In many cases, marriages break down because
one of the partners spends too much time at work. It doesn’t always have to be
that way. Just as you have spent time in writing your business plan, you should
also spend an equal (if not more!) amount of attention to your marriage. Here
are some tips to help you maintain a successful business and marriage.
1.
Make A Plan
Scheduling out every moment of your life
sounds a bit obsessive. But if you can find a way to schedule most of your
waking time and stick to that schedule it could pay off in the long run. What
you should do is to schedule in the times during a day where you would spend
working, and the time where you would relax with your family. For example –
highlight in your calendar:
·
The hours 9 am to 5pm for your
business
·
And the hours 6pm to 10pm is to
be spent with the family
If you can stick to your schedule then
you’re ahead of the game. However, to be more productive you need to be ruthless
in cutting out non-essential activities that cut into your schedule. During
your work hours you want to be completely focused on the tasks at hand. If you
schedule time for a special dinner date with your wife/husband or coaching
soccer practice with the kids then you should be equally focused on that time –
and that means not taking work related calls! It all comes down to matter of
good time management. So, be obsessive with your scheduling your day.
2.
Create Quality Time
Just because you set aside time for “date
night” or “family fun” doesn’t mean the work is over. You need to put some effort
into creating quality time for those special events. Yes, you’ve spent all week
up to your eyes in meetings, conferences and reports. The last thing you want
to do is figure out where to go to dinner! Well, going that extra step to take
charge will show you really do care about your relationship. It’s simple. Let’s
say you have a date with your wife, here’s what you do:
1.
Pick your top three
restaurants.
2.
Send an email or text message to
your significant other asking them to make a top pick and you’ll handle the
rest.
Don’t stop at just dinner. Plan ahead for a
romantic weekend getaway, a night at the theatre, or a beach day. If you are
really busy, you can hire a virtual assistant to help you make reservations or
organize your week. It takes zero effort but holds the promise of great rewards.
3.
Keep the Lines of Communication Open
This is crucial for a marriage whether you
own a small business or not. The old adage of “don’t go to bed angry” makes a lot of sense but hopefully you’ll
find a way to work out your problems before you make it to the bedroom. Most
issues with communication have less to do with what you’re saying as opposed to
what you’re hearing. Genuinely listening to your partner’s concerns and
applying empathy is crucial to keeping those lines of communication open. When
you can put good listening skills into practice, you should get the same in
return. That’s going to mean all the “channels” will be open and clear for a
success marriage and business.
