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ew Year is all about fresh starts, resolutions, plans and goal. This is my second year as a New Dad, and now that my daughter is doing well and is clearly a very happy child, I’m thinking back to my own life balance and my own personal development plans. I am now in a position that I can refocus on my own goals, as well as being a parent and husband.
So how do you get the balance right between these various roles: father, partner and individual?
Decide what is important – let’s face it, you’re not going to have the time to do everything you used to do before baby arrived. Write down what is most important to you. Perhaps you play a musical instrument or a sport and want to ensure you get adequate practice in. Maybe it’s keeping in touch with close friends and meeting up with them regularly. Prioritise your list of activities.
Discuss your needs – make sure you discuss with your partner what is important to you as an individual. By sharing your needs you give your partner or wife the chance to support you in fulfilling them, and make space for you to have the time and space when you need it.
Be realistic – it’s tempting to try to include everything you used to do before baby came along in your daily routine. Don’t be a martyr! Realise you only have limited time – plan carefully and allow space for unexpected surprises – life has a habit of throwing them up!
The key point is whatever you are doing with your time, make it count. Time is precious, and when babies and children arrive this is even more true. You may like to go out for meals with friends, and find you are doing this less once you’ve become a new dad – so make sure you go to a nice restaurant, or one which has had good reviews.
Make sure your time is spent well, and most importantly, enjoy every minute of it!
