There are a lot of luxuries to enjoy in the modern world. We have some of the best technology that’s ever been available, medical care might be expensive but it is abundant and highly advanced, and we have more entertainment than past generations could ever dream of. But one of the byproducts of all these advancements is that we’re all chronically busy and constantly distracted. This makes it extremely hard to find time to spend with your family – and even harder to be present without some kind of distraction gnawing at you.
What steps can you take to create more quality family time in such a busy, distracted world?
Get a Fireplace
Installing a fireplace is one of the best moves you can make. Instantly, you’ll create a beautiful and both literally and symbolically warm location where your family can gather and enjoy each other’s company. Instead of mindlessly staring at the TV screen, you can gaze into the soft, crackling fire. It’s a cozy environment that naturally stimulates closeness and conversation, and as an added bonus, it can even increase the value of your home.
Set Restrictions for Digital Devices
One of the biggest culprits in minimizing family time is the presence of digital devices. It’s likely that everyone in your family has a smartphone or a tablet/laptop, or possibly both, and these devices are probably constantly trying to grab your attention via notifications.
Setting restrictions for these digital devices prevents them from interfering with your family time and forces you to interact with each other more consistently. These are some ways that you can manage this issue:
- Hard time limits. You could start by setting hard time limits for device use, potentially implementing parental controls when you can. For example, you may allow the children in your household to only use phones for two hours a day – and follow this rule yourself to set a good example.
- Digital-free spaces. You could also choose to create digital-free spaces in your home. For example, you may disallow the use of technology in the dining room so that you can focus on a meal together.
- Digital-free timeslots. Similarly, you could create digital-free timeslots. For example, you may forbid the use of technological devices between the hours of 6 and 8 pm.
Find a Family Hobby or Activity
Bring the family together by choosing and regularly engaging in a hobby or activity that everyone can enjoy. These are some ideas to get you started:
- Board games. Board games force you to think strategically, interact with your partners and opponents, and engage with a physical simulacrum of an activity. There are thousands of board games to choose from, and new ones coming out all the time, so there’s no shortage of potential activities here.
- Sports and recreation. You could also get the family involved in sports and recreation, in a variety of potential applications. You could go on family hiking trips together, kayak together, or even just install a basketball hoop so you can stay active in your own driveway.
- Book club. You may also consider starting a kind of family book club. Encourage everyone in the family to read the same book and discuss it regularly – or allow everyone to choose their own books and give short presentations on them to share what their biggest takeaways were.
Make Meals a Dedicated Experience
Families that eat meals together are, perhaps unsurprisingly, more likely to have strong bonds and good outcomes in terms of health, happiness, and even finances. Accordingly, you should at least consider making meals a dedicated experience. Turn the TV off. Turn phones and tablets off. Eliminate any other distractions, and talk to each other during the meal.
Seize Individual Moments
If you can’t find a way to carve out hours of time for the entire family to spend together, focus on seizing individual moments whenever you have them. For example, if one of your children is scrolling on a phone by themselves and you have a few minutes before you need to leave for an appointment, don’t simply scroll alongside them or bury yourself in your distractions; strike up a conversation with them.
Scale Back When Someone Is Overextended
Burnout is a serious problem, for adults and children alike. If you sincerely can’t find any time for all your family members to spend together, it could be because one or more family members is genuinely overextended. Consider taking breaks or vacations, or scaling back on certain activities to avoid excessive stress and unnecessary time commitments.
Nobody said it was easy to preserve quality family time in an era of overwhelming commitments and powerful distractions. But if you’re willing to put forth a bit of effort, and adapt to your family members’ individual interests, you can find a way to make it work.
