I used to get frustrated every single day.
My carefully planned morning would get derailed by a kid needing help with something. My focused work time would be interrupted by my wife needing me to handle something urgent. My evening plans would shift because of a family situation that required my attention.
I was getting angry at my life for being… my life.
Then I had a realization that changed everything: The interruptions ARE the plan when you’re a father.
Most productivity advice tells you to protect your time, build boundaries, and stick to your schedule. But what if that’s backwards? What if the problem isn’t your chaotic schedule; it’s expecting it to be anything other than chaotic?
Here’s what I discovered: I had a choice to make every single day. I could choose my family, knowing that their needs come first, and that leaves some time for my work, or I could choose myself first and give them the leftovers.
The truth is, given the choice, I would choose me over everybody else every single time. But I don’t want that. I want to choose them.
So I stopped trying to control my schedule and started controlling my response to my schedule. I redesigned my expectations to match reality while keeping my priorities intact.
The goal isn’t fewer interruptions; it’s peace during the interruptions.
My wife has been incredible in this journey, making sure I still get time for my work because she knows my true desire is to spend as much time as possible with our family. She knows I won’t take advantage of that time or push them away.
Most men operate from a “self first, family gets the leftovers” approach. I’ve learned to flip that, and it’s made all the difference.
What if you stopped resenting the interruptions and started seeing them as the main event?