Make a to do list- If your weekends generally have no sort of direction- make a list. Of jobs you need to get done- cleaning, ironing, getting stuff ready for work, food shopping etc. Then write down the things you want to do for fun and your prep- get petrol for a road trip, buy popcorn for the cinema. Set your alarm to make the most of the day and decide on a time to do something- it will give your day some focus.

Set up a calendar

Set up a calendar

Make time for both- but you should be spending more of your time doing quality things with each other and less of it doing chores. There's a greater sense of achievement if you can get the boring stuff out of the way and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Spread out your jobs- If you usually spend all of your Sunday cleaning your house- split it up over the week. Cleaning your bedroom one night and then your kitchen another may take you 20 mins. But if you clump it all together your day is gone. Little and often is the way forward.

Plan out your meals for the week- This will not only help you make a more accurate shopping list but will make your evenings run a lot smoother too. You can get things out to defrost as you need them rather than using the microwave and get your ingredients ready the night before. It will save you time and money.

Make your lunches before you go to bed- Not when you get up the next morning. You are more likely to not take anything and spend money when you get to work or throw something together that's really unhealthy.

Put a calendar up on the wall- And mark your individual and joint commitments. That way you can see what you have on for that week and work around the nights you're busy. If you don't- your partner might get worried as to your whereabouts and vice versa or you may double book.

Share responsibilities- Don't leave it all to your partner and similarly don't allow your partner let you do everything at home. If you have jobs you do each and every night- split them up. One of you can see to your pets while the other cooks tea, one of you can clean while the other one puts in some washing- everything should be equal if you've both been working all day.

Plan a date night in every fortnight/month- And decide what you want to do on it at the beginning of the month so you can put money aside, make plans etc. It saves you getting around to the end of the month and thinking of something on the spot. If you do this you might end up doing nothing because you can't agree or can't be bothered. Or you could alternate and make it a surprise for your partner- that way the decision is up to one person not two!

Get your finances in order- Know your budget for the month. Make a breakdown of all of your outgoings and income, figure out what you have left as your disposable income and work around it accordingly. This will help you to save, stop you going into overdrafts and live within your means.

Get a good night's sleep- We know it's tempting to stay up all night watching TV on a school night, but you need to sleep in order to be productive at work and to be good company for one another when you get home. If you're too tired during the week to keep up with things- it will all rest on the weekend and that's a lot of pressure to place on two days and yourselves.

Exercise regularly together- Even if it's a walk around the block each night or a saunter to the corner shop- do something active to get you out of the house each day. If your routine is to come in and drop down on the couch- you will lose your momentum and end up doing nothing with your night.


by for relationships.femalefirst.co.uk
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