4 Helpful Tips to Optimize Your Time for Relationships

When you think about conflicts within your relationships, do you often blame those challenges on a lack of time?

Relationships take time to nurture, develop, and sustain, which is why many people struggle to devote adequate time to them. So, if you aren’t prioritizing your current (or prospective) relationships, have you asked yourself why not?

Time management isn’t just important at the office. Poor time management can lead to issues at work and in your relationships outside of work. In fact, poor time management can be so detrimental to your relationships that it can negatively impact your chances of finding and sustaining a relationship with a significant other. If a relationship is important to you, you need to make time for it.

Here’s how to better plan your time to prioritize your relationship, whether you currently have a partner or are seeking one.

The Link Between Time Management and Quality of Life

When it comes down to it, time management is the only means of control any of us have over the passage of time. Many people want to spend that time in the companionship of a loving partner who supports and encourages them throughout life, so managing that time can help create a sustainable relationship.

But how? Researchers at the University of Georgia discovered that individuals who practice good time management experience many benefits, including:

• Higher productivity
• More energy
• Less stress
• More free time
• Increased positive interactions with others
• Greater self-confidence

While it’s easy to imagine how these benefits can positively impact your professional life, imagine how they might affect your personal life and your relationships. Regardless of the stage of a person’s relationship, all relationships benefit from less stress and more energy.

But it’s not just about how proper time management can positively impact your relationships; poor time management can also negatively affect your relationships.

According to the Journal of Marriage and Family, individuals who properly manage their time to spend more of it with their partners are likely to experience greater happiness and meaning and less stress. The study showed that individuals in a relationship experienced more happiness and less stress when they were together than when they were apart, regardless of a range of factors, such as whether both individuals worked or whether one individual in the relationship fulfilled a caretaker role.

The takeaway? If you have a partner, prioritize spending time with them.

The Importance of “Me Time”

Spending time with your partner — or friends or family — isn’t the only way to strengthen your relationships. How you spend time outside those relationships impacts them as well. By spending adequate time on personal and professional development and self-care, you can grow and change as a partner in a relationship that will also evolve and change.

Self-development is also critical for anyone searching for a partner because when you value yourself, others will respect you, too.

According to a study conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Elements Massage, researchers found that couples who properly manage their time in a way that allows them to spend time together and enjoy time apart from one another experience a healthier relationship overall.

Some study participants indicated that the “me time” was just as important or more important for the relationship than the time they spent with their partners, and the ideal amount of “me time” was about six hours per week or one hour per day.

Spending Time Apart

Conversely, when you don’t manage your time well outside your relationship, it can create negativity within the relationship. In a University of Munster study, researchers found that even minor external stressors can have a “negative spillover effect” on the satisfaction a person experiences in the time they share with their partner. Additionally, external factors such as work schedules can affect how negatively or positively individuals gauge their time spent with their partners.

Based on these perceptions, it’s important to be mindful of how much time and what kind of time you and your partner need in a relationship and to adjust outside factors accordingly. Ensure you don’t neglect your relationship for work demands or other responsibilities.

You can’t always be together, so make your time away from your partner work in your favor.

4 Tips to Optimize Your Time Together

It’s not always easy to get time away from emails, text notifications, or the office, so how do you make the most of quality time with your partner? Here are a few tips.

1. Change Your Mindset

When you and your partner are together, make an effort to be fully present. Sincerely listen to one another and try to make your shared time enjoyable. Maintain a growth mindset about whatever you do together. You’ll likely enjoy your time together if you put in the effort to do so and are receptive to one another. If you choose not to have a good attitude when you’re together, that’s time you can’t reclaim.

Sometimes, learning to prioritize time with a loved one is just as simple as asking yourself what truly matters and realizing that you won’t be able to spend that time with them forever.

2. Put Down the Technology

Too much tech time can damage a relationship. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can make more time for your relationship by leaving the office early to spend time with your partner if you plan to spend your evening hunched over your phone answering work emails. A University of Alberta study found that even minor digital distractions within a relationship can contribute to romantic dissatisfaction and that “people who were heavier technology users, or believed their partners to be heavier users, said they were less satisfied with their couple time and felt worse about their relationship.”

When spending quality time with your partner, give them your full attention and don’t succumb to technological distractions. And if you do need to answer emails, answer them before you spend time with a loved one, not during your time together.

3. Go for Quality Over Quantity

If you have a hectic schedule and many responsibilities, you might not be able to spend as much time as you’d prefer with your partner. If this is the case, ensure the time you spend together is high quality by keeping it positive, thoughtful, and memorable.

Ask them compelling questions about their interests or experiences. Let them feel heard. Plan an activity that you both deem special and interesting.

4. Share and Grow Together

A partner isn’t just a person with whom you share room and board. A partner is a person who will grow alongside you as you share experiences. Engage in exciting activities together, whether learning a new recipe, exploring a new part of town, or making progress on hobbies either of you enjoy.

If you feel your relationship is stagnant, try to learn something new, such as salsa dancing (no matter how bad you may be), to reignite the spark.

Spending Time to Find Your Relationship

If you’re unintentionally single, reflect on whether you’re investing as much effort into seeking a partner as you would in nurturing a relationship. If the answer is no, consider this a prompt to shift your focus and prioritize your quest for companionship.

By actively engaging in the quest for love, meeting new individuals, and embracing fresh opportunities, you stand a better chance of encountering a suitable partner. The more quality interactions you have, the higher the likelihood of connecting with someone who aligns with your principles.

The Bottom Line

Planning your time to prioritize your relationship is good practice, whether you currently have a partner or are seeking one. Poor time management can harm your relationships and negatively impact your chances of finding a partner. However, proper time management in any area of life is easier said than done. The key is managing your time by prioritizing what matters most.

If you need assistance managing your time and priorities in any aspect of your life, consider working with an Arootah Life Coach. These skilled professionals support clients in learning how to identify their goals and make the changes necessary to achieve them.