How to Be Productive and Be a Parent

7 ways to make your productivity soar as a parent

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

That’s been the case for me. Despite the demands on my time (and energy!) as a stay-at-home mom to my nine-month old son, Hayden, I’ve gotten far more done entrepreneurially this year than in past years.

It’s not due to hacks or tricks. Rather, it’s because I’ve re-thought my work habits given my new role as a parent with very limited free time. As a result, I’ve been able to get several entrepreneurial projects out the door in short order, including Learning Babies, Baby’s Weekly & Daily Log Book, my eBook Problem-Solving for Programmers, and this newsletter, all while being a parent first.

Here are seven ways you, too, can make your productivity soar as a parent.

1. Take care of yourself

Everything seems worse and little gets done when you’re worn out. Although being a parent is no easy feat, it’s important to take care of yourself: eat well, get some sleep, and exercise. You’ll be more productive and you’ll be a better parent if you do.

Exercise is one of the first things to go when people enter parenthood. It seems like a luxury.

But, for me, it’s a necessity. I don’t always want to exercise. And many days I think about how I could use time spent exercising toward a project or task.

But the reality is this: I’ve never regretted a workout, even if it’s just 15 to 20 minutes on my stationary bike. However, I’ve always regretted skipping a workout. When I feel good physically, I do better mentally — and I get far more done.

2. Manage your energy

It’s hard to move forward on a project when you’re mentally zapped from all that’s involved in being a parent. That’s why managing my energy means more to me now than ever before.

Of course, taking care of yourself, as mentioned above, will help your energy level. But sometimes it’s necessary to get an energy boost throughout the day.

For me, exercise is not only a way of taking care of myself. It’s also how I manage my energy. I usually feel like a zombie before my workout; I feel renewed afterwards.

There are other ways to manage your energy. Examples include reading, talking on the phone, listening to music, or taking a short nap. As little as 15 minutes spent doing something restorative can give you the boost you need.

3. Get baby on a routine

A routine brings predictability and security to your baby or young child. He knows what’s happening each day — and so do you.

Hayden, like all babies, thrives on a routine. He knows that he’ll be fed when he wakes up from his nap. After he eats, he knows we’ll play together. Then, he knows I’ll change his diaper and get him ready for his nap.

I benefit, too.

Because his days have a regular rhythm I know when his naps are. I know when he’ll wake up in the morning and when he’ll go to sleep at night. This predictability gives me regular slots of time to get stuff done, like working on my entrepreneurial projects.

4. Wake up one hour before baby wakes up

Set your alarm one hour before baby wakes up in order to get something productive done. And you’ll know what time baby wakes up if he’s on a routine!

One hour is all you need to make progress — and that’s what you’re after: progress. Get a little bit done each day and eventually you’ll complete the project. That’s exactly how I wrote my eBook, Problem-Solving for Programmers. I worked on it for about an every single day, and several weeks later it was published.

The key is to be hyper focused during this hour. Make this sacred time. No email. No texts. No Slack. Have an objective for this hour and make as much progress as possible.

5. Focus on small strides

Being a parent forces me to focus on making progress each day. This is something I’ve repeatedly learned from Hayden.

Hayden didn’t start feeding himself solid foods. In fact, the first time I set a slice of banana on his high chair tray, he just poked at it and smiled. He later picked it up and squeezed it in his hand over and over again, as if this were another sensory activity.

Then, one day, his hand made it to his mouth but the banana didn’t. Eventually the slice of banana made it into his mouth. Simply put, instead of big leaps, Hayden nailed this skill by making small strides: incremental progress each day.

He’s not alone.

This is how babies learn any number of skills: lifting that heavy head, rolling over, crawling, standing, or talking. The list goes on and on. Each day, baby shows up — with enthusiasm — to get a little better. The process continues until they master the skill.

Take this valuable lesson and apply it. Rather than a lofty (and often unrealistic) goal, aim for something more manageable. Aim for some progress each day. This is motivating because you’ll see and feel yourself moving forward. And soon enough the thing you’re working on will get done.

6. Make a plan

This seems so obvious. But the obvious can go out the door when you’re busy as a parent. So here it is: start the day with a plan — even if the plan changes.

The idea is to be intentional with your time. I do this by making a plan each evening before I go to bed. Because Hayden is on a predictable routine, I know when I’ll have pockets of free time during the day.

So I identify what I want to get done during those pockets of time. “Draft newsletter” is the plan for me right now as Hayden naps.

Aim to make specific and concrete objectives when you make your plan. This is a great way to hold yourself accountable (I’ll either finish this draft or I won’t). You’ll also know where to pick up tomorrow.

7. Don’t multitask

Either parent or work on your entrepreneurial projects — don’t try to do both at the same time. Otherwise, your attention will be split and something will be compromised.

Being productive while being a parent can be demanding. So try to do something nice for yourself on a regular basis. For me, it’s reading before bed. It’s something I do daily and I look forward to it, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Indulging in a personal pleasure, like reading a book or magazine, can help give you some sense of balance in our rewarding, yet challenging roles of being a parent and entrepreneur.

Originally published at https://entrepreneurialparent.substack.com on December 21, 2022.