What goes first?

What goes first?

PLUS – some meltdown handling tips ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

August 21, 2026 | Read online

What’s up y’all? Hope it’s been a great week. School is back in session in a lot of places, so cheers to everyone adjusting to new routines.

We’ll see ya Monday! Have fun out there this weekend.

If you’re new here, we mix it up on Fridays with a quick recap from the week and a few extra gems to head into the weekend right.

“Much of life is in learning to always remain part of the solution rather than allowing ourselves to become part of the problem.”

Jim Rohn

THE DIGEST

• Wisdom of the Week: Most of us spend years building. Whether it’s your career, business, financial security, etc. You don’t have to stop building. Just make sure you’re actually enjoying some of what you’ve already built along the way.

• Most Clicked: Try ‘These’ Instead of “How Was Your Day?”

• Gear of the Week: Washed Herringbone Workshirt

• For the Kids: FatBrain Air Toobz

Read, Watch, Eat, Listen

A few things to get into this weekend if you have a moment

📕 Read: 5 Ways to Handle the Meltdowns | On Being Unavailable

📺 Watch: How to Be More Productive

🍔 Eat/Drink: Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings On A Pellet Smoker

🎧 Listen: The Wellness Trap w/Dr. Kelly Starrett

IN THE TRENCHES

Topic: What Goes First When Life Gets Busy?

We asked what tends to fall off first when life gets a little nuts.

It was basically a dead heat between working out and seeing friends. That tracks.

The workout gets bumped because that hour can suddenly be used for something else. One dad said it’s the easiest thing to sacrifice because it’s “only my time.”

Friends are a little different. They don’t necessarily get intentionally cut, they just keep sliding down the list. One dad said his closest friends all live within three hours of each other and they’re still lucky to get together once a year.

Eating well was next. When the schedule gets packed, cooking turns into whatever is fast and easy. As one dad put it: “You just grab whatever is easy and fast and off you go.”

And then there are the guys who refuse to give anything up. They just start cutting corners everywhere. Lawn gets a little taller. Dishes pile up. Less TV. Less downtime. Kids still get where they need to go.

Probably the most accurate answer of all. When life gets busy, something usually gives. The trick might just be noticing what it is before it’s been gone for six months.

DAD DAY | AUSTIN EXPERIENCE

Quick gut check. We launched Built For More Austin last week. This is our October 15th-17th experience.

We’re getting some good interest, but wanna make sure we understand what’s making people hesitate. The whole point of these events is to disconnect, hit the reset button and connect with some other dads getting after it.

If you clicked but haven’t grabbed a spot yet, what’s the biggest reason?

Pick one and let us know why

If you’re dragging your feet, snag your ticket today.

WEEKEND BURNER

4 rounds for time:

• 100 m KB Farmers Carry (pick a manageable weight)
• 150 Single Jump Ropes
• 50 Air Squats

ONE LAST THING

🍻 Weekend Assignment: Make the thing you’ve been putting off the first thing you do Saturday. Then enjoy not thinking about it for the rest of the weekend.

🧠 Worth Knowing: Crows can recognize individual human faces and remember them for years. So maybe don’t piss off a crow.

🎧 On Repeat: Fresh tracks on the Dad Day Playlist → Listen

dad shower thoughts: You can own 12 screwdrivers and still never have the screwdriver you need.

We ❤️ Coffee

Dad Day will always be free, but coffee helps with the early mornings and late nights that go into it. Grab us a cup here.

———

The Dad Pact

We’ll keep showing up with the emails. All we ask? If you’re digging it, share it with another dad who’d be into it.

👉 [Forward to a fellow dad]

Want More?

• Check out the community

• Listen to our ‘Guys Being Dads’ podcast

• Work with Dad Day: We only partner with brands we’d actually use. Think there’s a fit? Hit us up.

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