Parenting and a "Failed" Highlight


Hey friends,

We went quiet in May because...I had a baby! Well, my wife Claire had the baby but I became a father to a sweet baby girl, Kaia, on May 8th.

As a self-proclaimed Time Dork, I've never experienced a time warp so peculiar as the first few weeks of parenthood.

Each day cut up into 2-3 hour increments, with a consistent flow of activities from feeding, to changing diapers, to putting the baby back to sleep. You blink, and the sun is setting.

And while the days flicker by like a stop-motion animation, I simultaneously feel that we've had this baby in our lives for months, not weeks.

Have you ever traveled to a new country and experienced the feeling that each day feels way longer than your average day?

There is something peculiar that happens to our experience of time during novel or intense experiences. There is so much new sensory and emotional information flooding in, that it somehow makes the experience of those moments richer in your memory.

This is akin to what I've felt in these first few weeks of parenthood. It's a strange sensation that I'm still wrapping my head around. Maybe other parents reading this can relate.

As the time flows by, I'm trying my best to soak up each moment and bask in the beauty of our little human being evolving by the day.

I'm trying to remind myself to pay attention and be there in the moments that matter.

Although I didn't realize it at first, the practices I've picked up through Make Time have helped me stay present and enjoy these early weeks of parenthood.

From my Distraction-Free iPhone (#17) to Ignore the News (#25), and especially Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First (#87), these tactics have made a real difference.

It's been a reminder of how versatile this framework is, and I'm more grateful than ever to be part of the team helping to share the Make Time message.

Something to Watch

We'll soon return to the regular format of this newsletter but in the meantime, I wanted to share with you a clip that's been on my mind for awhile.

It's a short story Jake told during a recent interview on Lenny's Podcast (see the full interview here).

To me, this story encapsulates so much of what we're talking about with Make Time.

It's not just a system to get more done and be more productive.

It's not about optimizing every minute of every day.

Instead, it's about helping us recognize what really matters to us, and then empowering us to make decisions day-by-day to place our focus on those moments.

Please enjoy this story of a "Failed" Highlight by Jake:

Timely Quotes

“You become what you pay attention to.”
– Epictetus

Thanks for reading, see you in couple weeks!
Connor

Time Dorks

Join 20,000 curious humans who receive our bi-weekly newsletter filled with tips, experiments, stories all about making time for the projects and people that matter most. // Written by Connor Swenson, with occasional interludes from Make Time Creators Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.

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