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As a father, treating your little ones to uninterrupted quality time is a gift that keeps on giving. By investing in your little one’s interests early on, engaging in stimulating gameplay, studying their quirks, and tending to their emotional needs, super dads everywhere can play a positive role in their child’s formative years. Despite these undeniable benefits of father-son camping trips and father-daughter dances, squeezing in quality time between back-to-back meetings has proven difficult for working fathers in the past.
Nevertheless, forward-thinking dads are beginning to prioritize quality time with their children, making room for their wants and needs alongside work responsibilities. As a result, many father-figures are feeling burnt out and worn down by double-duties. Regardless, they’re pushing forward, learning to balance work and play.
Many working dads are navigating parenthood and work-place duties by shifting from traditional occupational roles to self-employed professionals. As self-owned businesses continue to blossom, navigating work and home life will be even more imperative for entrepreneurs needing expertly managed time. If you’re a self-made father looking to up your parenting game without sacrificing your career ambitions, consult this guide in performing the ultimate balancing act.
Invest in a virtual office space
If you’re tired of driving far distances to dingy, rented office space, leaving your children’s puppy-dog faces in the rearview, a home office can take your commute time down to a walk to the den. Although remote work poses its challenges, like distractions and overworking, an increasingly large number of working parents report boosted productivity and happiness levels when allowed to work from home.
Plus, with the help of a virtual office, you gain access to a physical address, phone number, and receptionist service, in addition to the flexibility remote work allows. Utilizing virtual spaces decreases admin responsibilities and commute times, enabling you to invest more in your children’s development.
Value quality time
Some well-meaning fathers think a short conversation here and there is enough to stoke an emotional relationship. However, regardless of how often you speak with your child or what activities you engage in, you’ll need to ensure the time you spend is quality, bond-building time. Squeezing in a lunch break to sit down with your child and ask earnestly about their day and emotional state allows trust and connection to grow and shows them you prioritize them throughout the day.
If your job is intensive or enforces strict on-the-clock regulations, set aside time during the weekend or post-work to engage with your children. Offer to play their favorite games, watch a well-loved TV show, or talk with them about their day-to-day stressors to show them your unconditional love and support.
Hire trusted employees
Part of running a successful self-owned business is keeping good company. Whether you’re a lone-wolf looking to keep help limited or an entrepreneur looking to scale-out, you’ll need help along the way to manage tasks and administration responsibilities. For overworked family men, hiring a trusted assistant can be the difference between late nights at the office and game nights with your children. By surrounding yourself with excellent staff, you can sleep easy, knowing they’ll handle day-to-day business functions so you can allocate extra time for family bonding.
Roll with the punches
Having children is an unpredictable journey filled with high-highs and low-lows. The same goes for entrepreneurship. Whether you’re scrambling to fund your latest idea or consoling an emotionally distraught child, you’ll need to know how to adapt and be resourceful. Part of balancing work and life is imperfection. After all, you’ll never get it 100 percent right. However, by being open and honest with your children and adapting to hurdles life throws at you, you’ll learn to run a successful business without compromising familial goals.
Wrapping up
Being a self-made man while having a family is no easy task, and balancing work and family life can be challenging for the most seasoned parents. However, you can win father-of-the-year without letting go of your professional dreams by investing in office management resources and personnel, prioritizing quality time with your children, and adapting to the ups-and-downs of entrepreneurship and parenthood.
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This content is brought to you by Jana Gray.
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