Three words. Eight letters.

Let’s start off on the right foot

“When in doubt, choose the kids. There will be plenty of time later to choose work.”
—Anna Quindlen

The skinny

Dads feel underestimated. It’s time to give ‘em the resources to be the parents they want to be.

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Knock, knock.

Best known for cringey jokes, dads and father-figures of all kinds will lace up their New Balances and throw some burgers on the grill for a fun family celebration this weekend. Father’s Day gifts are at an all-time high, averaging $174 each. Seems like a fair way to balance caring for broken bones, replacing “lost” retainers, and forgiving missed curfews, right?

Breadwinner.

Although women have made huge strides, men still are the sole or primary source of income for 60% of households. Pressures, both real and societal, to earn as much as possible could be making fathers hesitate to take paternity leave even when it is available.

Once the newborn smell wears off…

The majority of fathers have enjoyed (yeah, maybe not every day) the extra time at home with their children during the pandemic, learning more about each other and building better relationships.

Happy at home.

More than three-quarters want to continue working under flexible conditions to be more involved in the day-to-day of parenthood. In fact, today’s fathers feel they miss out on time with their kids at twice the rate mothers do—despite equally valuing being a parent.

Three words. Eight letters.

A solid half of fathers admit they say, “I love you” to their children more than they heard it at home when they were growing up. Across the board, fathers are more present and affectionate than the generation of parents before them.

Mayday?

Sure, most dads aren’t in crisis mode when the baby cries, but more than 62% want the resources to be better parents. Since popular media tends to compound longstanding societal expectations, many men feel left scrambling once it’s game time.

And stay out!

Paid paternity leave is huge. Still, it’s important to encourage parents to actually take their time off. A little better each year, new dads use only 30%-50% of the leave available to them. This Father’s Day, working dads want more resources to balance the financial, emotional, and career responsibilities of parenthood.

Date with Data: Only 7% of fathers stay at home, amounting to just over 200,000 total in the U.S.

Watch: The love, forgiveness, and healing fathers need

Also Sunday: C-level Considerations for the Nation’s First Juneteenth Observance

The skinny

Is technology actually hindering productivity? Here’s how to use screen time to get more me time.

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Up 40% from last week.

The latest phones are more technologically advanced than ever before. But that amaaahzingness is addicting, and can get in the way of daily life. Weekly reminders alert everyone that screen time is out of control. Apple even allows kids to get screen time approval from their parents via text.

Too little too late?

Other technologies are taking cues from the people, adding features to encourage scrollers to give their thumbs a rest. TikTok users see ‘digital well-being’ videos in their feed, directly telling them to close the app and get their butt outside. The app, too, offers the option to limit screen time with a password.

The flip side of our non-flip phones.

Social media continues to do what it does best: Connect people to new ideas and communities. Hidden in the TikTok algorithm are thousands of videos helping people hack their screen time and be more productive, from teaching viewers new techniques (Pomodoro anyone?) to hosting #studywithme live events to get work done with a virtual buddy.

Don’t have TikTok?

If productivity is the goal, don’t download it. Organizing your home screen and setting digital intentions can help make the most of your smartphone. Time consuming, yes, but spending time in your settings to configure shortcuts, widgets, and notifications can set you up for less distractions every day.

Double Date: National productivity decreased 7.3% since January, the largest decline since 1947.

For you: 5 Ways to Boost Employee Productivity in the Summer Months