Miranda is three weeks old and has already changed my world immensely. I am loving every minute of being a new dad and planned from the beginning on being as hands-on as possible with raising her. Of course Miranda’s mom is doing the lion’s share of the parenting, but I am trying the best dad who ever lived and also be effective at work. The baby is teaching me a few things about how my work needs to be different so it can be better. Some things I have learned so far:
1. I am learning to be more efficient.
She sleeps anywhere from 10 minutes to 6 hours at time (that happened ONCE), so I really need to take advantage of the time I have when she is sleeping. And it has been a case study on Parkinson’s Law– that work will take just the amount of time allotted for it; give yourself 4 hours on a project and it will take 4 hours, give yourself 30 minutes and it will take 30 minutes. I am giving myself smaller blocks of time to accomplish tasks and it’s working just fine.
2. I am learning to be more flexible with time.
Even though I may have allotted the time, that does not mean I have any idea when she will wake up. I need to be able to make adjustments to my plans as needed. This has been tough since I have always been in charge of my schedule and pretty disciplined about it. But I am also finding that flexibility helps me to prioritize projects and appointments.
3. I don’t have to answer every phone call and email the moment it arrives.
As a salesperson, I want to be available when people call. But I am finding that while holding the most beautiful baby on Earth I can’t be on the phone or laptop, nor do I want to be. The calls can be returned and emails can wait a little while. In my next block of time, if it’s important, I will address it.
4. Having time to sit means having time to think.
The worst things about working via laptop and phone are the distractions of the laptop and phone. There is always one more website to visit, article to read, person to call or email to reply to (not to mention Facebook and Twitter). It cuts into the time to think and be creative. Holding a new baby means being forced to sit still while interacting with one of God’s most beautiful creations. It’s great time to reflect and plan, and it could last awhile if the baby decides it.
I hope to keep using these new things I have learned to be more productive. I also hope this helps you too, even if you don’t have a new baby.
