👋 Hey Reader!
Before I get into the newsletter, I’ve been thinking a lot about what we’re all trying to balance—work, family, health, maybe some side projects or just finding time for ourselves.
It’s tough, and over the years I’ve learned a few things that have really helped.
I’m opening up a couple of spots in my coaching program for anyone interested in working on:
- balancing work and life
- time management systems
- strengthening job security through a strong personal brand
If you’re curious or just want to chat more about what it could look like, just hit reply and let me know.
Happy to share what’s worked for me.
Onto the newsletter.
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Here’s what I’ve got for you in today’s issue of WFH Dads:
- Stop skipping this during your workday
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- What I’m starting - prayer for my kids out loud to them
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- Recent issues you may have missed
Stop skipping breaks during your work day
A busy Monday
Mondays tend to be the busiest day of the week for me.
Last Monday was particularly busy since the rest of my work week would be cut short.
Tuesday, I planned a half-day to watch my kids while they were out of school.
Thursday, my son had a 4-hour food allergy test (he passed and can now eat baked egg!).
Friday, I had lunch with a friend, cutting into my usual work time.
So of all the days to power through, skip any breaks, and get things done, it was Monday.
And I did power through and skip those breaks.
And I wish I hadn’t.
Because I did not in fact get MORE done.
What happens when we skip breaks
We skip breaks because we think more time in = more completed tasks out.
But that’s just not true.
The main part of my work day is 9:00am - 4:15pm.
I will typically take a 90 min break around 11:30am to get some exercise and then eat lunch.
That was the break that I skipped last Monday.
The problem is, my capacity to do good work quickly diminishes after 2.5 hours of work.
I find myself with a big project or two still needing to be completed but I don’t have the mental or creative energy for it.
So I jump into Slack.
But I don’t even answer Slack messages.
I just read them and mark them as unread so I can reply to them later.
I’m literally accomplishing nothing.
When I DO take 90-min break, I come back with renewed mental, physical, and creative energy.
I’m ready to get real work done.
Force yourself to take breaks with time blocking
So how do you take a break on days you feel you don’t have capacity to do so?
You force yourself to.
Time blocking has been the best thing that’s worked for me.
This is where you divide your day into work blocks and you stick to them.
For me, my work blocks are:
- 5:30am - 7:30am | my wife leaves for work at 7:30am so I have no choice but to finish up work by then. I have breakfast with the kids and take them to school.
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- 9:00am - 11:30am | nothing is forcing me to stop at 11:30am here, I just typically want to leave for a run by that time.
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- 1:00pm - 3:30pm | wife and kids get home at 3:30pm so I spend about 15 minutes chatting with them and eating a snack
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- 3:45pm - 4:15pm | my wife & I agreed that my hard cut off is 4:15pm each day so I can watch the kids for a bit while she gets some time to herself.
3 of 4 of these time blocks have hard end times that force me to take a break (or end my day).
It’s that mid-day one that is easier to skip.
So I try to create accountability to ensure I actually take that break.
One way I do that is by going to a mid-day jiu jitsu class. Knowing that I need to leave the house by a certain time in order to make it to class on time forces me to get my work done and actually take that break.
Give it a try
So if you find yourself skipping breaks and just working for 3+ hours straight at a time, write out a similar time block schedule for yourself where no block lasts longer than 2.5 hours.
Decide what will happen during those breaks:
- spend time with family
- schedule an exercise class
- go on a long walk
- take a nap
- read a book
And make a commitment to yourself to take the break.
Remind yourself that if you skip the break—you’re actually getting LESS done.
What I'm starting:
Praying for my kids out loud to them before bed
I’ve always prayed for my kids. But recently, I started doing something different.
I often will scratch my 4-year old daughters back for a few minutes at the end of our bed time routine.
One night, I told I was going to pray for her while I scratched her back.
She asked why.
I told her because I love her.
I prayed that God would show her how much He loves her, how he is always with her, that she should learn a lot about him, that she would see Him as better than anything, that He would protect her, and that she would be a person who loves God and loves people.
The second night I did it, she said she didn’t want me to pray for her.
I said that’s fine and just prayed in my head.
Each night since then I’ve asked if she wants me to pray for her and she says yes.
Some nights she tells me ‘Daddy pray for me’ before I even ask.
And the other day when I was pushing her on the swing, she was saying ‘its good to learn about God because He is everywhere and He loves me.’
The prayers are sticking with her.
I do this with my 2 year old son too.
He doesn’t know exactly what’s going on but he does repeat ‘amen’ at the end of it.
So if you’re a person of faith, consider praying out loud to your kids.
Catch up on recent issues:
What’s your favorite way to take a break?
Reply to this email and let me know. I read and respond to all of them.
Also, let me know if you're interested in the getting some coaching.
Thanks again for being a part of this community!
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Thom Gibson
Founder of Work-From-Home Dads
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