Family relations can be heavily burdened and families can fall apart under stress resulting from insufficient time management, particularly when work and family life need to be dealt with at the same time. This symposium, continuing on from the “Work-Life-Balance Symposium: factors for innovation for companies, individuals and the community” (2010), will address the key question: how do we optimize time management. On the Japanese side the conference will be embedded in a research project “Family policy – international comparison in view of legislation against abuse and violence in families” funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).