Life is so busy! We recently had one of those super crazy busy seasons in our lives. You know the kind that I am talking about. You are frantically running here and there trying to get everything done, and yet feel like you aren’t accomplishing anything. You pass by your wife and kids as you are trying to fit everything in and get everything done. During these busy seasons we can become disconnected with our family. We know that we need to take time to reconnect, but how do we can we do that?
1. Just put it on the schedule.
And that’s exactly what I did. What gets scheduled gets done! I put it on my calendar and then shot a text to my wife to make sure there wasn’t anything in that 2 day time slot that couldn’t be moved around. If it could be moved, then we moved it to another day or another week. I then went and booked us two nights in a hotel right on the beach in St. Augustine, FL. Take out your calendar and block off the time that you need right now. It could be an evening, a couple of days, or even a week or two, but get it scheduled now.
2. Protect that time with your family.
Don’t do any work while you are getting away with your family. I promise you the work will still be there when you get back! I had a few texts and emails that came in asking me for certain things, and I just sent a reply back letting them know that I would be glad to take care of that in a couple of days, and explained that I was away with my family for a few days. This getaway was about reconnecting with my family and I needed to protect that time with them. I know that it is tempting to try to work during this time, but fight that urge and just spend time with your family.
3. Be present with your family.
Put everything else on hold and just be with your family in that moment. We have so little time with our kids before they grow up and get on with their own lives. Use this getaway to connect with them and make memories with them. We walked on the beach, got ice cream, played beach volleyball together, and watched tv. We just spent time together free from all other distractions. Sometimes that means doing things that you don’t really want to do. For me that meant swimming and playing in a cold pool with them for a while.
When we got home after that two days, we all felt rested and a lot closer to each other. If you are feeling disconnected from your family, it’s time for a family getaway!