It’s been a long time since I became a Stay-at-home or Work-at-home Dad. In fact, when I started the acronyms SAHD and WAHD weren’t even in existence. I guess that means I was way ahead of my time. I actually tried to figure out when I moved my office back home, but my records are sufficiently dusty and occluded that I’m not sure when it was. I know it was at least 10 years ago, and probably pre-dates that, honestly.

As you may know, I upped my game just over a year ago and started watching Hectic Grandson full time. Since he and his Mom live with us, the hours are very flexible. In fact, I’m pretty much on-duty in one form or another almost 24×7. Not that I’m complaining…what better way to spend your time than to hang out with your grandkid? We have a blast together, and despite the level of exhaustion created by an active toddler, I wouldn’t trade this life for the world.

But I have been struggling a bit lately. I’ve been griping to whomever will listen that I’m not nearly as productive as I’d like to be. By that I mean that this blog hasn’t taken off like I’d hoped, and my other projects seems to be in permanent holding patterns. I have great plans, but I haven’t been able to take them out of the planning stage. While I’ve got my hands full with Hectic Grandson, I keep thinking that I should be able to do more. Lots more.

Yet I have this nagging feeling…

I wonder why I’m not productive like I think I should be. I’m baffled that it takes a huge act of willpower to sit down and write a blog post. My social media engagement is pretty lacking, and also takes a ton of effort. Our house is a mess. My office is a disaster. We won’t discuss the basement or garage…let’s suffice it to say that neither is just a weekend project. My task manager of choice, Todoist, is full of projects that I’d like to get done. My daily three absolute tasks are easy to come up with, and virtually impossible to complete.

I’ve tried trick after trick. I’ve implemented hack after hack. And yet the number of things I want to do vastly exceeds the number of things I can actually do. I’ve battled to prioritize. I’ve themed my days. I’ve tried to ensure that I understand what mode I’m in so that I attack the right projects and tasks. And yet, I continue to slip further and further behind…battling an ever-growing monster that makes the Hydra look like a pussycat. Every time I successfully complete a project or even a task…several most crop up in their place.

Lately I’ve taken to berating myself for my lack of productivity. My poor accountability pal has listened to me complain about not getting enough done since our first call. He keeps pointing out to me that I’m accomplishing so much but I keep countering that I want to accomplish so much more. He’s been patient, but I’m beginning to sense that I’m wearing down his British sense of politeness. At least he’s too far away to punch me in the mouth!

I did take the past weekend to try and attack the reorganization of my office. I knew that my Varidesk would arrive today, so I wanted to be in a state where I could install it. If you’re not familiar with it, the Varidesk allows you to either sit or stand at your desk, adjusting the desk height to accommodate either position. For the first time in weeks I’m actually sitting at my desk typing on my keyboard. Considering that I pulled my back moving furniture this weekend, the fact that I’m in a chair is very much appreciated.

But looking around my office I could almost scream. Despite having started this reorganization in June, it still looks like a tornado hit. Things are a bit more organized than the average post-tornado mess…but not by much. The more irritating thing is how much more I have to do to make my office the harmonious workspace that I imagine. And once achieved, I further imagine that the reduced clutter will help me concentrate on the work at hand.

While I was moving furniture and boxes, I ran across a picture that I’ve been meaning to place on the wall for quite some time. It was one of those tasks that kept falling off the list at the end of the day, still unaccomplished. I finally bit the bullet and hung it directly over my computer monitor. As I hung it, I really thought about what it says. It’s a perfect encapsulation of what my life has been like since my oldest daughter was born in 1989…my interruptions are my work.

And it hit me…I’ve been operating under the wrong definition of A Good Day’s Work for far too long. I’ve been measuring it in words written, blog posts uploaded, Twitter interactions, and Facebook likes. I’ve been focusing on the results of a good day in the business world while largely ignoring the results that reflect my work as a Dad (and Grandpa).

I turned the tables this weekend and considered how amazing my kids are. How much they’ve accomplished. How many opportunities they’ve been afforded and been able to take advantage of because I’ve been who I am. The measures don’t pan out if I only look at the monetary aspects, but when I look at their experiences and accomplishments it’s an entirely different story. Using that measurement scale, I’ve had a lot of good day’s work put in, and the return on the investment has been immeasurable.

Don’t worry, I’m still going to fret over not being productive. I’m still going to try and write more often, kickstart the projects on the back-burners, and generally do all the things a businessperson is supposed to do…but I’m also going to measure my successes on another scale. I’m going to use a yardstick for my Good Day’s Work that includes the impact that I’m having on the people around me…especially on my kids and grandkids.

I know my accountability partner will be relieved. Of course, I’ll manage to find something else to gripe about, but for now, I’m going to achieve a lot more Good Day’s Work!