Thursday, August 12th, 2021

4 ways to be more productive while pregnant

I am not going to lie for us mammas and mammas-to-be there is a lot of pressure to GET STUFF DONE! We want to do more, we want to accomplish more, we want to be more than just a human growing machine in these 9 months and that makes sense. Because behind the "mom" label we are humans with our own wants. We have goals, desires, dreams, and need to feel productive to feel purposeful.

I have been feeling all these things as I come into the last months of pregnancy. I have had to sit down with myself, my coach, and my partner several times to move through these thoughts that "I am not being as productive as I would like". The insight that always comes out of these reflections is that "I'm not as productive as I would like". But there is a reason... I am making a human and my energy, my body, and my mind are just not going to be as productive as I am when I'm not making a human; bottom line!

That being said, I am still one of those people who finds happiness in feeling accomplished in my day. And I have realized over time that there are a few key mind-shifts and strategies I use to feel productive and accomplished each day.

Here are the top 4 ways to be more productive while pregnant.

1) Time Management and Planning

In other words "How to deal with the 1 million things going on in your head at one time.".

Create a Monthly Mind-Dump List

The first of each month I do a full mind dump of everything that I want to accomplish. I bucket everything out into 4 categories Personal, Home, Mom, Business. You may have more or less buckets than this, but these are what works for me. Get everything out on paper (or if you are a computer person open a doc and just type away)! This will help you feel less overwhelmed and assures that you don't forget something.

You can keep adding to this list as the month goes on and you think of other items you may need or want to do. If you dont complete every task on this "master list" dont fret! Just copy it over to next months mind-dump list!

Time Blocking your Calendar

After my Monthly Mind-Dump List is done I do my daily/weekly planning by time blocking. I go through each day and set my to-do's from my master mind-dump list into time slots. I try to honor myself by not overbooking and knowing my core values for fulfillment when I fill in my day. If I notice I don't get everything done one day it is a clue that maybe I over-scheduled myself and need to scale back

Note: When I say "honor my values" it means that I am mindful of the things I need for self-care and fulfillment each day. for example, I know I need to exercise/move my body, be creative, have freedom, rest, and eat/drink healthy meals. this means each of these things needs to be prioritized before anything else gets scheduled in my day. It may seem like a lot but I can pair exercise/movement with taking a walk with my daughter. Or creativity with Cooking or organizing a messy area of my home. So I can be productive at the same time that I fill up my self-care cup!

If you are interested in understanding what your core values are go to my free 5-Star Day Self-care download. This worksheet will help you live each day with more passion, alignment and purpose.

2) Scale Back

Order groceries online

This saves so much energy and you can instantly feel productive. You can now get them delivered or curb-side pickup so why not! I have also found that this saves me money because I am not just randomly adding things into my cart. My shopping is much more focused if I do it online.

Order out some meals

Cooking dinner may not be at the top of your list or you may just not have the energy and that is perfectly normal! So order out or have some easily prepared meals that you can just pop in the oven. Frozen pizza for the win!

Say No

If it's not on your schedule and you didn't plan it, say "no". It is easy, it is one word, and it is a way to care for yourself and help you stay productive and on task.

Lower your expectations of yourself

What you could do before you were pregnant you may not be able to do now, and that's ok! Just schedule less to-do in your day, add in more self-care and relaxation time. Give yourself grace and "do that thing tomorrow".

3) Daily Movement & Exercise

"A body in motion stays in motion"

However, you'd to word it moving your body helps keep you motivated and productive.

Movement is healing

Walking, stationary bike, yoga, dance. Whatever the movement, is be intentional and mindful about it. Recognize that you are doing something to support your body and mind.

More Happy Hormones

We know that pregnancy has our hormones going crazy at times. so who wouldn't want a jolt of dopamine to boost their mood?!

When you exercise, you provide a low-dose jolt to the brain's reward centers—the system of the brain that helps you anticipate pleasure, feel motivated, and maintain hope. Over time, regular exercise remodels the reward system, leading to higher circulating levels of dopamine and more available dopamine receptors.

4) Rest Is Productive

"A body in motion stays in motion" yea, yea, yea. But even better ladies, "Body at rest stays at rest."

Rest is the most productive thing you can be doing. Let me say that again a little loader "Rest is the most productive thing you can be doing". Now it's just convincing you that it's the truth while you are pregnant.

Listen to your body and mind

If you are tired; rest. If you are snapping at your partner or kids; rest. If you feel like you need time alone to journal, meditate or take a bath; honor your rest. Remember that doing inner work is productive.

Once the baby is born it will be harder to get those ZZZZZ's

Get the rest in now! Newborns take a lot of energy and you need to have the energy to get through those first few weeks. Rest now when life is a little less chaotic. I promise, your future self will thank you.

Stop feeling guilty for resting

Shift your mind from thinking "I'm just sitting here doing nothing, I could be doing so many things right now." to "I am creating a life and resting is a part of how my body can do this magnificent work.". It may seem silly but these small thoughts can switch us from feeling sluggish and defeated to feeling productive and joyful.

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