During this nine week course, you will learn the importance of balancing your life in all areas, but you will learn, even more importantly, the hows to work-life balance. How do you learn to manage expectations? How can you say no effectively so you can yes to the things that matter most? How can you create opportunities for meaningful communication? And how does a dad make time to keep himself sharp so he can be more productive at home and at work.
You can simply visit each page for the course or you can subscribe to the email course and get one lesson each week for nine weeks in your inbox.
Statistics, studies and your own gut feel tell you that family should come first. But what happens when a dad lets other things take priority? And how can you keep family first and still balance the other competing demands in your life.
What you will learn in this lesson:
- What society expects of fathers
- How to effectively manage the expectations you face
- What successful dads do to meet the many demands on their time and attention
This week's installment tackles the idea of needing to pace yourself as a father in your quest to bring balance to your life.
What you will learn in this lesson:
- Setting priorities so you can focus on the most important things
- Managing your calendar so you can get it all done
- Figuring out your workflow so you can program things when they will happen best
Adding one more demand to a course on balancing the demands of life as a father may seem a little counterintuitive. However, making time for meals together as a family is a very high leverage activity and one that can pay great dividends. After all, you are doing two important things at once, right?
What you will learn in this lesson:
- Why family mealtimes are important
- The need to plan for meals together
- How to get the family to commit to family mealtimes
- How to have meaningful conversations at the dinner table
Week 4: Putting First Things First
As we strive to better balance our lives, coming to grips with priorities is crucial. Identifying our values, setting goals and scheduling can help us learn to say no to the things that are least important.
What you will learn in this lesson:
- How to say no to things that are not very important
- How to use the Getting Things Done method for managing time and workflow
- How to use technology to keep yourself and your family organized
Week 5: A Strategic Focus on You
This week in our continuing effort to better balance our lives, let's explore ways to best take care of you: to keep your personal saw sharpened.
What you will learn in this lesson:
- How to focus on your personal health
- What medical examinations to have when to address problems early
- Making time for personal fitness
Week 6: Keep it (or Make it) Simple
One of the important aspects of improving balance in life is getting rid of things which are unimportant or which don't align with our values. Take some time to evaluate your situation and see how you can bring greater simplicity and connectedness to your life.
What you will learn in this lesson:
- How to get rid of the clutter and live more simply
- How to keep work at work so you can be more focused at home
- How and when to multitask (and when not to)
Week 7: Leveraging Your In House Resources
Some dads (like me occasionally) get a little overwhelmed with all there is to do around the house and yard. Weeding the garden, mowing the lawn, and handling the fix-it needs at home can be daunting. Find out this week how to leverage your resources at home and get more out of the time you spend.
What you will learn in this lesson:
- How to engage your children in working, chores and more
- Planning shopping and cooking so you can be effective and efficient at home
- Important tools and resources for the do-it-yourself dad
Week 8: Staying in Touch on the Road Sometimes the toughest time for keeping life in balance is when you are traveling. Whether you are gone most of a month or only once a year on business, a few simple activities will help you keep in touch with the family and continue to build relationships.
What you will learn in this lesson:
- Keeping in touch with the kids when you are away
- Using technology resources to connect from a long distance
