10 Ways to Have More Time for Relationships

If you’re craving more talk time than your schedule allows, scope out a trail and take a walk. A nature walk feels longer than an urban walk of the same length, research suggests.

At first, including family members—especially little ones—in chores can make more work, but soon enough you’ll be grateful they’re used to helping. And one day they’ll be grateful, too: Kids who help at home feel more connected to their families and are more aware of the needs of others, studies show.

Doing less is definitely one way to free up time for meaningful moments. But it’s hard to scale back when we’re always gearing up for the next day or season. Looking back on a project with a critical eye is a common business practice for a reason: It helps you move forward better and smarter.

Establishing a routine for extended family gatherings means no one has to burden their overly burdened brain about the “when, where, who” details…details that sometimes cause us not to see one another. It can be Sunday or every other Friday or the first Monday of the month, pretzels and beer or doughnuts and coffee or board games and water. You can even Facetime out-of-towners. And if some weeks it’s a skeleton crew, well, that just might lead to some of the best talks of all.

Not everyone is cut out to be the soccer coach. But marrying something you enjoy with a need at your child or grandchild’s school, church, troop or sports team can be triply rewarding: You’re doing something you enjoy, helping out, and spending time with a loved one. It may take a little experimenting to find the right fit, but we guarantee there’s a spot for you.

Nothing illustrates the first part of Newton’s first law of motion—an object at rest stays at rest—more clearly than a person on a couch. Sit down to look at your tablet, phone, or TV and it’s awfully hard to get up, even though we know these passive forms of entertainment are rarely soul filling. So turn off your TV and ringer and write a note, plan a gathering, interact with your family…you get the idea.

Sometimes we automatically say “no” to invitations when we’re busy or stressed. Try responding with an enthusiastic “yes” instead of “maybe” or “we’ll see.” If that makes you a little anxious, make yourself a deal: Plan to stop by for a bit, knowing you can leave after 15 minutes or one beverage.

Unless it’s a group thing (see No. 2), time spent on domestic drudgery is time away from the bucket-filling stuff of life. Yes, we all have to do it, but we don’t have to over do it. Ask yourself what you can delegate, eliminate, or modify to gain back a little time.

The benefits to stepping away for lunch are many: You get the stress-relieving boost of socializing and return refreshed, better able to creatively resolve the problem that had you stumped just an hour earlier. And you’re less likely to graze mindlessly or fill up on junk, research suggests.

Season tickets to performing arts or sports events make sense for busy people. It’s a one-time decision process—which theater or team and package option—that results in several date or family nights. You can put the dates in your calendar sometimes months in advance, forcing you to work other to-dos around these fun outings rather than vice-versa.