Getting Things Done Around the House While Super Pregnant

Whether you’re in full on nesting mode, or just in a season of life, like me, where you have some extra projects to tackle, I thought I’d share some simple strategies I’m using for getting things done, without burning my pregnant self out. As I’ve talked about before (here), I don’t feel like we need to be productive every second of the day, especially when pregnant. In our house, we’re still planning on moving to Texas so we’re continuing to declutter our things, tackle reno projects, and of course, get ready for baby. I’m definitely carving out a ton of time to relax, but I’m also picking away at small tasks that move us closer to our goal of selling our cabin and moving. This can be tiring while pregnant but I feel like I’ve learned a few strategies that have been successful for me and I thought I’d share them….

Pull Up a Chair

Sometimes sitting down on the job is just the ticket! Since my pelvic muscles have been suffering, and I have scoliosis, there are certain tasks that just wreck my back/hips. I make sure I grab a chair for doing the laundry (particularly switching it over), putting clothes away in our dresser or the kids’ room, or sorting giveaway items. And just last week I had an exercise ball (aka birthing ball) delivered and its my new favourite place to sit when I’m doing chores because my body isn’t loving our wood chairs. lol

Set a Timer

I started doing this, and found it very successful, before being pregnant but it’s still such a good strategy for me. I find it much easier to sike myself up to do something for a set amount of time and then I know I get to rest. For example, I might set my timer for 15 minutes and clean as much of the kitchen as I can in that time. Or I’ll pick a task that I need to do and only do that tasks until it’s done. You can’t get all the housework done in 15 minutes but it is amazing what you can get done!

Enlist Help

We’re fortunate enough to have my mum staying with us right now but, even before that, I have made sure that I ask for help around the house. The kids typically do their own laundry, unload the dishwasher, and clean a different “zone” in the house everyday. That really frees me up to take on a decluttering project or deep clean a space thats needing to be addressed. And I definitely make sure to ask Shane for help when it comes to moving or lifting anything heavy so that I don’t hurt myself!

Think Small

Y’all, this is not the time to be tackling your biggest house projects, and burning yourself out! It’s great to be able to check things off your list but keeping your tasks small and manageable is the way to go. I’ve been tackling projects like one cupboard, or a nightstand, or a few drawers at a time. Choose a small project that you can see through to the end… a bunch of little projects add up to a substantial amount being accomplished!

I truly help someone else will find these as helpful as I have… After months of hard work around the house, I didn’t want to lose momentum with our progress - you know, between naps! ;) What are some of your strategies for accomplishing things around the house when pregnant?!

Until I blog again,

Alex