It’s easy to delude ourselves into thinking that the kids going back to school means us finding some semblance of normalcy (and space). But when a day ends just short of 3:00 p.m., the work-from-home day becomes frustratingly short. Even if your kid pushes it to 5:00 p.m. due to sports or activities, how do you tackle the time between their wired arrival and shuteye? One thing not to do: Have a minute-by-minute plan. That’s a lot of work that’s probably going to fall apart in the first five minutes anyway. Besides, they could use the space — to be creative, to learn to make choices and play the way they want to play. So let go, allow some freedom — but maybe not before giving them a sandwich.
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Every kid is different. But overall, the ideal routine offers a chance to be creative, make choices, and play. They also might need a sandwich.
3 Time-Management Tips Real Dads Swear By
I Save Calls Until After 11 am
“That time is just arbitrary, but I’ve realized how much I hate making and taking calls at home in the morning. There’s something that feels especially intrusive and annoying about it. So, I made a rule not to take any calls — or Zoom meetings — until after 11 am. That way, I can dedicate the first three or four hours of my day strictly to work I need to get done, and make sure the house is running smoothly before the afternoon. It’s worked much better in terms of not having to interrupt conversations by saying, ‘Sorry, my daughter can’t get on Wi-Fi for school. BRB.’ I try to deal with all that stuff early in the morning, make sure things are as locked down as possible, then reemerge from my cocoon of solitude to deal with the rest of the day.” — Anthony, father of one, California
I Finally Silenced Social Media
“There’s really no point for me to have social media open during my workday. At best, it’s one or two funny memes a day. At worst, it’s a rabbit hole I fall down and waste plenty of time climbing out of. I figured out how to mute it – or snooze it, or block it, or whatever – during my regular work hours, and it’s really helped me make better use of my time. That little ‘Your time limit on Instagram has expired’ is really telling, because then it asks, ‘Would you like to open it anyway?’ It’s like a speed bump made of guilt that usually keeps me on track for the day. And with four kids, I really don’t have time to waste.” — Jason, father of four, Connecticut
I Learned to Timebox
“Working from home with two little kids is a lot like trying to play three positions on the baseball field. You’re constantly running from one task to another. My wife is a stay-at-home mom. So, she’s the main player during the day but we’re both trying to cover all our bases. It felt impossible for me to focus for the first few months. I was scatterbrained and running back and forth. Multitasking is not my thing. A friend suggested timeboxing. it’s this simple time management strategy that basically involves putting all of your tasks, big and small, into a calendar and designating certain amounts of each one. I don’t always hit my time goals but being able to look at the items in my calendar has helped me feel a lot more productive and contained.” — Gregory, father of two, Virginia
Here are a few more simple time management strategies from parents.
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While a robot lawnmower isn’t exactly a new idea—you can buy them from Walmart these days—Segway’s version might be the one America has been waiting for. The Navimow uses GPS to determine exactly where it is on the lawn, then uses that information to mow in tidy rows, mimicking the pattern a human would use. That means fewer instances of missed patches of grass and haphazard mowing lines left behind, plus — for parents — a much easier installation. In short, it mows as you would.
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The term “neurodiversity,” frames brain differences not as something to be cured, but as something to be embraced as part of human diversity. People who are autistic, have ADHD and similar brain differences have strengths unique to their atypical ways of perceiving, interacting with and learning about the world. In this episode of Live.Work.Thrive, Scary Mommy and Fatherly team up to bring a panel of experts to discuss how the different ways children think and perceive the world should be framed as a gift and a strength.
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