Howdy,

Picture this:

You're standing at the doorway of your kid’s room. They’ve strewn a sea of toys across the floor. You’ve already given them a 2-minute warning till dinner.

Now the timer is going off. You say, “Ok, time to clean up!” And that’s all it takes. They're clearing up every block and doll with glee.

It carries on like this for weeks. But, then it all comes crashing down. One day, your kid refuses to clean up. They say, “It’s too hard!” or “You do it!”

No matter how logical and supportive you try to be, you’re now caught in a power struggle whenever it’s time to put toys away.

What do you do?

Today, we have…

1. Rewarding your kid for behavior they already do.

2. The only time management technique you’ll ever need (+ 5 hard questions you must be asking yourself).

3. A fool-proof way to get your kids to smile for a picture.

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1. Rewarding your kid for behavior they already do.

Many people will tell you not to reward your kid for something they already do.

But I disagree.

Here’s why…

The point of view that you shouldn’t reward kids for stuff they already do takes a simple approach:

They’re motivated to do it today. That means they will be tomorrow.

Motivation comes and goes.

As an adult, you deal with this daily.

Sometimes you get your to-do list done easily. Other days, you need to dangle a Pumpkin Spice Latte as a reward for running an errand that you’ve been putting off for weeks.

Kids are no different.

And rewards aren’t static.

We’ve done this dozens of times with our son, and it’s always less of a battle than you think.

When he turned 3, somehow, he forgot how to sleep. It was a mess.

Among some other things, a small piece of candy each morning was the thing that kept him motivated to stay in bed.

We did it for a month or so, told him he graduated, phased out the rewards, and ~1 year later, he’s still sleeping well.

2. The only time management technique you’ll ever need (+ 5 hard questions you must be asking yourself).

One of the better books I’ve read in the past year is 4,000 weeks.

Here’s the big idea…

Most of us invest a lot of energy, trying not to experience our life as it is.

We prioritize future benefit over current enjoyment.

We procrastinate because we can avoid failure if we don’t start.

We avoid anxiety by not asking ourselves if we are on the right path.

We can’t accept that we might never please our parents or change certain things we don't like about ourselves.

The details differ from person to person, but the essence is the same

That…

So, what’s the ultimate time management technique?

Just facing the reality that this life, with all it’s flaws, is the only one you get.

You will never get it all done, and that’s ok.

You will never be problem-free.

You’re only life is happening now.

3. A fool-proof way to get your kids to smile for a picture.

Pure genius…

P.S. If this was helpful, take 1 minute to forward it to a friend or family member. It takes me 2+ hrs to make.

See ya next week!

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