5 Strategies for Spending Quality Time with Those You Love

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In today’s world, where we multitask and struggle to get everything done, it can seem like giving someone our full attention is an impossible feat. We want to spend quality time with our spouse, children, grandchildren and friends, but there’s laundry that needs to be folded, dinner to be prepared and work emails that must be responded to. How can we possibly give someone our undivided attention?

Here are strategies to help you with being intentional about spending quality time with those who matter most.

1. Make it a priority

I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but how often do you talk to a family member or friend and say, “We really need to get together,” only to have weeks and months go by without actually spending time with each other? Or telling a family member you will do something with them ‘later’ and then not following through with your intentions.

How can you make quality time a priority?

• Schedule the time on your calendar

• Determine the actual time for doing something ‘later’ and stick to it

• Stop what you are doing a few minutes before your scheduled time so you aren’t tempted to keep going and neglect your commitment

• Truly value the other person and the time they are taking to spend with you

2. Develop a routine

When we develop a routine that involves quality time with others, it becomes a healthy habit that contributes to our healthy lifestyle.

• Playing a game with your family after dinner once a week

• Reading books to your children or grandchildren before bedtime

• Cook dinner together

• Sitting on the porch after dinner enjoying a cup of tea with your spouse

• Weekly outings to a special place your family enjoys

• Monthly coffee dates with your friends

• Annual trips with your family to somewhere you love or want to explore

• Daily devotions with your family

• Time spent reading and discussing God’s word together

When we work quality time into our routines, we will not neglect it or those who matter to us. We will look forward to the time together and it will foster strong relationships that stand the test of time.

3. Remove distractions

In order to focus on the people with us, we must remove distractions.

How many times have you been out to lunch with a friend and they are constantly checking their phone and responding to messages? Quality time suffers when we are distracted.

• Turn off your phone

• Shut off the TV

• Put away your computer or other devices

• Keep a to-do list so your mind isn’t distracted thinking about things that you need to remember

• Pray that God will help you to focus on the people in front of you

What tends to distract you when you are spending time with people? Be intentional about removing the distraction so your focus is on them. They will feel valued and appreciated and your relationship with them will grow.

4. Simplify

If you feel like you don’t have enough time to spend with your family and friends, here are some things you can simplify in order to make room for the things that matter.

• Your morning routine - look for simple makeup and a hair style that takes minimal time. Consider a natural look - light foundation and neutral eye makeup. And a blow and go hairstyle.

• Your menu - every meal doesn’t need to be a culinary work of art. Use a rotational menu planner to eliminate reinventing the wheel each week. Select 8 to 10 healthy recipes and rotate them. Add in new ones as time allows.

• Your meal prep - Spend an hour chopping up veggies for the week ahead. Precook pasta and rice so you simply need to reheat. Can you make a pot of soup for lunch all week? Think of steps you can take to prep and save time all week long.

• Your wardrobe - Our closets are filled with stuff we don’t wear. Looking through everything each day takes time and saps our energy. Get back to the basics. Choose a capsule wardrobe that fits your style and add in a few extra pieces each season to spice things up. Pack away the clothes that aren’t in the current season. Out of sight, out of mind.

• Eliminate clutter - A cluttered house, workspace or car creates a cluttered mind. Get rid of those things that don’t serve a purpose or add beauty to your life. Too much time is spent on cleaning, moving, organizing, fixing and looking at the stuff in our life. Minimizing clutter gives us a sense of peace and organization. And it helps us reclaim lost time spent on managing our stuff.

• Errands - Make errands a weekly event. Schedule them all on one day so you free up time the rest of the week. Bulk shop for the entire week so only one trip to the store is needed. Hit the bank, hair salon, dry cleaners and anything else before hitting the store. If you are the family’s taxi driver, do your errands after you drop the kids off and before you pick them back up. Not only does this save time, but gas and money too.

5. Do the best you can

Life happens. Unexpected events, busy seasons and life in general gets in the way of our intentions to spend quality time with those who matter most. You won’t always get it right. That’s part of life. But we can be intentional and plan ways to make quality time an important part of our lives. The key is to recognize those habits, patterns and things that get in the way and do our best to manage them. You and your loved ones will benefit from the efforts you make.