The hardest thing about having a wife, 5 kids, 2 dogs, and a cat

I have a wife, five (almost 6) kids, two dogs, and a cat. My life is full, fulfilling, and of course, complex at times. I start work early while still seeing the kids a bit before school. I do school pickups and sometimes drop-offs. I often play the role of unpaid Uber driver, errand runner, venture capital funder (with no expectation of a return on investment, aside from my kids’ happiness), and chore taskmaster. Is it a bit hectic at times? Sure. Would I choose it all over again? Absolutely.

Of all the things I’ve mentioned so far, you may be wondering what the hardest thing is. Interestingly, the hardest thing I have to deal with in my personal life is also the hardest thing I deal with in my professional life; they just look different.

Forced task switching is the hardest thing I deal with at home and work. It’s that moment when I’m trying to focus, I’m in the zone, I’m ready to accomplish something, write something, think through something, and then, at the worst possible moment, I’m interrupted. But, I’m not just interrupted by one kid; that would be easy to overcome. Instead, I’m interrupted by one kid wanting breakfast, and 30-seconds later, another asking a question, and 2-minutes later another asking to go to the store. Then, when they are all either dismissed or taken care of, depending on how good…