We are creating our list of non-negotiable activities this month so that when work or life comes calling, we know what we are willing to shift around in our lives and what we refuse to deprioritize. No regrets when it comes to the life we want to live, right? Today we are diving into the non-negotiables as it relates to family time.
Family is a critical part of our lives, whether it’s our parents, our spouse, our kids, our chosen family or given family, or all of the above, family time and the time creating amazing memories is largely what life is about.
Remember, you are working to live not living to work. If we don’t set our non-negotiables up correctly, you will have the syntax wrong and that’s a completely different life.
So what are the non-negotiables you need to establish when it comes to family?
1. Create a list of people you consider to be most important in your life.
2. Write down all of the activities and events you do not want to miss out on when it comes to those amazing individuals.
3. The number of times you must participate in that event in a given timeframe (a week, a month, etc.).
For me, I have things on my non-negotiable list like kids sporting events, birthdays, and school programs. I missed a lot of that when I worked in the corporate world. I didn’t have a list of non-negotiables so when work came knocking, I thought I needed to work. I hadn’t intentionally decided what my priorities were so I missed a lot of family events. I also worked on vacation.
I missed out on a lot of memories, a lot of milestones. It’s not what I wanted my life to be like so I added family events to my non-negotiables. Even now, I have family dinners on my list. Holiday traditions are on there; when we travel to see family vs. when we are home so the kids can play with toys and not be in a car going from house to house.
All of these things matter. Such that if I get called to support a client, a consultation, or even do a speaking event, I compare that ask to my list of non-negotiables. Sometimes I will miss a family event, but I am making that decision consciously, not letting life make it for me. Do you see that?
So for example, I have on my list: family dinner together 5 nights a week. That gives me 2 nights to play with for either work, dinner with my spouse without the kids, or evenings the kids can be away. As the kids continue to get older, their commitment to family dinner will probably change/shift and so I have to allow for that shift while teaching them about their non-negotiable list as well. It’s all fluid, but it’s all on my terms.
So what are your family time non-negotiables that need to make your list? Grab your paper and get started.
Be Legendary!