Are you still riding the chocolate-infused high of Valentine’s Day? Whether or not you fall into the group that thinks it’s a Hallmark holiday, Valentine’s Day does serve an important purpose. It puts focus on the people that matter most in our lives.
When we’re busy building a career or growing a business it’s easy to put the people that support us outside of the office on the backburner. But they’re the people who should get your full attention on a regular basis. There’s ONE Thing that can be done to make sure the most important people don’t go unnoticed – make them a part of your time blocking process.
Factoring Important People Into Your Time Blocks
A recent Pew Research study found that nearly 39 percent of working moms and 50 percent of working dads say they don’t spend enough time with their kids. When it comes to spending time with their significant others 42 percent say they’d like to spend more time together.
In The ONE Thing we tell you that time blocking is a way to boost productivity, whether it’s a onetime task or a regular thing. Making time for your loved ones definitely falls into the latter group.
Even if you are only able to square away half an hour a day, using these time blocking techniques will ensure it’s quality time that’s well spent.
Make It Regular to Make It a Habit
Some habits are good and others are bad, but all of them are created by doing the same repetitive action for roughly 66 days. Find a small, daily task that can be shared to make spending time with loved ones a habit. It could be brushing your teeth together each morning or sitting down to dinner at the same time each night. Whatever it is, time block it into your schedule for the same time every day.
Give Them Your Undivided Attention
During the periods that have been time blocked for loved ones everything else should be set aside. They are your one and only focus. Dividing your attention with devices, work calls and all the other stuff will diminish the value of your time block.
Find an Activity That Has Meaning and Will Make the Largest Impact
Watching TV together hardly qualifies as quality time. When it comes to spending time with loved ones quality is really more important than quantity. To make your time together as productive as possible make it an activity that is one-on-one and interactive. These types of personal activities are the ones that yield the biggest results in the least amount of time.
Protect Your Time Blocks
As with your other priorities, the time blocks that are set aside for your loved ones should be protected. Fight to keep them intact. Make them a top priority. Do everything possible to avoid letting them get pushed aside for something else.
Acknowledge the Value of Time Off With Loved Ones
This time off from everything else is when you are able to reward yourself and recharge so that you’re more productive. It’s the start of a domino effect. Relaxation boosts your productivity, you get more done in the day and in turn you have more time to spend with the people that matter most. When you realize the value of this it’s easy to justify time blocking for time off with loved ones.
Everything else really isn’t as important as maintaining strong bonds with the people that matter most. Without them what are you working for? And if they are your inspiration for succeeding they can’t be sacrificed in the process. Spending time getting everything else done on your to-do list might feel productive, but it’s not the best use of your time if loved ones are left out.