As I enter my third trimester (today!) my project management skill set is trickling its way into my pregnancy in little sneaky ways. And that’s when it hit me. Why not embrace it? It’ll hopefully make my partner and I, first-time parents, less stressed. And who doesn’t love having a game plan?

Once people know you’re expecting there is a lot of information thrown your way. Do this, don’t do that, buy this, try that. In order not to totally lose it, you have to filter things into buckets. For instance:

• I want to remember this.
• This is interesting – I should look into it more.
• Nod and smile because I don’t care.

After a little research, a top-line budget tracker and a to-do list, we’re full-steam ahead.

Step One: Start A Registry
You can begin to figure out all the different things you’ll need. As a first-time mom, I registered for all the cute stuff and not the logical things. After I compiled my registry, I asked my friends who recently had kids to take a look and tell me if I was missing stuff. I was. (Shocker.) But it takes a village right?

Step Two: Budget What You’ll Need Once Baby Is Born
Let’s be frank. There is a ton of stuff you need to buy to prepare for the arrival of your little dude (or dudette). What I’ve loved is buying little. One, it gives you time to research and get away from impulse purchases. Two, you can build out a budget to prepare for those big ticket items. It also gives you time to save up and account for incoming medical bills.

Step Three: Prepare For Life Once You’re Home From The hospital
For some reason, I viewed labor and delivery as the finish line. I was kindly informed that the race actually starts once your baby is born. One of my favorite things about being a project manager is anticipation. My favorite research has helped me figure out the best way to anticipate our first-time parent needs. First, cook meals and freeze them right before your due date. That way when you’re hungry you can have something at your fingertips in a flash. Second, stock up on household items so you don’t have to make last-minute, late-night trips for dish and hand soap, paper towels, dog food, etc. Third, prewash all of your newborn’s clothes so they are ready to go should he or she decide to come early.

These are just a few helpful tools that have guided me through my first pregnancy. Almost everything is project management when you break it down. Rock on, planners!