Tips to Improve Family Communication

 Here are some tips for improving family communication:

1. Set aside dedicated time for communication: Make a regular effort to schedule time for family members to talk and listen to each other. This could be at a specific time each week, or even just a few minutes each day.
2. Create a welcoming and non-judgmental environment: Encourage open and honest communication by creating a safe and supportive environment where family members feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings.
3. Practice active listening: When communicating with family members, try to really listen to what they have to say. This means giving them your full attention and trying to understand their perspective.
4. Use "I" statements: When expressing your own thoughts and feelings, try to use "I" statements to avoid placing blame or making others feel defensive. For example, instead of saying "You always forget to take out the trash," try saying "I feel frustrated when the trash isn't taken out because it's part of our agreement to take care of the household chores."
5. Respect each other's boundaries: Respect each family member's right to privacy and their need for alone time.
6. Seek outside help: If communication challenges persist, consider seeking the help of a therapist or counselor. They can provide valuable guidance and support in improving family communication.

I hope these tips are helpful in improving communication within your family.

Keep Your Kitchen Or Dining Room Table Clutter-Free

Kitchen or dining room tables can easily become a catch-all for everyone’s belongings. Mail, school books, car keys, pens, pencils, and other miscellaneous items can quickly appear, and at dinnertime, end up in a large pile of clutter somewhere else in your household. 

To curtail this habit, try organizing a central area for everyone’s belongings right inside the door to your house. A bench or short shelf can be placed in that area for clearly labeled catch-all bins for each member of the family. 

This will also help during the course of the day when picking up around the house. Items found around the house can be placed in these bins, and each family member should get into the habit of making sure items are emptied from the bins and properly put away each evening. 

If your kitchen table doubles as an arts and crafts studio or location for your kids to do their homework, make sure that there are bins, shelves and containers nearby that neatly organize school, office and arts supplies, and keep them within easy reach. Help establish good habits in your children by ensuring they are held responsible for putting these things away as soon as they are done using them. 

Make sure snacks are kept on plates and drinks are kept on coasters to ease cleanup time. A nicely decorated table spread is also an ingenious way to keep the table from becoming cluttered. Spread a nice tablecloth and place a large centerpiece on it, or even set four or six formal place settings on a dining room table that is not used for meals each evening. Your family will be less likely to lay things on these tables since they can see there are already things there. You’ll also be ready for company at the last moment this way.

Coordinating Your Busy Family’s Schedule

If you have a busy family that seems to be traveling in different directions constantly, you know how challenging it can be to coordinate everyone’s schedules. Between projects and deadlines at the office, meetings with your children’s teachers, after school activities like soccer practice and troop meetings, not to mention the household chores, it can be a confusing task. 

But if each family member is committed and communicates effectively, the task of creating a combined family schedule is a manageable one for you. The first step is to commit to weekly family meetings. Make it essential that each family member is there so that the schedule can be discussed and organized. This should also double as a great opportunity to schedule quality family time together, so make sure it’s held at a time when everyone is able to attend. 

Next, design a schedule that can be easily accessed by all family members, so that everyone knows where everyone else should be at any given time. This can be done by designing one yourself using materials such as poster board, markers, pushpins and index cards that can be pinned to the schedule, allowing for changes that can occur from week to week. 

It could also be designed on your family computer and saved onto the desktop, so each family member can readily access it and make changes if necessary. Have family members get into the habit of indicating on the schedule specific addresses or contact telephone numbers if the activity is new or changes from week to week. 

Be sure that care providers for your children such as grandparents and babysitters are familiar with your scheduling system and know how to use it. Again, with a commitment from each family member and open lines of communication, the family schedule can be a useful tool for everyone.

Motivating Your Family To Get Organized

As you begin the process of organizing your household, you may ask yourself what the best way is to motivate your family members to become and stay actively involved in the process. Each family member is unique and so is their method for organizing and prioritizing. But if you approach it from a coaching standpoint, it is possible to motivate your family to get on the organizational bandwagon. 

First of all, remember that your family will get involved in the process for their own reasons, not necessarily just to please you. Help each family member pinpoint their own motivations for wanting to get organized. Maybe they are feeling less productive in school or at work, or they never seem to have enough social time.

Each of us has a strong suit when it comes to being organized. Find that about each family member and emphasize it. Take the opportunity to share your organizational strengths and tips, and ask them to do the same. Offer praise, not criticism. 

Organizing isn't about getting rid of things at all. It is about identifying what's important to you and giving those things a reliable, consistent home. Don’t try to force your family member to get rid of their things, but to prioritize which things holds the most importance and to focus their organizational goals around that. 

Finally, being organized is about being responsible. If your child or family member has worked hard to get organized and stay organized, recognize this feat and reward it. Perhaps you can come up with a family reward such as purchasing three or four new board games the family can play together. 

And remember, the best teacher for your family is you, so lead by example. Maintain your personal organization systems and consistently strive to improve and find new ways to keep on top of the clutter so chaos doesn’t overrun your life. Your family will learn from you.