Family/Home Battle Rhythm template

This is a template of a Family Battle Rhythm. Sometimes work gets the better of us. OPORODs, tasks, and training events take a backseat to dinner as a family and tucking kids into bed at night.  This product was provided for us to share by Kevin, an AG officer with 20 years experience, as he passionately discusses the importance of balancing family with work.  This is meant to be used just as the military version is – for routine management of family "tasks" and "requirements" and to provide expectation management for everyone.   It's far easier to stay dedicated to something when it's "the day we do it" than when you know you merely should do a chore or an errand.

What would your unit climate be like if your boss supported you to leave work 30 mins or an hour early to take time to enjoy, not just eat, family dinner? How would your day be impacted if you dedicated 30 mins during lunch everyday to a devotional that spoke to you (religious, journaling, meditation, or otherwise)?  What defines you as a person outside of the military (such as practicing a musical instrument or playing on a community sports team)? Are you fostering those hobbies, just as you do your military training? What ways do you need to recharge after a week of work and are you doing those sufficiently?

How many of our expectations of 'what leaders do' are simply because that's what we've always seen…what if we challenge ourselves to do and see things differently? What if, during initial counseling, we informed our new boss that our family (whatever that means to you) is so important that you're using one day a week to pick up your child from daycare instead of your spouse, walking your dog to build up to mileage for a community event, preparing for something else in your community. We support Soldiers who show initiative and dedication for marathon training or CrossFit challenges, what is different about supporting Soldiers for their Families, an arguably much longer community than physical competitions?

This is an invitation to do that, starting with your Home Battle Rhythm.