Make Time For What Matters

We are so busy with the lives we lead that it becomes automatic after awhile. Careers, family, household duties, the list goes on. They matter but is it what we want to do?

I blog about relationships and those relationships go beyond just marriage and dating but also relationships we have with our children, our friends, and our selves.

Are we making time for what matters in those relationships? Sometimes I become so routine to the point where a week will go by and all I can remember is waking up, going to work, coming home, doing homework, making dinner, and preparing to do it all over again the next day. If time with my family matters why not make it a meaningful time, even if it is only for 10 minutes of my day, it is a moment that is significant and memorable.

How do we embed these moments of time into our schedules? How do we make time for what matters?

• In my household, we made a plan to spend one hour of our day together. Within that hour we are in the same space, talking to one another, and planning an activity that forces us to interact with one another. We take pictures we share our ideas and we also use this time to have dinner as a family at the table. We only use our devices to take pictures or document something that someone said that we might want to talk more about later. Sometimes we have a lot to share or do and sometimes we may sit with not much to say, but we are together in the presence of the people who are the most important to us.
• With my husband, we make time for each other by planning date nights. These are fun and sometimes we just don’t want to go out and do anything so we sit around at home binge watching something we had planned to watch months ago. We cuddle, have snacks, but more than anything we are enjoying uninterrupted time with each other. The children know when it’s our date night and they know not to bother us unless it is an emergency. If your children are younger have them spend time with a trusted relative or friend while you and your partner lounge around in the comfort of your own home.
• Time for yourself is another time that matters. I like to schedule a morning for myself twice a month. Sometimes I will go get a massage, have brunch with my sister or a close friend, go shopping for things I don’t need just want, or go to the library and read, write, or surf the internet. The quiet allows me to think and being away from the house and other distractions allow my attention to this time alone to last longer than it would at home.

It’s that simple. Well maybe not that simple, but once you see the value in your time you will start to do things that matter. Yes, we all need our jobs but our jobs do not have to be everything.

I have always noticed that jobs easily replace people which mean we are all replaceable. You give some of these companies years and years of your life and when it is time to downsize or close their doors they do not hesitate to adjust to keep their business moving, even if that means getting rid of you.

We can’t forget to live our lives because tomorrow is promised to no one.

I love the moments of the day when my mind wanders to something funny one the kids said that morning or the way my husband hugged me before he left for work. What if those were my last moments with the people that matter to me. Rushing and not taking in those moments create an emptiness in a life that is full.

The 365 Acts of Love planner can also be altered to use with your family even your friends.

Make time for what matters and know that living life is what matters.