Once you have less stuff to take care of you will have more time for people, which is what really matters. You can start by planning a ten minute mommy time each day for each child if you have kids. This is just you and the child, doing whatever they want to do, with no advice given by you. This is a time to connect and get to know your child.

Don't forget your significant other. Plan a date night every week or so with a night away every few months. Plan a monthly candlelight dinner. Every day spend at least some time talking with each other.

Spend at least two hours a week with friends, whether on the phone, writing letters or going out to lunch.

If you don't have time for the people you love, you might need to check your priorities. If you work too many hours to buy more stuff, will that make your family happy? If you have a spotless house but no time to play games, is that what you want your kids to remember? If you have no time to talk to a friend in need because you have to go to another committee meeting, is that showing your love? Show your love to someone today.

April's focus is Friends and Family Management.

We often rush through days and months without spending the quality and quantity of time we would like with our families. Our families are more important than our things to do, yet we rarely put them on our calendars. You can schedule daily conversation, a weekly date with your spouse, a monthly discussion, and a every few months mini vacation with your mate to a hotel or bed and breakfast.

Write down daily the time you plan to spend one on one with each of your kids. You can also have a family night or game night. Plan a night out for ice cream or to go mini-golfing. Mark in the calendar your weekly or monthly family meeting, daddy time for the kids, and sleepovers.

Birthdays and anniversaries are so important to those we love. When we forget we may hurt them. I've found the easiest way to remember is to write the birthdays, etc. in red on my monthly calendar. At the beginning of the month I check to see who I need to buy for or make cards for. If events fall in the first week I put a reminder in the month before. I keep cards on hand for unexpected things and always has candles around for last minute gifts. I have even started doing cards for my many aunts and uncles and cousins through the e-cards like Blue Mountain Arts.

Friends help keep us sane so we can't neglect them. I try to invite people over once a month. I have a weekly date with one of my friends for movies, shopping, bookstore, etc. Another friend and I get together for the 45 minutes are kids are in karate together. Don't forget letter writing time and email catch up time on the calendar. Maybe once a month you could schedule time to make cookies, gather flowers, or find paperbacks for some friends. Some of my friends take an hour a week to work on homemade gifts for friends and family.

People are always more important than things so if you must choose, read to the kids before cleaning the kitchen. Don't look at people as interruptions to your productivity, look at people interruptions as ways to build relationships. You organize for you and the people you love, not to make everyone miserable. So this month hug, kiss and have fun.