Now, you may be thinking, “Kelly. You talk time management. Not relationships. Stay in your lane.”
Yes and no. Here’s the thing: the only reason I care about time management is the impact it has on your life and happiness. I don’t want you to be productive for the sake of being more productive or so you can squeeze in even more work.
I want to help you manage your time so you can devote more of it to what’s important to you, which is often your relationships and, more specifically, the one you have with your partner.
So, how can I help make that relationship all the more awesome?
Well, let me ask you a question — does this sound familiar: as time goes on, have the “you look hot in that dress” comments and flirty flicks of towels to tushes been replaced by “did you call the electrician?” and “we really need to book those flights; have you talked to your mom yet?”
If so, you’re far from alone.
While those conversations of course have to happen, they do not need to take over ALL of the conversation space in your relationship. And they will if you let them. And talking logistics consistently sucks all fun out of even the best relationships.
So, let’s corral the logistics talk.
Let’s have one “logistics meeting” each week so you can cover the important stuff and have the ENTIRE rest of the week for other conversations. Oh hey, fun and flirty — we missed you.
Weekly meetings also have other amazing benefits. Getting clear on responsibilities is HUGE for the week going smoothly, your sanity, and the health of your relationship.
Even if you have to carry the entire load for the upcoming week, having those expectations set going into the week helps both your outlook and your feelings toward your partner. Plus, having that division of labor (or lack thereof) really spelled out for the other person helps them appreciate what you’re going through that week. Expectations and appreciation are everything.
So plan to hang out (kids-free!) for about 30 minutes each week to go over the specific topics you think are important. I recommend doing it on Sunday over coffee or wine. And if we work together, I have a specific agenda you can use during this planning session — same goes for the other, high-impact sessions I recommend.
And then do your best to save all “shop talk” for your weekly meeting so you can just enjoy each other the rest of the time.
If one of you is resistant to doing this (after all, it’s oddly formal), I find it helps to just explain that you’re trying to ONLY talk about this stuff during the Weekly Meeting unless something has to be discussed a shorter timeframe. There’s an appeal to knowing either one of you can shut down logistics talk during the week by asking that it’s tabled until Sunday — and then just enjoy each other (and just add it to the “Weekly Meeting” agenda so you can truly forget about it until then!
Sometimes, formalities are weird. But they can really help free up space for the fun.
So – are you willing to give it a whirl? I’d love to know!
Have a fun and flirty week, my friend!
