It is hard to juggle family and career. That is a fact. They both require time and effort. Between the two however, it is our family who almost always need to take a step back in the competition, though that should not be the case.
Personally, I haven’t discovered the perfect formula to balance out the beam. I’m guilty of not being able to spend the day playing with my child. There are times when I need to leave home when she is still asleep and go home when she is already sleeping. Me and my partner are a work in progress when it comes to this area as well.
Here are some practical tips you can also try out to spend quality time with your family better:
1. Have a no “screen” area in your house and a no “screen” time
I learned this from one of the parenting seminars I’ve attended. Once home, they will turn off their phones and gadgets and deposit it on a drawer and focus on their family. I thought this might be a little extreme to some of us. If this can’t be totally applicable to your line of work, you can have at least a no screen area in your house where you can have quality time together. Remove gadgets as well so no one will be tempted to drift to social-networklandia until no “screen” time is over. Physical presence does not necessarily equate to quality time.
2. Designate a specific day of the week as “Family Day”
Mark this day as highly important. Why? You will be meeting with the VIPs in your life. Never schedule appointments on a family day as much as possible. This is another way of you saying, “I love you” to them.
3. Develop a family tradition.
You can have a simple cook-out Sunday, to an out of the country trip at least once a year. It really does not matter. You can have the family throw-in ideas and have fun nurturing what the family loves doing most.
4. Be present.
Be holistically present. It does not matter if it’s just a 5 minute talk or a half of the day walk at the park. What’s important is that you really spend it with the person. It’s never about the length of time. It’s about how you spent it with the people you are with.
5. Plan activities ahead
This is to avoid wasting time thinking of what the family can do for the day. It would be best to have things planned out before-hand. Depending on the length of time you had, you can check out this list for some ideas.
6. Schedule a date with each member of the family.
Of course it is more fun to spend family time with the whole gang but going on a date with each member of the family allows us to bond with them more. Get to know them more intimately. This is highly important especially for the teenagers so we won’t loose the connection. It also allows them to speak with us in a “safer” environment.
7. Be punctual at work
This might sound a little off on the list but going to work on time will allow you to get the job done before the end of your shift. This will also prevent the need to render OT. It is more likely for you to spend more time with your family worry-free if work is done on time.
The list can go on and on and on. It is important for us to know that this is something that requires conscious effort especially from us parents. Our children will understand more the value of family if we start to train them to spend quality time with the family.
How do you usually spend quality time with your family? Share us your thoughts by leaving a comment below.