How to Spend More Time With Loved Ones All Year Round

I was going to title this post “How to Work on Stolen Time,” but I wanted to do something more holiday-themed (even though the season just came to a close!) and not so work-focused, so here we go:

As my kids get older, my time with my husband becomes rarer, and my job becomes more demanding, I find myself looking for extra chunks of time in each 24 hour period to spend with the people I love. I’ve made lists, done some experimenting, and stretched myself too thin, only to start from scratch as I keep trying to find the answer.

I haven’t found the perfect solution yet, but here are a few small ways that can add up to an extra hour or two each day-around the holidays or any day- to spend with the people you love, or do what matters most to you:

1. Set timers for everything. Don’t spend longer doing tasks than you need to. Setting a timer for each task will create a sense of urgency that keeps you on task and working at a good pace.
2. Get out of bed in the morning when your alarm goes off. Don’t look through social media or hit the snooze button, save 20 minutes or so and just get up and get going. I’ve heard that the sunrise alarm clock is great waking up without hitting snooze- I’ve never used it, but it’s worth looking into!
3. Help your kids take naps and get to sleep at night. It will make them more pleasant people, increase the quality of your time with them, and give you an extra hour or two each day to get the tasks done that normally take time away from your family.
4. Call friends and family in the car to connect. I find myself doing this more and more lately. The conversations may not be perfect when you’re stuck in traffic and trying to figure out how to get to your destination, but it’s better than not connecting at all.
5. Cut out TV, Netflix, and YouTube as much as possible. I did this years ago because there was just no time for it, but I still had to watch something on my tablet to fall asleep at night. Lately I’ve cut that out completely with the help of meditation.
6. Meditate. Meditation basically solves all of life’s problems. Lately it’s been a life saver for me in terms of sleep. I fall asleep faster and no longer wake up in the middle of the night to mull over all of life’s problems (which has saved a lot of time).

Like I said before, I don’t have all the answers, but these are some little tricks that have worked for me in my life lately, and I hope they help some of you!

Happy living!