A while back I had my kids make “interruption cards” which they can use at any time, no matter what. Doesn’t matter if I’m on a conference call, live podcast, or interview. They are the most important thing, and this is how I communicate that.
After many months, they never redeemed them and lost them in the move to PR. Recently we created some new ones and for the first time ever, during my weekly meeting yesterday with Dapix, Aria turned one in! The CEO and CPO were gracious and the meeting ended right there. Aria wanted help building a horse barn. She tried a glue stick, then we tried a hot glue gun, then we tried a stapler. I was out of ideas until I found some rope, and we sewed the boxes together. It worked out great!
Make time for the people you love. It’s easy to get caught up working and rationalize/justify time away from them as if it’s for them. Often it’s not. Often we do it for the rush of feeling important and adding value. Your family, spouse, and your kids want your time and when all the work is done, they are what remains.