Big Job Small Children

Time to save another hour of unproductive time. Next week you will have an additional two hours of time to learn and recover. By learning how to reduce the number of hours worked you will increase your productivity and overall satisfaction. That means being a better, less stressed dad. We take control of our work schedules ourselves as our organisation or boss is unlikely to say "I really think you should work two hours less next week to learn about ...."

To future-proof ourselves and emerge from this crisis in the best position we must find ways to learn and develop. And we need to move from an hours-worked = success formula which keeps us busy being busy.

What if dad worked less? Well, mums for one might be under less pressure to keep the show on the road.

Do you still think hours not outcomes? Does your employer?

Over the next ten weeks learn a process to reduce your working week by one hour a week. By week ten you will be working 10 hours less per week. What would you do with that saved time?

Once you have reduced your week by an hour you will repurpose it. More exercise. More learning. More recovery time.

Reducing hours worked will increase your energy, productivity and creativity.

Welcome to Series Two. The goal for the next ten weeks is to remove one hour or unproductive time per week. Imagine how you could better use 10 hours.

To help you we will focus on one question: What if dad worked less? You will learn how to remove an hour a week (think Jenga). This will enable you to improve your performance when it counts.

There is one question to focus on during series two: What if dad worked less? For the next 10 weeks we will explore one consequence of working less. e.g.less time on zoom, less time in response mode, more time to think and plan. The challenge will be to reduce your working week by one hour per week. This saved time can be repurposed more usefully - to learn, and recover. Using the recovery tactics from series one you will increase your performance at work in less time and as a result increase time with the family life.

Today, a brief summary of the importance of recovery. Recovery is the middle space between work and life which often gets neglected. Using the Think-Act-Learn approach you will be supported to make small weekly changes which over time will result in big changes. By investing in your own recovery you will be more productive and a better dad.

For instance, one recovery tactic is hydration. The dehydrated brain does not work as effectively as it should.

One vital parameter is sleep. Get too little and you won't be as productive next day. Lack of sleep is a particular change for working dads. One because we are working later and two because we might not sleep so well due the pressures and stresses we carry around. If you don't get enough sleep then other recovery tactics also fall by the wayside.

This week the focus is on family times as a technique for incorporating parameters between work and life. Eating together provides nourishment for all. You will hear stories from those working dads who benefit from time away from work to share meals.

This week it is time to put in place parameters, dividing work and home life. Not easy to do when you might be working from home. But in fact parameters become even more important. I suggest that carving out small chunks of time to recover is a skill and a necessity in our always-on culture. Working all the time is just too tempting. And during this crisis working harder than ever to show our value is even more likely and even more dangerous. Time and again, working dads tell me tat they see even less of their children despite the fact that they are in the same house, being heated by the same central heating system.

Time to apply our three-step process to make some change. Then each small step will lead to large strides. In a few weeks you will move closer to thriving at work and home.

What are your parameters between work and home? As a working dad it is easy for work to take over. Working from home can result in greater stress. Where is the transition between work and home life?