This post has been sponsored by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A few months ago I asked about what kind of questions you had surrounding pregnancy and many of you said you wanted to know more about life with a newborn. Even more specifically several of you asked how we manage to work from home while also caring for a new baby. The honest answer is it’s not easy, but it is totally doable! In this post we’re teaming up with Atkins® Shakes to share how we’ve managed to redefine our daily routines in order to keep up with work, exercise, and life in general. If you’re interested in how to streamline your daily to-dos while also keeping productivity high keep reading!

Get a Schedule and Stick to It!

I’ll start by saying that getting back to normal work life is tough. There’s no manual when it comes to parenting so figuring out a game plan is essential to staying accountable and getting things done! We’re lucky to have help during the week which allows us to dedicate a few days a week to undistracted work time. On the off-days when we are watching Evie it’s up to us to stick to a schedule that helps her and us stay on track. So much of this is mapped out to take advantage of nap time or down-time when she can spend time on solo play. Because she is still SO young, we need to have eyes on her 24/7. Kevin and I often take turns watching or feeding her so the other can tackle our own to-dos like edit photos, answer emails, or plan for an upcoming shoot. 

At the end of the day knowing what’s important and needs to be accomplished is key to working with this type of schedule. There may be off-days when we don’t end up having as much time to complete all of our tasks. Separating HIGH priority tasks (deadlines) from basic ones (like email) allows us to manage a consistent workflow of checking things off and moving onto the next. Another tool I like to utilize is a joint Google calendar. Kevin and I can stay on the same page with both work and life and ensure we are both up-to-date on each other's schedules. 

Keep Energy High

It can be easy to fall victim to the mid-morning yawns, especially after a sleepless night with Evie. To keep energy high (and thus productivity high) we enjoy Atkins Shakes. These are packed with optimal protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich foods to keep us both satisfied and ready to take on the day. Personally, I enjoy the Strawberry flavor, but they also have French Vanilla and Chocolate options available for purchase at Safeway. Making food choices that keep us fulfilled help to sustain longer workdays and are also good to enjoy prior to working out!

So much of staying productive is also having an outlet to exercise. If I found out one thing about myself during my first 2-months postpartum it was how much I missed working out. Once I was cleared to exercise again, I wasted no time adding it back into my schedule. Going to the gym is not only a great stress reliever, but also is a nice break for the body and brain. Typically we schedule our gym time during the mornings when we have help watching Evie. 

Know how Separate Housework from Work

Even before Evie was born working from home had its challenges. Anyone who works from a home office will tell you that it can be tempting to do household work during “work hours”. So many of these chores seem harmless, but ultimately end up distracting you from the task at hand. To help keep our minds on track we utilize off-hours to do laundry or light cleaning and also get help with errands like grocery shopping with the Safeway mobile app. Sticking to these off-hours to accomplish basics to-dos (outside of work) helps us manage our time better so we can ultimately do both!

Limit Distractions

Another element to working from home is knowing when to be your own boss and limiting distractions. It’s SO easy to get lost on social media these days, especially when a portion of that is your job. Knowing when to put a halt on social scrolling is essential to aiding in a productive work environment. Kevin and I both are guilty of falling down the rabbit hole when it comes to Instagram. We’ve recently begun to limit on time on the app in order to be more present and also eliminate the habit of scrolling when we wake up or go to bed.

Do you work from home or happen to fall victim to any of these daily distractions? We’d love to hear our input on how you stay productive during work hours! Don’t forget to shop Atkins Shakes in the Nutritional Supplement Section at your local Safeway store!

xoxo,

Kelly

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