6 Life Hacks to Protect Your Family Time

Schedules may not allow nightly dinners together—but one night of the week? That’s something you can probably fix on everyone’s calendar. Maybe it’s Saturday brunch (and a music jam) or Sunday night, settled in with board games, snacks and desserts.

Sports, clubs, volunteer activities, school, work: That’s just the short list of weekly obligations. Let your smartphones and tablets make up the gaps for you with texting and video calling. In addition, set up a shared family calendar so no one can say “I didn’t know” about appointments, concerts, and family nights.

Lunch with your daughter on a day off from school sounds fun, but she might have made plans or have homework to do. Figure out a place and meeting time that works for both of you. Maybe it’s coffee before school one day a week or dinner out (just the two of you) after sports practice.

As your kids get older, it’s natural for them to want to hang out with friends. Let your kids know that friends are always welcome. The more time with their friends at home, the more time you have with your kids, too.

There’s no reason to feel guilt or create more work when you don’t have to. Minimize your obligations when possible and set a cleaning routine that doesn’t intrude on precious downtime. That means using products that actually work so you can spend more time on the things that really matter. For instance, do you have a carpeted hallway or stairs that always look dirty? Hit them with STAINMASTER^®Carpet High Traffic Cleaner to loosen and lift tracked-in soil and remove ground-in dirt.

Even when you establish practices, life often gets in the way. Know that you can always hit the reset button. If you miss a week, vow to refresh or re-evaluate your routine. Let go of the guilt and enjoy what matters.