How good are you at “spending more time with the family?” This is a very noble resolution to make but one that is going to take a little effort to pull off. It all comes down to an issue of time management. We’re talking a major organization overhaul. Once you fall into these new routines, you’ll be amazed at how much more time you can carve out from your busy week to spend with the family.
Declutter Your Home
“There is a place for everything and everything has its place.” If your morning rush hour involves a mad scramble search for keys, phones, shoes, hats and other items, then you’re wasting time. You probably also have a house full of clutter. Time to find a place for everything. A simple bowl by the front door to drop your keys in will mean you’ll never lose them again. You should also have bins or baskets by that door which are designated for each family member. When they come in, this is where they drop the shoes, backpacks, hats, scarves, gloves and anything else they need to wear before trekking outdoors. Instant decluttering.
Plan Your Meals Ahead
Getting dinner ready takes a lot of time. In fact, getting any meal ready for a family is going to eat up time especially if you’re doing it on the fly. That’s why you should plan your meals for the week on Saturday or Sunday. Do all the shopping for those meals and have everything ready to go on the designated day. You can even get the kids involved by having them pick the meal du jour. That way there shouldn’t be any complaints. Before planning your meals, you’ll want to do a little research. Two words: Slow cooker. Anytime you can load up a slow cooker in the morning and have dinner ready by the time you come home is going to be a good day.
One Room At A Time
Keeping your home clean is another tall order with a busy family. The best approach for the household chores is to break them up over the course of the month. Instead of taking an entire Saturday cleaning the whole house, just focus on a specific room or area. Spend one-hour cleaning, and you’ve got the rest of the day to be with the family. You’ll also know that things will get taken care of over the course of the cleaning rotation.
Work First, Fun Second
Every home with school-aged kids should have a homework time. This is best accomplished when the kids get home from school. A little snack and then it’s time to hit the books. If you’re home with them, then this is also the perfect time for you to handle your chores. This puts everyone working on all those tasks that aren’t considered fun. By the time dinner rolls around, all those tasks will be completed, and you’ve got the rest of the evening to gather around the hearth. Just remember to keep to this schedule on Friday afternoons as well. You want to avoid the rush to finish homework on Sunday night. How are you doing with your time management?
