When you think about investing in the future, what comes to mind? For many, the first thought is financial investments that allow us to have a bigger retirement account. At FamilyOS we believe that investing in the future goes beyond just retirement; it also involves investing quality time, emotional energy & brain space, and financial resources that do not have as clear of return as your retirement account.

Beyond Money: The Value of Time

Investing certainly includes money, but more importantly, it includes time. Quality time spent with family is an investment that yields invaluable returns. Just as we audit and budget our finances, it's crucial to do the same for our time.

Auditing Our Investments: Time, Money, Energy

A few years ago, I was with a friend who was navigating some major vocational decisions. One of the key observations he made about his life was the amount of intentionality he had with his leisure activities. He realized that he wasn't engaging in the right kind of work, or at least not in a way that was energizing to him. As a result, he found himself retreating into leisure activities—not as a form of sabbath, but as an escape.

This got me thinking about how much time, money & energy we dedicate to leisure activities like travel, golf, hunting, and even mani/pedis. While these activities are not inherently bad, they can sometimes serve as a distraction from more meaningful investments. I was sharing with a friend that part of implementing FamilyOS is being part of a cohort that cost $5,000/year and meets one full day/quarter. Their initial reaction was…“That’s expensive, both money and time.” But during the conversation he shared how much his week-long family trip to the beach or mountains cost. He also shared how much his hunting lease and country club membership cost in terms of both time and money. Let’s just say each of them were more than $5,000 and more than 4 days 😉.

Below are some strategies we’ve used to be more intentional with our investment, both in money and time, to our ideal future as a family.

Intentional Investment in Our Families Future

1. Align on the Future 👫

We started spending time more clearly identifying what an ideal state would look like. This allowed us to set better priorities and make sure that our week to week activities were aligned with our family goals. After having a general sense of direction, we spend one day each January aligning on what that year will look like. Where will we spend our time, money, and energy? This has looked like saying no to things we really wanted. Or deciding to delay for a season to make sure that we had the first things first. Maybe someday I will get a boat!

2. Audit Your Time, Money, Energy 🕙 💸 🔋

You can not be intentional without having a clear picture of current reality. For us, our process has looked like:

• Finances: We use Quicken to manage all of our household finances. We follow rhythms just like a business, annual budget with monthly reconciliation and variances reports. This has demystified our finances and made sure we were aligned with our bigger goals.
• Calendar: We also spend the arduous time dissecting our calendars and understanding where our time was really going, not just guessing at it. This allows us to also predict how much new or deeper commitments might take and ask if that is really best. This looked like deciding not to be part of PTA because of an honest assessment at the amount of time we would need to invest.
• Energy: I never really thought about this too much until reading Bill Hybels, Reading Your Gauges and The Power of Full Engagement. Since then, I have realized one of my greatest assets is being able to be fully engaged in a task. So now I am much more aware not just of time, but the emotional energy that comes from certain tasks and responsibilities.

3. Adjust as Necessary 🔄

Life is dynamic, and so should be your approach to investing in your family’s future. We like to have general frameworks that we commit to as a good playbook. But as life comes up, we are weekly discussing new information, shifts in priorities, etc during our weekly connect time. This dedicated time allows us to be flexible but also not feel reactionary. When we feel stuck, we are just asking what best aligns with the intentional life we are trying to live and usually get the clarity needed fairly quickly.

At FamilyOS, we understand that true investment in the future encompasses both time and money. By auditing and budgeting for both, we can ensure that our resources are directed towards what truly matters—our family. To get started with crafting your family vision and aligning your time and finances, join a cohort for The FamilyOS Journey.

Click here to join, or here to learn more at a Launch Event.