HOW TO STAY CONNECTED AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
Here are some ideas that spouses in strong marriages use to keep love alive despite their busy schedules.
- Prioritize. C.S. Lewis said, “The home is the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose, and that is to support the ultimate career.” Plan your work schedule around family life and not the other way around.
- Constantly Communicate. The busier you are, the greater your need to communicate with your spouse. It can be easy for things to go unsaid and upcoming appointments and events not to be discussed. This will create conflict and tension in your marriage.
- Frequently Connect With Your Spouse. Use brief phone calls, text messaging or e-mails to connect or flirt with your spouse throughout the day. Let them know you care about them or were just thinking about them.
- Do Household Tasks Together. One way to stay connected when you are both working is to do your "home-work" together. Fix meals, clean house, and help with the kids together. This will give you the opportunity to talk and build your marriage relationship while doing the things that need to be done on a daily basis.
- Be Protective of Time. Quality time cannot replace quantity time. Schedule and cautiously preserve blocks of time with your spouse. Do this by scheduling a weekly family fun night, set meal times, no-work Sundays, and work-free vacations.
- Do Your Spouse’s Favorite Thing. Let your spouse know you care by doing one of their favorite things for them. It doesn't have to be big. For example, bring home their favorite candy bar, drink, or ice cream.
- Create Margin in Your Life. Slow down the pace of life. Intentionally change your pace and create margin–the space between workload and your limits. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life!
- Take Great Care of Yourself. Keep yourself physically and emotionally recharged by eating well, resting sufficiently, exercising and getting at least 8-9 hours of sleep.
- Simplify Your Life. Budget Your Money. Stay Out of Debt. These 3 items go together because your life will be simplified if you budget your money well and stay out of debt. Being in debt makes you a slave to your creditor. You then have to work more to pay your debts.
- Transition Before You Get Home. Try and have some separation between work and family life. Just before going home or on your way home, do the things that energize you the most. This will help you be happier and more alert for the time you get to spend with your spouse.
- Take Advantage of 4 Key Relational Moments Every Day. When you first wake up, how do you greet your spouse? This will set the tone for the day. How do you leave your spouse in the morning? That is the feeling you will hold all day long. When you arrive back home, how do you greet your spouse? This sets the tone for the evening. And how do you say goodnight to your spouse right before you go to bed? This is the feeling you will hold all night long.
- Have a Regular Date Night. Try to have a date night at least once a month. Date night doesn't have to mean paying a babysitter to go out to an expensive restaurant. Just you and your spouse connecting and having fun together!
