Establishing routine
I remember from my first stint as an at-home dad that whole days could go by with little or no sense of accomplishment. My wife would return from work, say “What did you do today?” and I would have very little recollection. But it clearly was not “scrubbed the toilets, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed, and finished the laundry” (the last of which, by way, is not something that ever happens). And that was with just one kid.
One thing I learned in my first week at home was that starting a daddy blog while also trying to be a dad was biting off a bit more than I should have. And fiddling with unfamiliar programming scripts late at night on the couch gave me (and my wife) flashbacks to work life (not that this isn’t work).
Along with keeping up my writing chops and staying on top of the social networking game, there’s a lot I want to accomplish while I’m at home. Play with my kids. Minor home improvements. Ongoing housework. Setting up a practice putting green in my living room. Research and buy eco-friendly and socially responsible products. Family bike rides. Gardening and landscaping. Cooking healthy meals. Getting in shape. Potty training. Flying my kite. Blogging and tweeting about all of the above.
If there’s one transferable skill that I’ll clearly need in order to get any of this done and succeed in my new role, it’s time management. It’s so easy, as soon as you get a short window of opportunity, to jump right into something. And then as soon as nap time is over and the steady stream of demands begins, you forget what you were doing and it doesn’t get finished. So, today I’m setting up prioritized to-do lists. As soon as I finish cleaning the garage.
Oh wait. Is that the baby crying?
