How to remain super-productive as a new Dad. Our guest blogger’s tips

Darren O’Connor is a fresh-out-of-the-box dad to one screaming little boy. He’s on a mission to become the best dad he can be. His blogs and podcasts at askdad.ie are mostly about the positive things associated with becoming a Dad, while his hilarious 
tweets document his parent fails as a newbie. This guy is one for the bookmark (chuckle) list. It doesn’t get more real than this. Welcome to this week’s guest blog.

‘How do you fit it all in?’

That’s the question I get asked most often as a follow-up to, ‘So what do you do?’

I’m a super-motivated, unsuccessful full-time entrepreneur dad with a side business. To give you an idea of what my life is like right now, here is what I do on a weekly/daily basis:

• Monday – Friday 9am-5.30pm: Job with a 35 minute commute
• I run a dog crèche in Ennis Co Clare doggy.ie
• I help out on Saturdays in my father-in-law’s health store
• I’m building a house
• I run the blog and podcast at askdad.ie
• I wrote a children’s book (hoping to self publish in March ’15)
• I’m a new Dad
• I’m a new husband

So how do I get it all done?

I hate to say it, but there’s no real science. I have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else. I think my secret sauce is just being organised. Like crazy organised. I HATE inefficacies. I listen to educational podcasts on my 35-minute commute so the time spent traveling is not wasted. I button up my jeans on the way from the bathroom to the kitchen sink where the soap dispenser is more efficient and more water comes from the tap (yes, really). And I have dozens of these little time-saving anecdotes.

My six tips on being a super-productive Dad.

1 Write down your ‘Reason Why’

I cannot emphasise how important it is to have a written version of your reason why. There is something very powerful about bringing something that exists in your head onto a piece of paper. My first ever blog post on Ask Dad was about creating a ‘Reason Why’. It’s essentially a reason why you work so much, get up early, stay up late and do things some people find hard. Write down everything you want in the present tense and be as specific as possible.

Here’s a little snippet of my Reason Why:

I have earned income in my Current account.

I work from home on my blog, podcast and book.

I spend every afternoon with my wife and child.

I make meals for friends and family.

I go skydiving every month in preparation for World Record try-outs.

I live in my new warm and comfortable house.

I grow vegetables in my back garden.

2 Get up early

In the depths of winter, it’s a horrible thing to do. It’s cold and it’s dark. The bed is warm and inviting. The first thing I do is listen to ‘Rise and swim’. It’s an audio clip from a swimming advert. It gets my pistons firing. I get as much work done between 6am and 8:30am as I do between 9am-5:30pm in my job.

3 Take notes

With so much on, I find a good idea for a blog post might pop into my head, but if I don’t get it down then it can pop out just as quick; NEVER to come back. Trello is my project management app of choice (it’s free too). It’s on my phone and desktop. I make a habit of popping a note into Trello so when it’s time to write a post or develop a podcast, I can get straight into the content.

4 Get straight into the flow

A nice productivity tip I learned from the Start-Ups for the Rest of Us podcast was to train your brain to get straight into the flow. Your brain is a muscle and can be trained. Normally it takes a little while (5-10 minutes) to get focused. When I finally do get in the flow, I play a favourite track: Stay High by Hippie Sabotage on repeat for the whole time I’m working. So the next time I need to get to work fast I put on that tune and my brain clicks into gear straight away.

5 Cut out soaps

Jesus, what a waste of life. TV Soap operas steal every ounce of productivity and creativity you might possess. They are expertly designed to suck you into the drama and NEVER LET YOU GO.

6 Stay ahead of the game

I take ten minutes after dinner to get my lunch together for the next day. I check Trello so I know exactly what I’m going to be doing in the morning. Then I can spend quality time with my wife and baby.

BUT: It doesn’t always work as smoothly as this. Some mornings I can’t get out of bed. Sometimes Nathan is unsettled and requires constant attention. But if you have a plan and stay focused, you can find how productive you can be while still being a ridiculously busy new dad.