Having kids in the house is like being in a damn WWI trench with shells exploding over your head constantly. Ok, maybe not that bad, but it's horrible for your ability to get anything meaningful done. And then by the time they hit the sack and you finally have a few moments peace, you are worn out and ready to hit the sack yourself. My ability to burn the midnight oil has gone to zero basically.
I find that when I regularly exercise and don’t drink at dinner I can put kid to bed and have a few more hours available. But - big but - spending that evening time working has become anathema to me.
The best rule I’ve put in place is work happens during the day or it doesn’t happen.
Sometimes I only want to price compare something online and order it, which should be a 5-10 minute process. It’ll take me 30 minutes spread over 10 3-minute bursts.
In between I need to end fights, clean faces, fetch out of reach toys, lift them out of a chair, lift them into a chair, no the other chair, hand them a stuffed animal, pick the stuffed animal up from the ground, clean food from the floor…
By which time I just order on Amazon. Yes maybe I pay more but at least I can order in one click and be done with it…
It definitely put many things in perspective for me. As a young single guy you look at suburbia, minivans, one click ordering, children's museums, etc. with a bit of skepticism or incredulity. Then once I got married and had kids I could instantly understand those things, even if I didn’t necessarily like them.
