Fixed date nights instead of constant stress: Jason Modemann explains why family time is his most important business hack.
Fixed time for family in the calendar – non-negotiable. Jason Modemann, CEO and founder of the Mawave agency, explains why he treats date nights like business appointments and what that has to do with his performance as a managing director.
Wednesday evening belongs to my wife, Thursday afternoon belongs to my daughter Luana. Both are a fixed block in the calendar. And my team knows that nobody is allowed to book anything through it.
That might sound unromantic or banal to many entrepreneurs – but it isn’t to me. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last few years, it’s that time for family and relationships doesn’t just happen. It doesn’t suddenly arise because “there’s nothing going on right now.” On the contrary. When it comes down to it, there’s always something going on. There’s always another call, another dinner, another problem, another pitch, another supposedly important thing that comes up.
That’s exactly why I’m extremely strict about it now. Of course, I never say anything completely dogmatically. If there’s a big crisis or a really important pitch, then my family time sometimes gets postponed. But that is the absolute exception. As a rule, the two “appointments” take place.
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The right moment never comes
I’ll be honest: I use the blockers primarily for self-protection. Because I know full well that otherwise the things that are not urgent at the moment will suffer from my busy everyday life. I used to convince myself that I would make enough time for my friends and family – at the latest when things calmed down a bit.
The problem is that this moment almost never comes. In my time as an entrepreneur and founder, there has never been a Wednesday evening when I thought: Oh great, I don’t have anything to do anymore anyway, so I’ll spontaneously plan some time with my wife. Quite the opposite.
And I now realize very clearly why regular time with my loved ones is so important to me: If I just work through a week, it’s usually okay. But if I just function for a long time and don’t have any real compensation, I become worse at my job. I make weaker decisions, am less creative, have less drive and, at some point, less patience.
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Without balance, there is no focus
This time with my wife and daughter is no longer a “private luxury” for me. In a way, it is also my most important business hack for staying productive. Actually, it’s exactly the opposite of what many founders think: the business is continuing to run well not despite this time – but also because of it.
What I would give other founders – very briefly:
- Don’t treat Family & Friends as a gap in the calendar, but as a priority. Block that firmly in your mind too.
- Really make exceptions the exception.
- Stop separating your personal life from your job.
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