When I think about the “Big 3” concept of Sustainability is am reminded of rhythms and seasons present in the world around us. When you have children, your life’s rhythm revolves around their school schedules.
Another school year is ending and I am reminded of seasonal happenings like end of year parties (happen each year, but I sometimes forget to anticipate them…).
There are natural rhythms and routines all around us. Some humorous rhythmic occurrences:
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Super Bowl Monday’s lack of productivity
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Cyber Monday’s lack of productivity
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The crazy traffic during the first week of “Back to School” season
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The summer doldrums for new business activity
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Holiday Frenzy where there is so much busy-ness and not a lot of business.
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Forgetting to budget for Christmas and remembering it’s coming up at the thanksgiving table (a la Clark Griswold)
As children we are ingrained with routine and structure – we thrive with boundaries. We are able to be confident inside our walls that hem in life’s chaos. Children especially.
Why then, when we become men, working men, do many of us seem to forget the importance of rhythm and routines? I’m not talking “daily routines,” rather, I am talking seasonal routines that come with the changes in the underlying cultural happenings.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” – Ecclesiastes 3:1.
Perhaps I see the green lights like Neo in the Matrix now that I have 4 kids and choose to be a Dadlife promoter. But, the exercise that follows has been very helpful to me to learn to rock with the waves and roll with the rhythm of life around me. Learning to anticipate the “roll” has provided me opportunity to be more productive and more at peace in the process.
I encourage you to grab a calendar. Actually grab a few. Find:
1. Children’s School Calendar for next school year
2. Favorite Sports Team Calendar
3. Personal Past Time activity, find it and pencil it in.
4. Family vacations – chart them out for the next year. Broadly – week of x we are going to y, type things. Plan the details later.
5. Note things like holidays, kids birthdays, anniversaries, special dates, etc.
6. Kids sports activities, I know schedules aren’t printed yet, but you have an idea when the seasons are and you can place an overlay on your calendar so you see the milestone approaching.
BONUS ROUND:
1. Pencil in Date Nights with your wife
2. Pencil in “dad and me” time with each of your kids
3. Pencil in “Me” time for yourself.
They say prior proper preparation prevents poor performance. I’ll take it a step further and say it also provides for peace and posture as you navigate life’s changing seasons.
SUPER BONUS MOVE – www.freelancer.com to find an assistant to do the manual labor of entering this stuff into your calendar.
Good luck out there!