Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Scheduling
• Method 2 of 4: Talking to Family
• Method 3 of 4: Save time
• Method 4 of 4: Entertainment

There are many ways to spend more time with your family. Ask your family members what they would like to do, and set aside a few days to spend time together.Get things in order and learn how to manage your time wisely at work and at home. Buy ready-made food or prepare it at home in advance so you don't spend all your evenings in the kitchen. To save time at work, do emails or other work activities early in the morning before your family wakes up, or in the evening when everyone is asleep.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Scheduling

1. 1 Manage your time wisely. Divide household chores into urgent, non-urgent, and those that can be entrusted to someone. It is better not to try to grab onto all things at once, but to do only the most essential. If you can instruct your partner, children or au pair to do something (wash the dishes, take a walk with the dog), do so.
   • This will allow you to reallocate time in the family so that you have the opportunity to do things together more often. When homework is shared among family members, everyone benefits.
   • Estimate the time spent objectively. Don't take on extra tasks just out of guilt.
   • Understand your work affairs as well. Find out what tasks you can delegate to colleagues.
2. 2 Get your belongings organized. If you have to look for keys, remotes from equipment and other things for a long time, you are taking away time that you could spend on your family or yourself. Choose a convenient place for your wallet, keys, glasses. Train yourself to put these things in the same place every day, especially those that you often cannot find.
   • For example, start putting your glasses on the bedside table and your keys near the door.
3. 3 Use every opportunity to save time. Try to save time even on small things. If a dry cleaner can pick up your belongings from your home for free, or if a pizza can be delivered to your home, take advantage of these opportunities. This will help you spend more time with your family.
   • If you have a gym at work or school, exercise there so as not to waste time on the way to the gym and then home.
4. 4 Create goals for your time together. If you love setting goals for yourself, focus your energies on developing family tasks. Set a minimum threshold for family time per week (for example, 15 hours). Goals can be qualitative as well as quantitative, such as making a child laugh at dinner.
   • Come up with new goals regularly to stay motivated.
5. 5 Disconnect from the outside world when you are at home. Don't check your work email, get busy with work, or email your colleagues or friends. Disconnect your phone and computer. That way your family can get your full attention. When the kids and your partner are asleep, return to your business if you want.
   • This is especially important if you are traveling with your family or sitting at a table together.
   • Use your computer and phone early in the morning when everyone is still asleep.
6. 6 Don't compare yourself to others. Many people lose motivation because they believe that they will never be able to spend time with their family as effectively as, for example, a neighbor. This is an incorrect setting, and it will only bother you. Instead, try to organize your family's leisure time without blaming yourself for anything.
   • Remember, spending all your time with your family is impossible.

Method 2 of 4: Talking to Family

1. 1 Involve all family members. You can only spend more time with your family if everyone wants it. Encourage the children to be at home more often and invite your partner to put things in order and prioritize, just as you did.
   • Tell the children, "It would be great if you weren't late at school every day after school."
   • Tell your partner the following: "I try to use my phone and computer less, get things organized and look for ways to spend more time with my family. I would like you to do the same. Together we can do it."
2. 2 Plan your time together. Calendars and diaries will help you with this.It seems to many that since family affairs are informal events, then they do not need to be recorded in the calendar. However, if you don't add everything to the calendar, there is a risk that everyone will forget about the event. To spend more time with your family, set aside a few hours every day.
   • Plan specific activities as well as family time. Write down the days of attending certain events, going to cafes, exhibitions and fairs in the calendar.
   • In order not to forget about important events, set up reminders on your calendar.
   • Spend your holidays with your family.
3. 3 Limit the time children spend at the computer or with the phone. Children are ready to stay on the screen for hours if they are allowed to. Establish rules that limit the time children spend in front of the TV or at the computer. One hour of TV and one hour of surfing the Internet outside of school will be enough.
   • Explain to the children that this will allow them to play more outside and will also help you all spend more time together.
   • Say this: "Please spend no more than an hour a day at your computer, phone or TV. This way you will have more free time that we could spend together."
4. 4 Start new traditions. Everyone gets together on vacation, but you should also spend at least one evening a week with your family. For example, start ordering pizza or playing board cards with the kids on Fridays. Ask everyone to put their phones away and not be distracted. There are other options for family traditions:
   • joint dinner in a cafe;
   • going to the cinema together;
   • family bike rides;
   • joint Sunday breakfast.

