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5 Simple Ways To Maximize Family Time

Cooking meals, doing laundry, cleaning, and getting schoolwork done are all essential tasks to keep a household running smoothly. However, if you aren’t careful these chores can eat up all of your family’s precious free time at home. Finding a balance is essential, especially to keep everyone’s peace of mind. We have some practical every day tips to help you streamline your responsibilities and enjoy more quality time with your family.

  1. Master the 3-D Technique – Don’t, Delegate, and Do

My to-do lists could seriously get out of control, until I learned this little trick! Try employing the 3-D technique … don’t, delegate, and do! Go through each item on your to-do list and figure out what is really essential. Sometimes we can seriously downsize our to-do list, if we’ll only stop and think about it. Ask yourself a few questions for each item on your list:

What happens if I don’t do this? (Will the world really come to an end if…?)

Can I delegate this to someone else? (A spouse, babysitter, child, helper?)

Cross out the non-essentials, delegate what can be outsourced, then take what’s left and make a plan of action to do each item you need to accomplish.

  1. It’s Okay To Ask For Help

No, really. It is. Take advantage of your “helpers” – both people and technology! Get an older sibling to run an errand. Hire some yard help if the budget allows it. Use the dishwasher …twice in one day if you have to. Try ordering your groceries online. Employ all the resources at your disposal to help lighten the load. You’ll find some time savers, and you’ll find some time wasters. You just have to try them first.

  1. Make It A Group Effort

Every child can help run the household in their own special, age-appropriate way. Chores are our way of providing natural, on-the-job training to teach kids valuable, important life skills. Even toddlers can put away toys into a storage bin or take their shoes to their room. Make every person in the household, no matter their age, accountable for helping to “run the home” as a family. It may take a few weeks of training to get a system together and create new habits, but it is totally possible. Go for it!

  1. Tackle Your Time Wasters

No matter how organized we might be, each of us has our own unique time wasters or habits. Some of us can’t keep up with the car keys. Others absolutely hate packing lunches and wait until the dreaded last minute. Maybe social media, talking on the phone, or your email inbox is your particular time waster. Don’t shame yourself. The key is to identify them first, then come up with a plan to control them. Your goal isn’t perfection … it’s finding more time in your day.

  1. Double Up On Dinner

Make and freeze an extra dinner when possible. This is more feasible with some dishes than others (like casseroles and one-dish meals). Get creative with leftovers and turn them into the next evening’s meal. You’re already cooking and making a mess that will need to be cleaned up, so why not make it work for you?

 

 

 

 

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