Observation:
Never ever once have I listened to a podcast with a male entrepreneur speaking about how they set their life tasks around their family activities, getting the house taken care of, or how to shift the mindset around work when you become a parent.
I’ve never heard or seen “change over the laundry” and “put dishes in dishwasher” squished between “email to Vendor X” and “phone call with Client Y” on a manprenuers master list of to-dos for the day.
I’ve not heard or seen resources or ideas for dads on how to meticulously implement tasks during naptime or the tricks and tips dads can use to keep kids occupied while they are taking a call.
NOT. ONE. DURNED. TIME.
I’m creating a new task help downloadable for whoever wants to pay me in email addresses. The goal of this downloadable it to allow one to get a handle on all the tasks and overwhelm that have them panicking in the immediate future. I’m calling it The Emergency Scheduling System™
I began using this system when all the other productivity systems were too complicated and took too much time in the middle of what felt like crisis mode. It’s not fancy, but it works. I created it because I am the one who has “change over the laundry” and “put dishes in dishwasher” squished between “email to Vendor X” and “phone call with Client Y” on a master list of to-dos for the day.
When developing this, my search of the interwebs and listening of the things didn’t turn up ONE male who included family management aside from “family time”, as though it was this magical special thing that happened once they got home and put on their slippers or spent the morning making green smoothies with their spawn.
I am thinking about asking my assistant to add “help my spouse with [insert life task]” as one of the ideas in the “how to use this” section.
Some women will read that and throw their head back with a cackle.
Some men will read that and it will dawn on them that can actually be added to a to-do list.
Sure, this post is brought to you by stereotypical poo. It assumes a male/female, 2.5 child family. Please, no “not all [insert whoever]” I am aware that this post isn’t for everyone.
And, I am positive that there are male business owners who do add “change over the laundry” to their master to-do list. Magical satyr beasts who we can coo and fawn over because where do I find this man?
Come to think of it, I personally know several male voice teachers who are said satyrs. I also know many, many, many, who are not.
But we don’t ever hear about those satyrs. People create what people consume. These podcasts and resources are not made, because they are not consumed.
What is the point of this post anyway? To rant? Complain? Illuminate? Maybe.
My hope is that it would be an invitation to consider the life of the voice teacher you are working with. That perhaps when your text doesn’t get answered for several hours, or over the weekend, it’s because your voice teacher has to clean out the closet and go to the grocery store or clean up the experiment called “we made mud pies”.
My hope is that it would be an invitation to consider the life you have if you’re a voice teacher. It’s okay for you to run upstairs and clean the master toilet before your 11 am student shows up. It’s okay to not answer that phone call from Student in the middle of the mall. And, if you are reading this, and not seeing how this relates to you ~ consider that too.
I see you, busy mom lady, and your voice studio admin needs being done over a breast pump or staring at a pile of pots in the sink.
And I see you, dad voice teachers, getting to go into your studio until “work is over” while someone else changes the laundry over.
What’s the call to action, here, Michelle? I don’t know yet. I had to process the thought first… it was on my list of to-dos. I’ll be back.
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Awwwww heck yeah.
SO stinking true.
I am very fortunate to have been married long enough to go through the many phases of his employment and schooling while I ran a studio, managed the kids and house, even served as PTA president during many of those years. It’s not easy, even now with us both working full time. Taking all the family needs and responsibilities, then creating a schedule as best we could, helped us become a fantastic team. Family life is like a big game of leapfrog, taking turns supporting each other. It can work, but it doesn’t happen magically…the default used to be “it’s just easier to do it myself”, or “if I don’t do it, no-one else will”. Time to change that mindset, and be the beauty partner of home management as well! It can be done, and it works fabulously!
Most of the time LOL
Beauty partner/ Beasty Partner — Freudian slip? perhaps lol