Between work deadlines, kids' activities, bills, and marriage stuff, I feel like I'm drowning most days. My wife says I need to exercise or meditate but I barely have time to shower. I get home, help with homework and dinner, then I'm exhausted. Does it ever get easier or are we all just supposed to operate at maximum stress forever? What actually works for you guys?
Sticker charts honestly changed the game for us. When the kids have clear expectations and rewards, there's way less chaos and nagging. Less chaos means less stress on you. Started simple with bedtime and homework, now we're tracking chores.
Man, I feel this in my bones. Two boys here in Denver and some days I'm running on fumes and espresso. What's helped me is setting hard boundaries around work emails after 6pm. Not perfect, but it keeps me from losing my mind completely. The stress doesn't go away but you learn to manage it differently.
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With four kids I've learned the hard way that you can't do it all at once. I prioritize like this: work gets what it needs, family gets what they need, everything else gets what's left over. Some weeks the house is a mess, some weeks I skip the gym. That's just reality.