12 habits of highly effective dads:
1) Spend some time alone every day. Use this to fill your own cup, whatever works for you. Give time to yourself
2) Strenuous exercise, sprints, heavy lifts, sparring, 3x week for minimum 30 minutes
3) No phones at dinner table, no exceptions. Bonus points for going full no phones when you're around your kids at all (hard to be perfect on this, we shoot for about 90%)
4) Eat and chew food slowly. Count to 45 Mississippi before you take the next bite. One of the main things that make people fat is they eat too fast. You can't afford to let yourself go.
5) Make your wife & kids laugh, every single day. Not by being a clown, but by being funny, charming, or having an eccentric personality.
6) Praise your kids in front of others. "Secondhand praise" is one of the most powerful builders of their self-image. Make sure they hear you do it.
7) Spend 30 minutes outside every day. Easiest way for me to get this done is in the morning when everyone's still asleep. Do this even when it's cold, I don't care.
8) Compliment your wife in front of others. Never disparage her in front of others. Bonus points if she hears the compliment.
9) Invest & save some money every single day. Even if it's just $5/day at first. Make this a habit and put it on autopilot.
10) Read to your kids every single night. No exceptions. Even as they get older. Start with basic picture books for young kids. 10 year old boys love Lord of the Rings, etc
11) Speak words of affirmation to your kids every single day. No exceptions. People claim you can "overdo" this, I don't buy it. Say you believe in them. Say you're proud of them, and mean it.
12) Verbalize your gratitude every single day. Don't just write it down in a trendy "gratitude journal". Your subconscious needs to hear the words coming out of your mouth. Say it in front of your wife and kids. "I'm so glad I get to be here with you. I'm so grateful." Simple.
Do each of these every day and you'll notice your life get better by default.
The reason I love this list is because it's a system. They're actionable things you can do, and they're binary. You either did them or you didn't. There's no weaseling out.
Of course you won't be perfect. Take that pressure off yourself right now. I miss workouts and eat fast sometimes etc etc.
But if you do them, consistently, earnestly and to the best of your ability, there's a 100% chance your life improves.