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Working from home is challenging enough, but if you have a newborn as well to look after, you will find little or no time for anything, including running your business and completing household chores. You need to learn how to multitask and make the most out of every second of the day, get enough sleep, and keep a strict schedule, taking into consideration your baby’s needs. Below you will find nine tips on how to change your lifestyle and daily schedule without compromising your business. 

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You cannot count on a set schedule with a newborn, so you should not get stressed out if they wake up while you are working. Instead, try to make sure you get them some fresh air and tire them out. You are likely to have to feed them in the first few weeks every couple of hours, therefore, break down larger tasks to small, manageable parts. If your baby goes to sleep, you will know exactly where to pick up the work. Project management skills come handy when you are trying to manage a newborn and your business at the same time. 

You might not want to hear this, but sometimes you will need to get a babysitter to look after your baby. Childcare is necessary when you have deadlines coming up. You might want to get a few hours help in the morning to get all the work out of the way, then have a rest after feeding time, and get back to your daily schedule. Unfortunately, there are no guaranteed times when your baby will sleep, so to avoid stress, you could get a babysitter stay over. 

Sometimes, it is the best decision to take some time off after your baby is born. In the long run, it will pay off, as you can get into a good routine and find your feet again, and adjust your daily routine according to your workload. If you are lucky enough to have a right hand in your company, you can let them manage the business, or get a virtual assistant to take care of urgent phone calls and client enquiries. 

There are some tasks in your business that take up too much time and you can simply outsource them. Taking care of admin, payroll, accounts, and other issues can be daunting when you have limited free time. You don’t want to rush to the phone when you are covered in diaper rash cream. While you might increase your expenses temporarily, you will be able to spend precious moments with your baby that will never come back. 

Instead of meeting with clients, you can use video or voice conferencing and virtual collaboration tools. Check out the Google Suite package that gives you all the tools to work with your team remotely, without having to print and send documents for approval. You can even create, sign, and send invoices to clients, instead of meeting them. Video conferencing is a tool that will help you make the most out of your time, and allow you to spend more time at home.  

When your hands are occupied, or you are holding your baby, you could use your voice to search the internet, or even type letters. Computers today are able to recognize your voice commands and write down whatever you have to say, so you don’t need your hands all the time. Get an advanced software that has a speech to text feature, and you can keep on working without having to type all day. 

You can multitask while you are completing household chores, when your little one is asleep. You will need to get a baby monitor to make sure you are alerted when they wake up, but it is possible to talk to clients while you are chopping onions or doing the dusting. You can multitask any time, so you have more time left to look after your newborn. 

If you are up all night with a baby, chances are you will be just sleepwalking during the day and have nothing done. When you already have a daily schedule, you can take a nap when your baby is asleep, and recharge your batteries. It is not good to skip sleeping just because there are too many things to do. Your household chores will wait, but your health will suffer if you don’t get enough rest. You want to maintain your energy levels when breastfeeding, and this means getting your 7-8 hours sleep every day, no matter how much work you have on. If you are not tired, you can get more done in less time. 

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It is no longer a taboo to take your baby to your business meetings. They might be sleeping through it, but you can combine your client updates with a walk in the park. This way, you will feel that you are not stuck in the house all the time, and your baby gets enough fresh air, sleeps better, and lets you work once you are back. You might need to visit your employees in the office, and taking your baby will not distract you if you plan and time the visit carefully. Your little one can get used to new people and environments, and their immune system will develop faster. 

Many entrepreneur moms make a mistake of trying to get everything done at the same time and working for long hours, skipping sleep. If you would like to carry on managing your business, you can get help from virtual assistants and outsource some smaller tasks. Once you have your daily schedule, you can combine walks with client meetings, and take advantage of modern technology to get more done in less time. Don’t miss the special moments with your newborn just because you feel like you need to micromanage every employee and task.