Where Do You Spend Your Prime Time

We see and hear it every day, "Prime Time News, Prime Time Radio, Prime Time Sports, Prime Time TV. So where do you spend your "Prime Time"? Watching CSI, 24, The Unit, American Idol, Lost, Prison Break or any other prime time show? Although these are intriguing shows that keep us captivated and entertained, is it the best use of our prime time? Problem 1 - Is Your Life Governed By Your Calendar? Maybe you're not a big TV fan, you spend you time watching or participating in organized sports. Or chauffeuring children to organized sports. We are a busy society, and are often governed by our calendar. We pack so much into each day, that we may not have time left for the things that really matter the most.

Solution 1 - Ensure That Prime Relationships Get More Prime Time Neal Maxwell made the following challenge, "Parents and grandparents, please scrutinize your schedules and priorities in order to ensure that lifes prime relationships get more prime time!" Think about it, we'll put on our schedule to attend a PTA or a Scout Committee meeting, but when do we schedule time to take a child to the park and talk, or go to dinner alone with our spouse? I've discovered that those who are organized, dependable and willing to serve, get many more invitations to "help out" than less conscientious people. Yet, it's the conscientious ones that probably care the most about their loved ones. So how did we fall into the trap of giving our prime time and "prime-self" to our non-prime relationships? The Challenge - Will You Re-evaluate The Use Of Your Time? I'd like to challenge you to honestly take a look at all the many things you do each day, each week and each month. Certainly they should include service in your community, schools, Church or neighborhood. However, it shouldn't dominate your calendar to the point that your prime relationships take the back seat. Do not be fooled into thinking that going to a soccer game or practice is truly giving of your prime-self to your child.

Watching TV with your family would not qualify as prime time either. If you aren't directly interacting with your family, it's not prime time. The Sacrifice - Will You Spend Less Time In Outside Activities? Our challenge is to honestly look at the way we are spending our life and really determine if we are doing the things that will strengthen our most important family relationships. We may discover that we need to balance our time to include our family more and spend less time in other activities. It can be done, but it requires an honest evaluation of where we spend our time. Are you willing to give up or diminish the amount of time you spend in just one outside activity? For example, my time used to be spent in the following order: PTA President, President of a Youth Organization at my Church, and mother of 5 children.

My time is now spent as a mother of 5, the President of our Women's organization at Church, and the Inclusive Chair on PTA. Although the motto of the PTA is "Every Child, One Voice", I realized my children didn't have much of a voice and I diminished by PTA duties so I could focus more on the prime relationships in my family. I'm still busy in things of value, but I've changed the order and amount of time I spend in them, so that my family receives more of my prime time. Will You Look Back And Smile? When we are in the autumn of our life, it's my hope that we can look back to our prime relationships and say that we truly gave them our prime time.

Beth Young is the Senior Editor of the leading marriage advice web site, MarriageAdvice.com. To download your free ebook titled, "101 Marriage Secrets" visit http://www.MarrigeAdvice.com.