Here are some steps you can take to help balance your work life with your love life.
8 Working Tips for managing a relationship and work
1. Set boundaries: Setting boundaries will keep you in check, Whether it’s the time you each leave the office, or how often you work from home, make sure you communicate and set clear expectations about how your careers will bleed into your life. Make a rule that you can’t look at your phones after 7:00 pm, or that you’ll both work on Sunday afternoons.
Career-oriented couples often enjoy working, but setting boundaries allows you to also enjoy each other.
2. Prioritize: When we say prioritize we don’t mean choose one over another or give more time to one over another no we mean; There will come a time in life where either your relationship or career will demand more from you. The important thing to take into consideration is which one is more urgent and requires the most attention at that moment in time.
Realize that neither your love life nor your career will always have first priority and handling each situation separately and prioritizing based on the situation at hand is a good way to find a balance. Prioritizing doesn’t mean making a sacrifice, it just means making adjustment.
By building a strong foundation for both your love life and your career, you can prevent a disruption when your priorities may have to shift and keep the harmony in your relationship.
3. Communication/Keeping in regular contact: You don’t need to be on the phone with your partner 24/7 because you have work to do but It is important to keep in regular contact with one another so no one in the relationship feels neglected. A big factor in the breakdown of a relationship is a lack of time and dedication and this can be avoided with less work than you may think. Your career can be demanding but that is no excuse to not make time for your partner. If you live with your partner and they work similar hours to you, make it a point to wake up a little early so you can spend some time together at the start of the day.
If you are not living together, send them a text in the morning and let them know you are up and ask them how they are. Give them a quick call during your morning commute or during your lunch break. You can send them a quick message on social media letting them know you are thinking of them but keep it short!
Remember you are supposed to be working. Keeping in regular contact is a great way to show your other half that you are thinking of them and are still accessible while you are at work. If you work from home, You can ask your partner to come stay with you whenever they’re free just spend time with them.
4. Have date nights: All work and no play they says makes Jack a dull boy, from time to time you need to clear your head from work and spend quality time with your partner; Date nights are a great way to keep the spark in a relationship and show your partner hat you want to spend some quality time with them. Many people dedicate their weekdays to work and when they get home, just want to unwind and relax. While there is nothing wrong with this, try to put this free time in the evening towards your relationship.
Take it upon yourselves to make at least one weekday evening a date night. Pick a weekday and as a couple, promise yourselves that this day will always be a date night and can never be broken. Go somewhere where you can spend a nice evening together and forget about the stresses of your careers. A date night doesn’t always mean having to go out or spending a large amount of money.
You can spend an evening at home and have a nice meal while enjoying each other’s company. If you work in the evening and a weekday date night isn’t possible, always make it a priority to schedule a date night on a weekend. Going to different places and taking part in different activities will also keep your date nights exciting and prevent them from feeling like an obligation.
5. Keep your work and love life separate: It’s simple when you’re with your partner forget about work and when you’re working forget about your romantic life this will help you find balance in both. Having a good career and a stable relationship (marriage) can be the best of both worlds. The best way to keep these two things happy is keeping them separate. While you are engaged with one of them, try not to think about the other.
When you are at work, fully commit to your job, your tasks and workload, and the needs of your co-workers and managers. Don’t let your romantic life be a distraction.
Concentrate on being productive and getting your work done so you will have more quality time to spend with your partner later that evening. Likewise, leave work at work and don’t think about it or let it distract you when you are spending time with your partner.
Disconnecting from your job can even make you more productive when you return to work.
6. Choose the right partner: Understanding is very important in a relationship and that is why when choosing a partner, look out for who understands you because that is what will make it easier for you; All of these tips will be in vain if you are not with the right person. It is important to be in a relationship with someone who understands your career and its possible demands. Before you enter into a relationship, you should let him/her know exactly what you do, what your working schedule is like and vice versa.
This can help you establish if you can both realistically commit the time and effort to the relationship and will save you a lot hassle in the long run. Your partner should understand that you may have to occasionally stay at work late or attend work functions. However, they should never have to feel that you are squeezing them in to your schedule or that you don’t have time for them. If late working hours are having a negative effect on your relationship, it may be time to re-evaluate your current job. Meeting with your manager to establish more efficient working hours may be in order.
On the other hand, if your partner is not considerate of the demands of your job or your career goals, it may be time to consider if they are the right person for you. Remember that no matter how effectively you manage your time; there will be a point where either your relationship or career will require more focus than the other but with a little understanding and compromise, you will be able to balance your career with your love life.
7. Set goals together: Setting objectives as a couple is another healthy strategy for achieving work-life balance. Individual career objectives are something you can set and hold each other accountable for. Because you are a couple, it is important that you set your relationship goals together. Setting goals will give you both something to look forward to all the time.
Akuamoah-Boateng of the College of Distance Education at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, Clara did an intriguing study using information from the female staff. The study, titled Balancing work, family, and personal life, demonstrated how employees could manage several facets of their lives.
8. Talk finances early and often: Money is the main topic of contention in relationships. So, while things are still going well, have a conversation about whether each party is willing to support the others’ decision to change careers or lose their current jobs.
Are you ready to make a withdrawal from your savings to help with a move? If your partner gets a promotion, how will your way of life change? Set a budget for both your personal and professional expenses.
Conclusion: Love is a beautiful thing and can be a lot of motivation, your career puts food on your table and takes care of your bills too, the two are important, therefore for you to have the two going well you both need to work on yourselves, understand each other and be ready to make it work.
