Busy Schedules: 5 Ways to Make Time for Your Family

by Paul Taylor on November 14th, 2018 | No Comments »

For many of us, finding time for our family may be quite difficult. We may have demanding careers that wind up draining a lot of our time. Whether you are driven by providing for your family or are using the workload as an escape, these people still need your time. What's the point of gaining wealth and keeping the bills paid for your family if you don't spend time with them anyway? In what ways can you expand your day to involve the people you love?

Making Time for Your Family

Here are 5 Ways to Make Time for Your Family

1. Schedule Time—Consider your family a client that needs to have your undivided attention. You wouldn't cut your visit short with someone who is paying you, so why would you do the same for your family? You don't want to become a cliché about how the parents are never around and the children raise themselves. Even if you can squeeze out an hour or two per day, it can make a profound impact in everyone's daily life.

2. Dinner—Instead of sitting in various parts of the house during dinner, have a family meal and prepare to spend time conversing. Too many families eat apart and don't really interact with one another as often as they should. This is a great way to have a discussion as a family regarding any topic. The point is to communicate with the family and not merely be present. Communication is a two-way activity and can be more engaging with children than you could possible realize.

3. Weekend Outings—On your days off, spend it with your family doing something together. While you can probably squeeze in a round of golf with the neighbor or a dinner party at a co-worker's house, it is the family you should be more attentive to. Perhaps you could spend the day at the park and pack a lunch. How often do you and the children get to visit the zoo or a museum? There are many activities that don't cost a lot of money to do and can become a great memory for the whole family.

4. Involve the Family—Instead of doing things on your own, why not invite the family to join you? Although you do need personal time, there is nothing wrong with the occasional round of golf, tennis, fishing, or anything else you enjoy doing. This can be especially encouraging if it's an activity that the family has never done before. It makes them feel like they are a part of your life as you share your personal enjoyments with them.

5. Game Night—While this can be akin to scheduling as mentioned earlier, dedicating a specific night for family gaming can be a great reward. Board games are not that expensive for the entertainment they can bring on a weekly basis. You could go so far as to hold family tournaments the see who the better player is. However, you want to make sure you get games that are age appropriate for your children. There is no fun if the game is too difficult for your children to play.

There should be no reason why you can't make time for your family. Integrating yourself into their lives can keep them out of trouble as they are less likely to do random inappropriate things to get your attention. No career is worth losing your family over.

What are some of your favorite ways to connect with your family?

Paul Taylor started BabysittingJobs.com which offers an aggregated look at those sites to help families find sitters and to help sitters find families easier than ever. He loves writing, with the help of his wife. He has contributed quality articles for different blogs and websites.