Work together on something hard that will feel great when it’s done, like removing a dead tree stump or tearing down an old fence or wall. The sense of accomplishment helps you feel connected to each other.
Something hard can also be a creative project. It could be shopping for a piece of furniture or designing a new kitchen. It could even be organizing your important papers. The important thing is that it’s a finite task that you can do together and celebrate when you’ve completed it.
Your weekly assignment, should you choose to accept it:
Make a list of tasks that are challenging and that you could do together. Choose one of the tasks, and either do it or make a plan about how and when you will do it.
This is an excerpt from Being Happy Together: How to Have a Fabulous Relationship With Your Life Partner in Less Than an Hour a Week, by Laurie Weiss, Ph.D.
Technorati Tags: Relationship Advice, Tasks, Togetherness, Relationships
written by Laurie Weiss
Make clear agreements about which of you will do which parts of a complicated task, like arranging a vacation. Check each item off your joint list as it is completed. Posting the list on the bathroom mirror or the refrigerator door works well.
Keeping each other informed about progress eliminates lots of questioning and tension. It also eliminates unpleasant surprises like discovering that each one of you thought that the other was responsible for an important part of the task.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:
Choose a project to work with for practice. Together, using sticky notes, make a list of all the things that need to be done to complete the project. Write each task on a separate sticky note, and divide the tasks by arranging the notes into separate lists. Be creative and have fun.
This is an excerpt from Being Happy Together: How to Have a Fabulous Relationship With Your Life Partner in Less Than an Hour a Week, by Laurie Weiss, Ph.D.
[tags]Tasks, Togetherness, Relationships, Communication, Relationship Advice[tags]
written by Laurie Weiss
Inform your partner as soon as possible if you will not be doing a task that s/he expects you to do. This avoids unpleasant surprises and lets you solve the problem of what to do about the undone task together.
Whether it’s grocery shopping, making travel arrangements or even changing light bulbs, inform your partner about any potential problem before s/he learns about it accidentally.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:
Discuss whether or not this is a problem for either of you. If it is, set up a regular time to inform each other about upcoming changes. Do this daily or weekly depending upon what you need.
This is an excerpt from Being Happy Together: How to Have a Fabulous Relationship With Your Life Partner in Less Than an Hour a Week, by Laurie Weiss, Ph.D.
Technorati Tags: Relationships, Communication, Care of Your Partner, Relationship Advice
written by Laurie Weiss
Occasionally do a task that your partner does not expect you to do. Let your partner be pleasantly surprised that s/he does not need to prepare dinner or mow the lawn.
Regular routines can numb you so much that you forget Continue reading »
written by Laurie Weiss
Negotiate about tasks. Avoid sex-role stereotypes. Divide chores based on individual preferences and skills.
You may discover that a task you dislike and thought you needed to do is something your partner doesn’t mind doing at all. One couple discovered that she loved to cut the grass and he enjoyed quiet time alone while cleaning up the kitchen.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:
Each of you make a list of tasks you dislike doing. Rate each item from mild dislike to hate. Share your lists, and see if you can trade some of your tasks. Think about creative solutions for items you both rate as hate.
This is an excerpt from Being Happy Together: How to Have a Fabulous Relationship With Your Life Partner in Less Than an Hour a Week, by Laurie Weiss, Ph.D. You can get more information HERE.
Technorati Tags: Relationship Advice, Communication, Tasks, Relationships
written by Laurie Weiss
Avoid emergency shopping trips. Keep a running shopping list. The person who takes the last item from storage should note that it needs replacement.
Simple things, like running out of needed supplies, create unnecessary tension in your relationship. It is easier to Continue reading »
written by Laurie Weiss
“I’m feeling really stuck,” Ray confided to his best friend. “If I can’t get things squared away in my marriage I think I’m going to get a divorce. Diane did it again! I told her weeks ago I wanted to go away for the weekend. She said OK, but Continue reading »
written by Laurie Weiss
Share the power and the decision-making. Avoid the resentment that comes when one is burdened with responsibility and the other resents being told what to do.
When it comes to decision-making, two heads really are better than one, even if one of you knows far more than the other about a particular subject. Taking the time to thoroughly explain your rationale for your decision to your partner will clarify all of the information for both of you.
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:
List the decisions each of you makes without input from the other. Decide which of the decisions are minor and which ones are extremely important to both of you. Review one of the important decisions together.
This is an excerpt from Being Happy Together: How to Have a Fabulous Relationship With Your Life Partner in Less Than an Hour a Week, by Laurie Weiss, Ph.D. You can get more information HERE
Technorati Tags: Relationship Advice, Relationships, Communication, Tasks
written by Laurie Weiss
Hire someone to do the chores you both hate — or do them together. Start by looking at the things that never seem to get done, probably because neither of you wants to do them.
Procrastination is usually a symptom Continue reading »
written by Laurie Weiss
