It’s a simple word that can evoke a full spectrum of emotions -- from comfort and love to chaos and exhaustion. 

After all, our parents and siblings and loved ones know how to push our buttons -- because they are the ones that installed them.

Whatever “family” makes you think of, chances are finding ways to improve your communication with your family can be a challenge on good days -- and a struggle on not-so-good days.

Thankfully, there are tons of strategies and different ways to make your family life go a bit smoother.

Here are three simple things you can do to open your lines of dialogue -- and deepen your every day connections -- with the people you love.

1. Make time
   My grandmother put it simply: relationships are just time. And the time we put in, we get back to us in spades.

   Whether its a weekly Sunday morning catch up with your parent or child, or taking tea every month with your favorite cousin, making decisions on how we spend our time is the most important first step we can take in establishing trust and support. Not to mention, it starts a great personal habit for how we show up for all our relationships, and day to day life. 

   And creating consistency with another increases the chances of personal and interpersonal transformation, so you get to stay connected to the positive changes in others while working for them yourself. 

2. Create rituals
   Quirks and idiosyncrasies are what make your family your own. So embrace them! And create traditions that reflect them.

   Whether it’s a favorite restaurant or summer vacation spot, an overplayed family album or overread book, there are dozens and hundreds of things that make your family who they are. 

   Intentionally come back to them again and again -- whether it’s every day over FaceTime, or every other year over July 4th weekend -- and celebrate what makes your family uniquely yours.

3. Use technology to your advantage
   While Instagram can help you keep tabs with people and more extended family, it doesn’t quite create a sense of closeness and intimacy with loved ones closer to you.

   Try going old fashioned and starting an email thread with a few relatives to share photos that didn’t make the cut on social media -- or stories that are more thoughtful and personal than a Facebook status. 

   Even picking a family topic every other month and sharing favorite music, magazine articles, or tips for living better is an easy way to use the endless content on the Internet to your advantage -- making the digital world a little more personal and creating a little more overlap between you and the people you care about. 

   After all, your time is precious -- and so is your family. 

Try these three things this month and you just might be able to make the most of both.