The Value of Weekly Meetings
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PROJECT OF THE WEEK
The Value of Weekly Family Meetings
I cannot count the number of conversations that I have had with parents about how they feel overwhelmed and overworked, despite being organized and having a consistent plan.
While there is no one perfect solution, implementing Weekly Family Meetings can go a long way.
There are many benefits to meeting as a family regularly:
You create the time and space for everyone to coordinate their schedules, activities, and responsibilities.
Regular Family Meetings teach your family the value of planning and strong communication skills.
You have regular opportunities to lead by example.
You allow for natural consequences for not planning, which is the most effective teaching tool.
Getting Started
What does having Weekly Family Meetings look like?
I recommend picking one day a week to meet as a family. Sunday evenings are probably best, but any day can work.
Everyone should bring their calendars and/or planners to the meeting.
Yes, this includes your kids and your partner!
If your child can write, I recommend they start using a planner.
Each adult should bring their Agenda Items to the meeting. This is your opportunity to talk as a family about any and all items that are important. Creating an Agenda shouldn't be time-consuming. You can keep an Agenda List in a shared location that you update throughout the week. My friend has a Note on her iPhone that is shared with her husband and daughter. Throughout the week, they add items to discuss at their Family Meeting to this list. They keep a grocery shopping list this way too.
It's important that everyone has time at the meeting to share what their week looks like. This includes activities and appointments they have planned, what rides are needed, and if anyone needs help or support with any of their responsibilities.
As a parent, it's equally important to share your responsibilities and what your schedule looks like. This is what will support teaching by example and natural consequences.
For example, you share that you have a work meeting on Wednesday evening and will not be home until 7:30 pm. Your son forgets to share that he has a presentation in Social Studies on Thursday. On Wednesday night, when you get home, your son meets you at the door letting you know he has a presentation the next day and he needs poster board RIGHT NOW. This is a great opportunity to show him the consequences of not planning ahead and that he is going to have to figure out a different solution.
How can you best use the Family Meeting as a teaching tool?
Depending on where your child is in their ability to plan, will determine how much support they need.
If your student needs a lot of support, I would recommend sitting down with them for 20 minutes earlier in the day, to plan out their week, in their planner. Take some time to look through the family calendar and their school portal and have them write everything down in their Academic Planner. This includes orthodontist appointments, sports practices and games, school assignments, and play dates with friends.
If your student is not great at planning, but also refuses your help, that's ok. Let the Family Meeting be the teacher.
During the Family Meeting, use open-ended questions to help your student learn and grow.
For example, if your student remembers to tell you that they have a presentation on Thursday, take a moment to ask, "What is your plan for the presentation?"
Depending on their answer, you may need to ask some additional questions.
"Is there anything you need from me in order to do well?"
"Are there any materials that you need in order to complete the presentation?" (Hint: THIS should be where the poster board or other items that need to be purchased are mentioned.)
This is not a gotcha game. You want to be as supportive as possible AND you want to give them space to both fly and fall, while they are in a supportive environment.
Trust me! Freshman year of college is NOT the best time to learn.
Is meeting once a week enough?
Meeting once a week should be enough as far as having a formal meeting.
It's a great habit to check in each night and confirm what everyone has going on the next day. This is also an opportunity to reinforce to your kids that you understand plans can change and we all have to adapt and overcome depending on the day. If you have dinner together every night, this is a great way to end dinner.
You could also have a Family Check-In each night at 7:00 pm.
Make your Family Meetings as fun as possible.
Maybe you meet and then go out for ice cream. Or maybe you play a quick game of cards after or watch a movie together.
The goal of the Family Meeting is to make everyone's lives smoother.
How can you make your family look forward to your Weekly Family Meeting?
P.S. If you don't have kids, but have a partner, this is just as valuable.
Good luck!
Additional Resources
I highly recommend that all kids that are able to write should have their own planner. Here is a link to my favorite Academic Planner!
Ready to Get Started?
If you feel excited about implementing this strategy and want some additional accountability and support to get started, the It’s All in the Planning Starter Pak was designed for you!
A Note from Happy Spaces
The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:
Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.
We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.
Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®
Sincerely,
Sarah Weingarten
Meet Sarah
Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.