If you’re familiar with Hallmark movies, you know the cliche about the impact a career-driven mindset can have on a romantic relationship. One person is too focused on their career, which leaves the other person feeling neglected. Spoiler alert: It doesn’t work out, and the second person goes on to find someone who shows them a simpler life focused on love and meaningful connections. But what about in reality? Not everyone is willing to leave their old life behind and move to a country destination. Another spoiler alert: you don’t have to! Keep reading to learn how you can prioritize both your love life and your career through successfully navigating work life balance.
1. Create Relationship Goals Together:
If your relationship is starting to feel like it is falling on the back burner, it might be because you are prioritizing other goals that you have in place (i.e. crushing it in your career). The solve? Set relationship goals together! Is there a minimum amount of date nights you want to have every week? Perhaps certain nights when you want to ensure you eat dinner together? Maybe it’s scheduling weekends or “lazy” days when you don’t have any plans besides relaxing and staying in? When life gets busy with other priorities, it can be really useful to have relationship goals in place that you’ve set together and feel good about achieving.
2. Support Each Other’s Career Goals:
On the flipside of the relationship goals you determine together, don’t forget the importance of recognizing your partner’s professional ambitions. If you fell in love with someone who is super career-oriented, this is likely something that you were aware of when you began the relationship. And in most cases, there is room for them to prioritize both their career and you!
When you make an effort to celebrate each other’s ambitions with wholehearted support, it can truly strengthen your relationship. Make a point to discuss what your career goals are and to celebrate together when big and little wins are achieved.
3. Establish Effective Communication:
Communication is key for any successful relationship, whether it is romantic or not! Regular, open, and honest conversations about work commitments, schedules, and expectations can help in understanding each other’s needs. A great way to accomplish this can be through establishing a communication routine. For example, you might want to make it a point to discuss your weekly schedules and commitments every Sunday. This way, you both have an understanding of expectations for the week, when you will plan time together, and when you might be super crunched in terms of bandwidth.
4. Allow for Flexibility Within Work Life Balance:
Yes, it is important to make each other a priority and to value the plans that you have made together. With that said, remember that it is a balance and that sometimes, things happen. If your partner needs to unexpectedly and apologetically stay late at work when you had a dinner date planned, it can mean the world to them if you are understanding and even offer to bring a dinner to them or have it ready when they get home. If you are the one who needs to stay late, communicate your challenges, your apology to miss your special date, and talk about when you can reschedule. Being adaptable and willing to adjust plans allows you to weather storms together, creating a united resilience through changing circumstances.
5. Create Boundaries for Work Life Balance:
Holding a level of flexibility can remove so much stress from each other. But if you are constantly cancelling dates, missing planned meals together, and generally not finding any time to prioritize your relationship, this can only be sustained for so long. To make sure you aren’t taking your partner’s flexibility for granted, and to honor your own work life balance, establishing boundaries at work is critical. Some examples of boundaries can include setting limits on the intrusion of work into personal time, silencing your work phone/notifications during your designated time together, and blocking off your evenings ahead of planned date nights.
Not only will this help you to make time for your partner, but it will also help you to make time for your own self care and wellbeing. When you are at your best, you are also giving your relationship your best. Setting boundaries ensures that you aren’t pouring from an empty cup: for yourself, for your relationship, and even for your career. To learn more about setting work life balance for yourself as an individual, read this article on the importance of work life balance.