We all are busy, even while working from home. American families get just 37 minutes of quality time together per day, according to a recent study. This figure does jump up to two hours 40 minutes on weekend days.
However, the study observed 2,000 parents with school-aged children across the United States and discovered the extent to which hectic routines take a toll on family time. We all struggle to properly bond and enjoy our family without distraction; however, it is challenging to balance everything with responsibilities on any given day.
As a dad, you don’t always have time for all these time-management hacks you see on the internet. Well, here are four ways to manage your time while being an awesome Dad.
Have and Know Your Hierarchy of Importance
What tasks do you prioritize? One of the first things you need to do as a father is decide the most important categories. It would be best to determine the value of obligations to filter what is important to you and your family. For example, when obligations arise like PTA meetings, homework time, or just family time, you will need to assess whether the activity aligns with your hierarchy priorities.
These priorities determine whether you say “yes” to one activity or “no” to another because you can’t do it all. If you say “yes” to soccer practice, you may have to say “no” to going to the gym. Suppose your priority is to support your children at soccer practice consistently. In that case, regular visits to the gym may not align. You need first to decide where things fall on your hierarchy of importance. When you are presented with opportunities that take time, you are better equipped to determine what items you can and should do and which you have to decline. This step alone can save you many hours in your day.
Use Your Weekends Wisely
Weekends or weekend days (because not all of us work regular 9-5 s) is the best time to rest and relax. This is the time you want to lock away and not be bothered until Monday. However, weekends are also the best days to spread out larger tasks and get them done with less stress. You might enjoy more of your week if you treated it like a seven-day stretch, as opposed to five days and 40-plus hours. When you are planning your time, remember to think through your weekends. It’s much more rewarding and relaxing than trying to cram in a full day of family, personal, and career activities into a short period.
Let Go of Perfect
As fathers, we sometimes put too much pressure on ourselves to live up to a certain standard. Having standards is excellent and all; however, if perfection is your goal, you need to let it go. Trying to be perfect takes far too much time and energy. This causes you to be stuck on a single activity longer than it probably should be. Getting the job done just good enough at times is all you needed. Do not get caught in this time suck; get it done, and move on.
Learned How to Delegate
We have said this before; every dad needs a team. You are not Superman, and at times, you need a team to cover everything that needs to be done. We believe there are five critical people you should have on your team, but you could have as many as you can afford to help out. Delegating tasks will only help your free time for you to do another task on your hierarchy of importance. You may find yourself completing various domestic duties and traditional duties such as mowing the lawn or doing minor household repairs on any given day. Finding someone to complete means you may be able to go to your kid’s soccer game or even feel less stressed running around.Â
Now there are other methods you can use to save and manage your time. However, you choose to accomplish this is fine, just as long as you get a hold of your time. Time is the one thing we can never get back, so use it wisely. Remember, your family looks to you to guide them. Relax because you are doing great.
