As you might have guessed, being a dad nowadays is vastly different from being a dad ten or twenty years ago. You can’t hope to raise your kid in this modern world to be a thriving adult if you stick with what your old man did or how he used to live his life, so don’t even try. Things have changed, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have changed for the worse – in fact, you have an opportunity here to be the best dad in the world if you commit to being open-minded, proactive, and agile in your approach.
The most important thing you need to focus on as a new dad is how to establish that much-needed work-life balance so that you can grow your career while actually being there for your kid, all the while preserving your health and staying in shape. With that in mind, here is your guide to modern fatherhood and how you can create work-life balance as a brand-new dad.
Rethink your goals and what truly matters
You shouldn’t forgo your career goals so that you can become the best dad you can be, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t rethink the core values and principles that guide your professional and personal decisions. In other words, now’s the time to make room in your life for other long-term goals and aspirations, and to figure out what should take priority and what you should put lower in the hierarchy.
It should go without saying that you will have to forgo some of your habits in favour of spending more time with your kid or to make more money, for example. This is good, this means that you are evolving as a mature, proactive man, and that you have what it takes to lead a healthy and satisfying life. If you decide to cut your screen time or chip an hour from your gaming session, for example, you will be able to spend more quality time with your family, which will ultimately lead to happiness.
Professional and personal communication is key
You can’t hope to achieve much in the personal or professional realm if you don’t master the art of honest, transparent, and timely communication. If you are to create work-life balance, you’ll have to communicate your needs and all important information with your superiors and team members at work, and you will also have to communicate effectively with your partner back home. This will allow you to stay flexible and agile, and to stay ahead of every unforeseen circumstance.
If nothing else, timely communication will allow you to rise to every occasion. No matter if you have to take your kid to the doctor’s office, or if you can’t make it home in time from work so that your sitter can clock out, you need to make it a habit to communicate everything to all relevant people in your life in a timely and concise manner.
Don’t let your career take a fall
When a new dad is trying to balance out his professional and personal lives, it’s usually their career that ends up taking a hit. This should come as no surprise, because after all, you’re certainly not going to risk alienating your kid, and you’re certainly not going to shun your duties as a loving parent. That said, this doesn’t mean that you should let your career take a fall, which is why you should accept help whenever you can.
To meet their work schedules and keep building a successful career, dads will often enrol their kids into an interactive learning centre where professional teachers can care for their kids while actually encouraging them to spend their time productively. It’s not just about having someone watching over your kid while you’re at work, it’s really about the way they spend their time and what they learn in the process.
Squeeze in some “me” time
All this talk about work and your duties as a new parent don’t seem to leave much room for your personal needs – but it’s imperative that you focus on them nonetheless. As a new dad, you might think that finding the time to work on your health and fitness is an impossible task, but keep in mind that there’s nothing you won’t be able to achieve with a bit of planning and preparation.
Firstly, be sure to master the art of meal prepping. Make most of your meals in advance over the weekend so that your nutrition is always on point. Secondly, consider building yourself a home gym, so that you can always squeeze a workout in when you’re in a rush. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a few basic pieces of equipment that will allow you to work your entire body.
Make a flexible schedule
Finally, remember that consistency is the key to thriving work-life balance. Your goal should be to create a detailed schedule that is also flexible, and to stick to it as much as you can. Now, as a dad, there will be a lot of unforeseen circumstances that you’ll have to tend to on a moment’s notice, but that doesn’t mean that you should skip the gym or a healthy meal, or that you should leave a work task for tomorrow. Instead, tend to the emergency, and then get back to your schedule if possible. This way, you will stay productive, positive, and you will accomplish more overall.
Wrapping up
Being a new dad is not easy, especially if you’re determined to keep pushing your career forward while raising a family – but it’s definitely doable. Follow these tips, and you should have no problem creating work-life balance that brings you happiness and success.
