Post-partum organization tips

Not sure what type of Masters you're working on, but CODE, CODE, CODE your data and research. One thing that will cut down on your time is organizing your research into excel spreadsheets as you're collecting it. I have my doctorate in law and when I was researching, I refused to go back over the same books multiple times only to possibly later realize they were useless for me. I instead set up a coding system in excel where I took notes, put biblio information, and any contact info for the author(s)/publishers of even the tiniest pamphlets. It helped enormously as I pared down my research and ideas and saved so much time not going over the same thing multiple times. Not sure if this can work for you, but I can imagine it would help organize your research and it's something you can do with a little one strapped to you in a Moby or Baby Bjorn. And see if you can get a cleaning service to come in and help with the house chores while you're busy with school. There are also reasonably priced home meal delivery services in town (or make bulk items to freeze). Good luck with everything! You are setting a great example for your kids!

Are you crazy lol ;) You have to consider a masters a job, right now you should very much be on maternity leave. I strongly doubt you will be able to produce any work if quality during this time and you will probably go back and rewrite it all later. It's probably realistic that you focus entirely on being a mum until your baby is at least 8 weeks, this is such an important time and you need to get yourself back on track. When your baby sleeps, you should sleep!!!! Cliched but actually really important for both your mental health and your milk production. Once you do start back up, you may find the best time to multi task is while breast feeding, depending on how fast a feeder your baby is. I'm assuming you have help or your oldest is already at nursery? I don't think organisation exists the first few months with a newborn and a toddler, I was in total lockdown the first 12 weeks, just getting through the days. I would have thought having a baby was a pretty good reason for an extension on your masters? Or is it exams you are studying for rather than writing the thesis? Anyway, the best I can suggest is get a maid to do your laundry, groceries and cooking so that you don't have to spend any energy on that. If that isn't possible. Then clear some space in your freezer and one day a week make large batches of meals for yourself and your older child, which can be frozen. Buy the foil containers that can be put straight in the oven. This saves you time on dishes and prep/clean up as well as the mental energy involved in making dinner/ lunch. You can also prep and freeze portions of fruit for smoothies, individual servings of cooked rice and pasta, soups etc. Do a mammoth grocery shop so that you will not be running out of shampoo, toilet paper, cleaning products, toiletries, nappies, baking and other dry goods, canned goods or any other non perishables any time in the next few months, this way when you do go to the supermarket, it's a quick dash in fir fruit, veg and dairy and if you are sending your husband he is less likely to get it wrong. Learn to live with unironed clothes, most things can be chucked in the dryer instead! Delegate as much as you possibly can and don't feel guilty about your older child watching too much tv. Good luck, my husband has finally finished his phd, which he was due to finish before the birth if our first child, life got in the way and our second child is now 6 months old, but he got there in the end! <em>edited by kiwispiers on 20/04/2013</em>