wonder at the stove.)

What requires babysitting so I can leave the house?
- Haircut
- Dentist

What requires the baby to be home with me but occupied or asleep and I am OK to be interrupted?
- Digging out the garage
- Taking a shower

What requires the baby to be occupied or asleep at home with someone who can tend the baby if he wakes or needs something so I am uninterrupted?
- Email to a client

With this new framework I feel more flexible and generous about getting my own needs met.

Meditation?
I can actually do that while the baby is in the carrier and I'm standing outside.

Writing a blog post?
This good for my soul and my creativity but I don't need to write every day.  How often?  Weekly would be great.  If I am feeling well rested and inspired, I am totally happy to write in the morning - and get interrupted to change a diaper like just now - but only when the older kids are in bed and it's just the baby and me.  Right now at 5 months old he's still very quiet. ;)

Knowing this means I can look forward to one morning when it lines up.  Because it does.  I don't have to push it.

With this type of To Do list I can:

• Intuit and decide what really matters most each day.
• Organize it on paper (and more importantly in my mind) where it flows naturally with my kid-full life.
• See more clearly when I need help from my husband or older kids - and ask for it.
• Look forward to the times when I will be able to do what I want to do, which means I get to stay present with my baby, my family, my energy, and my joy.  

Once I stop fighting reality or stressing out, it all flows.

That feels fantastic.

And, incidentally, so does getting stuff done. :)