Whether you’re updating your child's bedroom or trying to embed certain habits, there is the need to have enough time, energy, and mental resilience. Because of the sheer demands placed upon us, it becomes vital to learn the importance of working smart rather than hard. But how can we, as parents, embrace this approach wholeheartedly?
Synchronising Naps Strategically
Newborns can be notorious for unpredictable sleep patterns, which means that we end up navigating so many sleepless nights. This is why we may need to start thinking about synchronising naps as best as possible. Instead of attempting to tackle tasks sporadically throughout the day, we should work hard at focusing on our baby's nap schedule, however erratic it may seem. During those precious moments of rest, focus on those high-priority tasks that require more mental energy. It seems that having a pushchair always appears to be conducive to getting a baby to sleep, and therefore if we have to take them out for a walk, this might be the ideal opportunity to focus on some calming down exercises. For example, as we walk around the street, we could practice deep breathing, which means that we don't feel necessarily as stressed due to lack of sleep as some parents do.
Creating Short Breaks
It can feel like we're constantly having to keep an eye on our child, and as we've already mentioned, taking some deep breaths can be very effective at reducing our stress levels but we also need to maintain our mental health. Working smart involves incorporating the shortest of breaks to recharge our mental capacity. We can feel like we're constantly pushing through without taking a break, and just having the opportunity to take a few deep breaths can refresh our minds and prevent burnout. On the topic of deep breathing, this podcast provides a variety of resources on how to breathe optimally depending on what you want to achieve, and one five-minute technique can make a massive difference in reducing your stress levels.
Asking for Help
A very obvious thing, but we can feel too proud to ask for help. Working smart as a parent also means recognising when we should accept help, but also delegate tasks. We should be open to receiving some form of assistance with our daily chores, and this will lighten our workloads but also help us focus on tasks that require our unique attention. If, for example, you need to do something like pay the bills, which can require a lot of focus when you are blurry-eyed, asking for someone else to take the baby for a while gives you that breathing space so you can focus your efforts far more effectively.
Working smart as a parent of a newborn is about strategy. When you incorporate some of these practices, you won't just be able to maintain concentration but also prevent mental fatigue. Sometimes we just need to remember that it's not about pushing ourselves to our limits because this won't achieve a lot. Rather, it's about making sure that we can operate in a far more strategic and studious way on occasion.
