"You Time": Why It's Important for Fathers, Husbands & Employees

June 04, 2010, By Karl Withakay 0 comments

"You time" is defined simply as time for YOU. Not time with the wife, not time with the kids. Not necessarily alone time either. It's simply time where you can do what YOU want and HOW you want to do it. Only you will suffer the consequences and reap the rewards of everything you do during "you time."

Why Is Getting "You Time" So Important?

There's nothing wrong with being a good dad, there's nothing wrong with being a great husband or a great employee. But you are more than your wife's husband, more than your children's father and more than a model employee. You are YOU! You are an individual with a personality, talents and passions that are 100 percent your own. You may have some of them that are related to your family, your wife or your job, but many of them have nothing to do with any of the above. You had a lot of those things before you met your wife and before you got that job. They could be the reason you have that job and your wife. It's possible to lose ourselves in our busy lives. Between our career, our marriage and the kids, it's pretty easy. It's important to maintain ourselves as individuals, though, even if we do have a family and a demanding job. If we don't, we become like robots on auto pilot and that's definitely not good.

How Can I Get Me Some of That "You Time"?

Think of some things that you liked to do before the wife and kids and before the job. Think of activities that you always wanted to do but never got around to. Do some or all of these things. Learn to play guitar, take a martial arts class, anything you want to do or anything you've ever wanted to do (within reason and without going broke). Don't neglect your family or your job, but do your best to take at least a couple of hours of "you time" a week. Make a schedule. Every Wednesday night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., you have "you time." That's just an example, but do your best to make a regular schedule.

What Are The Benefits Of "You Time"?

An appropriate amount of "you time" helps us to stay grounded. "You time" makes for a better husband, a better parent and a better employee. The benefits are endless. "You time" helps us to not lose ourselves, and if we have lost ourselves, it can help us get to know ourselves again. That's always a good thing.

Now go and make time for you!