Anybody got any good ideas for how to have a more balanced 2009?
Was at the pub with some mates the other night talking about this, and he talked about starting work earlier in the morning so he could finish earlier. His wife crashes out at about 10pm and he said he just started going to bed with her instead of staying up late himself (not bad advice from a number of angles me think! - did you know statistically the most [censored] happens at 10:30 at night - anyway i digress 😮 )
So with going to bed at 10pm he decided to set the alarm earlier and now gets up at 5:30 !? I know its sounding a little extreme at this stage, but he aims to be in the office for 7:30 and then finishes a whole lot earlier in the evening....
Okay you late-nighters like me are probably not inclined to take up this routine (although i know the thought of more [censored] has probably got you interested) but what about it? Are there any other tips or ideas out there?
Or is it all a lot deeper than just what time you go to work etc since the article summarizing what the polls and statistics in 2008 showed stated :
62% of fathers say that going back to work provides them with a welcome break from the children; 25% even admit to putting in longer hours than necessary in order to spend less time with the kids
http://www.dadtalk.co.uk/news/the_way_w ... n_2008.php
Thoughts or advice please!! 2008 was a bit crazy and i need to either make more time in a day in 2009 or something has to change.......
my cousin has a great idea - he knows he is not going to get a pay increase this year and so is asking his employer to go down to a 4 day week at the same salary! sounds like a good idea to me. 😉
This is a massive area, and a chicken and egg Q too - we need money to live a particular way, we want to live that way or better (eg. more quality time with family), that costs us more money, so we work harder, longer or take a better paid job (if we can find one!) and end up doing both, but having no time!
We have a group of men who meet at work, and we realised this was an issue for most of us, especially dads of all ages. So yesterday we got the guys from Family Matters to come in and help us with a lunhctime / toolbox session on being better dads, and still working for a living.
I thought it really helped, and i think one of the secrets that i need to unpack is about better multi-tasking - for example: i like motorbikes and cycling, can i encourage my kids into this interest too, then my leisure time, and quality time with them developes in parallel, and i keep my bikes on the road for less by developing my diy maintenance skills with my kids!
Family Matters Guys, if you read this, can you offer to go to other workplaces and assist in this way too? How do we book you?!?! ❓
Hi Dadcabs (great name by the way!)
Your right FMI do go into organisations and run dad focus groups. If people want to know more they can call FMI direct on 01767 641002 ext 226.
Glad you enjoyed your session and its great to have you here on the site too. Looking forward to hearing more from you. 🙂