My focus this month is “Time”, so I wanted to share something that has saved my family time and frustration… Family Meetings!

I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for almost 11 years.  Like any marriage, we’ve had our share of ups and downs.  One of the things that used to frustrate me was when my husband would schedule something without telling me… and honestly, I’m sure that he was equally frustrated when I did the same thing.  We had many arguments that started with “Why didn’t you tell me about going to…” or “We have to be where?  When?”.

Here’s a tidbit about me – I’m not a very spontaneous person.  My spontaneity has to be scheduled two weeks in advance.  So, when my husband would tell me on Friday that we have to be somewhere on Saturday, I would get really upset.   I know it’s selfish – I need to be more flexible, but that’s just me…

Finally, one day after a huge argument, we decided to sit down and talk about how we can remedy our situation.  That’s when we decided to institute weekly family meetings.  We decided to meet sometime during the weekend and discuss our upcoming two weeks.  It was also a time when we would talk about any requests/frustrations.  It’s been several years since we started doing this, and it has really changed our marriage!  Of course, unexpected things come up now and again, and I’ve learned to be more flexible in that area.

Here are some things that we use during our meetings:

1. Google calendar – we have a shared calendar where we write our upcoming appointments/commitments.
2. Notebook – Where I write my to do list and requests for my husband to do around the house (example: childproofing the cabinets, etc.).  I love my moleskine with grids!
3. Toodledo – Where my husband keeps his to do list (integrates well with his iphone too)
4. Mint - We use this when we talk about our financial situation (every other week)

More links about family meetings:

• Family communications and Family Meetings
• How to hold family meetings
• Family days and family meetings