As the work load with the book piles up, I find myself losing track of anything other than the task at hand, so I have had to figure out how to make myself take moments in my day to connect with my wife and kids, where before those moments were more easily available.

As a committed Family First Entrepreneur I don’t want to have precious family time restricted to after five and on weekends.  So, for example, today I told my wife I wanted to pick up my son from preschool.  I was super busy and even tried to back out at the last second with a call to my wife, but she had already made other plans, and so I had to follow through.

What I hoped would happen, did, and Jaken and I had a nice visit on the way back home.  He read a book to me that he got from school, and I beamed with pride.  My son loves me and deserves my time.  I have to remind myself of how much that matters when I consider my work.  I am the family provider and my wife and sons depend on me for their financial security, but at the time of my death, it will be time spent with them that we will all remember rather than  money in the account or our worldly possessions.

When I’m super busy and in a hurry, I have tactics that I use to set myself up to remember to slow down and remember what counts.  With friends, I set lunch appointments because I have to eat and I might as well be doing it with a friend that I haven’t had time for recently.  I turn my cell phone off and spend time catching up and honoring our relationship.

With my family, I make time by having a home office.  I am within easy reach.  I also get to share meals with my wife and my sons, and I commit time each day to share in the parenting and household workload.  Sometimes I find myself grumbling about it, but once I’m there, I’m grateful for the opportunity.  I get to be in on so many daily events that work-away-from-home dads never get to see.

Time is whizzing past.  Set yourself up to have time for the people you love.  Don’t blink and lose precious moments that will haunt you later in life.