TFTW: Time away makes you a better dad.

TFTW:Time away makes you a better dad.

Time away makes you a better dad

If you’re like me you get set into a fairly rigid routine. Work, kids, household chores etc. Throw in a personal blog and a small business and there’s not much time left in a week for anything else. This is why my TFTW is: Time away makes you a better dad. All the things Ive listed above can equal isolation. You’re around your kids and spouse and having fun BUT you haven’t seen your friends or done anything just for you. But how do you fit it

in? How do you take time away from all of those other things that are important? Does it even matter? I think you’ve got to take care of the guy who takes care of everything else. So if time away makes you a better dad how do you do it?  I think the answer is 3 fold.

Step 1 Grab a pen

First of all grab a pen, make a list of all the stuff you’d like to do or the stuff you used to do. We all had hobbies before kids. What did you enjoy before? For me it was fishing, riding my motorcycle, building stuff in my garage and hanging out with my buddies. Maybe you just want to hang out by yourself and watch some Netflix or read a book. It doesn’t need to be a massive epic endeavor. Its just time to recharge and re-focus.

 

Step 2 how much time makes sense?

Time away makes you a better dadI think the second step is realizing that you no longer have time to do these things as often as you used to. Maybe aim for 1 day a month where you can have 2-3 hours to yourself. When I changed my perspective around how often I need time for myself I found it became less daunting. I didn’t feel so bad a

bout being away. How much time is good for you? What day of the week would be the best? What time of day? Start digging into this.

Step 3 make it a priority….seriously

The last step is make this a priority!  Plan ahead, write it down, set it in stone if you need to. This gives you time to plan what you’re going to do. It will give you something to look forward to. And if you’re hanging out with your busy dad friends it gives them time to plan and coordinate as well.

I know this is a tough one guys. I know its not easy but it matters. Think of it like this; “You need to secure you’re own mask before helping others.” You cant help your family if you don’t help yourself.

 

Leave a Reply