Couples Who Work Together Must Play Together, Too

My husband and I both work from home. I wanted to share some lessons that he and I have learned over the years of how to share space and share time. We don’t currently work on the same business although he is always involved in my entrepreneurial adventures and our dream is for him to be able to work with me full time. The challenge with sharing the same work space, home space and often head space if you work in the same business is that it’s easy to get complacent and lazy about creating quality date time together.

We are lucky to have a house with plenty of space to spread out during the day, but our desks are in one office, side by side. Some days, we can be in the house together and go the whole day with hardly saying two words to each other. My husband is better than I am at swooping in for a quick hug, kiss and hello. Sometimes I find it annoying to be interrupted but mostly I love how sweet and romantic he is.

The flexibility of our work schedules does allow us some fun and freedom to fit quality time into our busy day while kids are at school. A mid-morning walk or lunch together on the patio help to keep our connection alive in the midst of our busy schedules.

We had one of those weeks where we had kids activities or networking events three nights this week. Neither of us are night owls and it’s easy to come home and turn on the television and not talk for the rest of the evening.

Couples that work together must create time to play together, too. Your romantic relationship has to stay healthy or it will impact your family business and your family life. Staying connected to each other requires commitment and scheduling time together, just like you schedule time for work and kids.

Brad and I have been married for 18 years. We can tell when we are on the same wave length and when we are feeling disconnected from each other. We are a lot better than we used to be about noticing the warning signs and doing some preventive maintenance. Here are a few of the creative ways we like to rekindle our romance.

5 Creative Ways to Rekindle Romance

These 5 suggestions are just my ideas, make time to come up with your own suggestions.

• Take a walk together- usually first thing in the morning or right after dinner are good times.
• Turn off the television and read to each other – do you both love sci-fi or self-help? Pick a book to share.
• Go out to breakfast or lunch, instead of dinner.
• Spend a few minutes each day sharing what you are grateful for.
• Create a couple’s “bucket list” along with a calendar of when will do each of the ideas.

4 Powerful Questions to Create Your Couple’s Bucket List

If those ideas don’t appeal to you, sit with your partner and brainstorm your own ideas of how to rekindle the romance.

Ask yourselves these questions:

• What did we do when we were dating that we have stopped doing and miss?
• What did we always talk about doing but never did?
• How much time do you feel is important to spend together?
• How are you feeling about our relationship right now? What is working? What could improve?

The true secret to rekindling the romance is being willing to have a conversation about what’s missing and what you really want. Be the change agent in your relationship and start the conversation today. Be gentle, loving and listen. You can do it!

Dr. Minette Riordan is co-author of the book From Fizzle to Sizzle: 4 Crucial Tools for Relationship Repair. She works with couples who want to create a profitable business that creates more time, freedom and financial independence but are struggling to find the right mix of romance and business. If you want more from your business and your relationship, schedule a free strategy session with Minette here.