I feel as if I’ve always been relatively efficient…. yet, when Harper arrived, I needed to tweak a few things here and there. You see, before little miss, I had all day long to finish what I needed to do (even in my 9-5 job I was able to complete work at home….)…. that all changed on January 7, 2016. Completely. And, with TJ being gone this past week, it really put the changes I made to the test…. and while I felt relatively frazzled, I still got crap done (I didn’t say it always looked pretty….). So, today I decided to share a few tips on how I attempt to remain efficient with a little one in tow 24/7…. and if you have anything to add to this list, I’d love to hear….

1. List, and more lists: So, I’ve always been a list maker… and have always used a paper planner (currently using this one)…. the phone just isn’t visual enough for me. I love the act of crossing items off as I go…. sort of like a “mini” accomplishment. Before little miss’ arrival, these lists were completed on Monday morning and were meant to be accomplished throughout the week…. yet, that’s a little too loose for me these days… “Ohhhh, I’ll just do that tomorrow….” and then it’s Friday. So, now I complete the list for the following day the evening before. I don’t pile stuff up, as to not set myself up for failure. I keep the list prioritized too. Low, medium, high…. and then…..

2. Schedule: I schedule in when I will get all the “things” completed… during little miss’ nap (easy e-mails, phone calls, shower (yes, sometimes that needs to be scheduled in….)), during her awake hours, during her afternoon nap, and then in the early evening when TJ gets home from work. It sounds rigid and not fun, but it’s actually what allows me to have some flexibility and fun…. after all that…..

3. Reminders: I set reminders. While I don’t use my phone for planning out my days/weeks/months, I do use the phone to give me reminders of important events (doctor’s appointments, a phone call that needs to be made, e-mails….) which ensures that I won’t forget. It’s kind of like my backup system to my daily planner….. (since I seem to have major #MomBrain lately….)

4. Versatile Pieces: When I was growing up, I always planned out my outfits the evening before… it helped me get out the door in time (I was terrified of being tardy… #RuleFollower). Not much has changed. So, since I could spend hours staring at my clothes, trying to figure out what to wear (#WastingTime), I still outfit plan the evening before, or reach for my go-to pieces (I shared my favorite basics yesterday) when I am in a pinch. These joggers and new fleece hooded pullover (which is so incredibly soft) are pieces I wear on the regular. I also believe that having items in my closet that I can wear for more than one activity helps immensely. I can simply toss them on, and seamlessly transition. I have a mom’s group that I am part of on Thursday mornings. I dress up more than usual for that, so when it’s time to get on the floor with Harper, I change. This jacket is one of those items perfect for a day like that. I wore it running errands as it’s featured today over said favorite pullover and joggers…. yet dressed it up for a casual dinner with TJ and Harper wearing my favorite mules (sick of them yet?), jeans,  petal pink silk blouse (which, if you’re looking for an amazing silk blouse to invest in, I recommend this one… I’ve had it for several years and it’s still in perfect condition.), and bolero hat (which I still wear, even though it’s winter….).

5. Meal Plan: I typically follow this shopping list/meal planning foundation for the week. It’s not always seamless, and I do occasionally have to head to the store in the middle of the week, but all-in-all it helps me to eat healthy and for us to have a delicious dinner at night! Annnnd, for those times that I am really not feeling the store (and that’s been a lot lately) I just joined instacart…. and let me tell you #GameChanger. Have any of you tried it??

6. Divide + Conquer: Since TJ and I value our time together, and because we enjoy having our evenings to watch a movie or just chat, we divide and conquer when he gets home. He typically takes Harper for about an hour so I can work on/finish a blog post and start dinner…. and then after we all eat together he washes the dishes (#keeper) and gives Harper her evening bath so I can wrap things up for the day. Again, it doesn’t always happen this way…. like this week for example…. but when it does, life just seems to run a little smoother.
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{Outfit Details || Jacket (olive color is on sale) | Joggers (TTS) | Hoodie (wearing XS, size up for a looser feel) | Beanie (similar) | Sneaker | Bag | Sunglasses}