Family members are getting busier and busier by the hour. Thus, I made a list for our family to help us build strong family relationships and to help us achieve our goals as a family. You might want to adapt some of them if you think they would help your family also.

1. Make a family calendar of activities for the year. – I strongly believe that unless you calendar it, it would be difficult to make it happen.  Families are busier these days.  We can easily forget what we need to do or accomplish when we are thinking of so many things. It would be best to mark your calendars so that everyone in the family would be reminded.

Photo source here.

3. Plan tasks and schedules in advance. – One of my strategies in not being overwhelmed with too many things to be finished is to work on my tasks bit by bit over a period.  That’s what I want to recommend to all of you. Break down your big tasks or projects into phases and smaller tasks so that you will not feel overwhelmed in tackling them and to avoid cramming or panic when the deadline is fast approaching.

4. Remind each other. – Reminding each other would be easier if ALL family members would take note and commit to remember their family activities.  Having a family calendar that every family member can access helps a lot. In this time and age of various gadgets, this should be much easier.  Let’s harness the benefits that these gadgets bring into our lives by using them to build our relationships instead of destroying them.

5. Make a family countdown to big family events. – We make a big fuss about Chistmas and New Year and we usually have countdowns to these big events.  Why not do the same to our family activities? Don’t we always hear people say that everyday should be Christmas day?  Let’s do our share in making everyday just like Christmas day by giving love to our family members and making a big fuss as well on our family get-togethers!  Countdowns make people more excited about upcoming events.  They also remind us of what we need to do in preparation for these events.

6. Involve everyone as much as possible in the planning and preparation. – Let’s admit it, most of the time, it is us, Moms, who take the lead in planning our family activities.  But let’s not get tired of involving our husbands and kids.  We are not superwomen.  We are part of a team.  That team is our family.  Let’s play as a team and pass the ball to our teammates.

7. Book in advance (i.e. plane tickets, hotel reservations, movie or concert tickets, theater passes, etc.) – This strategy will save you a lot of money and time.  It will also help you seal your commitment to spend time with the most important people in your life.

8. Schedule family meetings. – Companies hold meetings.  Organizations hold meetings. Church groups hold meetings.  Why not hold family meetings as well?  A lot of times, concerns and family issues are prevented from becoming big problems by simply holding regular family meetings. Just like in other groups, communication is essential in keeping families together and united. Don’t wait for problems to happen!  Prevent problems from happening by meeting regularly as a family.

9. Plan goals for the year and per quarter. – I am such a planner! I love to plan.  I love to plan ahead. One of the reasons I love planning is that it helps me achieve more of my goals and dreams.  If having a happy family and stronger family relationships is one of your dreams and goals this year, I suggest that you take time to plan for them.  Goals and dreams don’t just happen.  We need to work on them and in order for us to work smarter in achieving them, we need to take time to plan our actions and activities.

10. Schedule quarterly and annual reviews. – One of the most helpful ways to ensure that goals and dreams come true or are reached is by regularly checking our progress (or lack).  Like what most of us do at the start of each year, we need to pause and check if we are moving closer to our desired destination as a family.

11.  Include a lot of fun activities in the family calendar.  – They say that “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”  I say, “All business and no fun, makes Mom/Dad a dull wife/husband/parent.”  Let’s make a list of things we love to do on our own and compare these with what our other family members like doing. It would be good to schedule fun activities every now and then that each family member would love to do with the rest of the family.  It doesn’t have to be something that everyone wants to do all the time.  I suggest that the other family members try to indulge their other family members by doing something that they do not necessarily like doing but would like to try because of their love and commitment to their other family members.

12.  Make it a habit to pray for family goals and concerns. – Let’s commit to the Lord all our plans and submit them to Him. We can make plans but let’s be flexible enough to give God room to change our plans, trusting that He knows best.

There you have it!  12 tips that you can start using as early as today.  Choose which ones would be most helpful to you and your family and let me know in the comment section how these things made a difference in your family life and relationships.

 

Cheers to a year filled with love and happy memories!

 

• Editor’s Note: This was first published on Mommy Bares All.