Method 3 of 4: Save time

1. 1 Try to save time on the way to and from work. On public transport, you can answer letters, read work papers, or even work at a computer. This will give you more time for your family at home.
   • You can search for other routes. Lay out a map of the city on the table and draw a route to work. Look for other possible routes and try driving along them. If it’s faster, choose them.
2. 2 Learn to save time at work. There are several ways to do this. You can change the working hours, the place of work and the nature of the case.
   • Work from home. You can do a wide variety of jobs remotely. If you're a writer, graphic designer, or artist, try convincing your boss to let you work remotely or start your own business.
   • Working from home will help you spend more time with your family. Chat with your family during breaks.
   • Before you talk to your boss about this, find out if this opportunity exists in your company.
   • Try to travel less for work. Ask your boss if you can have Skype conferences. If you can choose between short trips and long trips, choose short ones - this will make you more likely to be at home with your family.
   • Ask your manager to send other employees on business trips more often.
   • Get to work early in the morning or late at night when everyone in your family is asleep.
3. 3 Buy things online. Shopping can be time consuming. Buy everything online to save time. You do not have to waste time traveling to and from the store, standing in queues, looking through all the shelves in search of the goods you need. Buying things on the Internet is quick and convenient. This will allow you to spend more time with your family.
   • Many grocery stores offer a delivery service. Select the goods you need on the store's website, pay for them and wait for the courier.
   • Sometimes shipping is expensive and this makes online shopping unprofitable. Compare prices before ordering shipping.
4. 4 Prepare food in advance. It doesn't take twice as long to cook twice as much food. To avoid cooking every night, prepare a large amount of food - it will last for several days. For example, you can make two lasagna or a large skillet of stews.
   • Any food can be kept in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days.
   • If you cook a lot of chicken, turkey, or vegetables, you can keep them frozen for longer.
5. 5 Buy ready-made meals. Convenience foods are not very healthy because they are high in calories and harmful substances. However, if you have a cafe or buffet with homemade food near your home, buy salads, rolls and other food there when you do not have time to cook at home. But be careful not to become a habit.
   • Don't buy fast food even if you are short on time. Fast food is high in salt, sugar and fat. This food is unhealthy.

Method 4 of 4: Entertainment

1. 1 Make spontaneous decisions. Don't be afraid to try something new. Listen to the wishes of your children and your partner and think about what new things you would like to try. The more fun all of you are, the more important the family will be for each of your relatives.
2. 2 Find out what your family enjoys doing. Chances are, you have an idea of ​​what you love to do together. However, hobbies change over time. Maybe your kids or partner has a new hobby that suits you all. Perhaps your partner or children would like to try something, but they have not had the opportunity yet.
   • Ask this: "What would you like to do during our family time?"
3. 3 Offer the family something. Your family will listen to you with interest, so come up with several options for spending your leisure time. But do not impose your desires on others. You should discuss all the options together and choose what works for everyone. You can suggest the following:
   • take a walk in the park ("Maybe let's go to the park?");
   • go for a walk ("How do you feel about taking a walk?");
   • play games ("Does anyone want to play?");
   • swim on a boat or catamaran ("Maybe we will go on a boat or catamaran?");
   • go hiking (“Maybe we’ll go hiking in the forest?”);
   • go to the museum ("The museum has a new exhibition. Maybe we can all go there together?").
4. 4 Try spending more time outdoors. Don't sit at home. Of course, you also need to find time for movies and board games, but if the weather is fine, go for a walk, ride a bike or do something else. You might like:
   • to swim in a lake;
   • walk in the mountains;
   • parasailing (an active type of recreation in which a person is fixed with a long cable to a moving vehicle and, thanks to the presence of a special parachute, soars through the air);
   • hang gliding;
   • speleology (study of caves).
5. 5 Enjoy leisurely mornings together. Lie in bed a little longer. You can make pancakes and have breakfast in bed. Take a walk after brunch. Spending time with your family will strengthen your relationship.