Trust me, I know how busy your life as a married couples can be.
With work, family, extracurricular activities, exercise, kids, cooking, household chores and all of the other tasks we have to complete each day, it seems like there's no time for anything else.
Well, I'm here to tell you that you must make time for one more thing - being a couple. Fortunately, just 15 minutes each day will do the trick. That's only one percent of the time you have available each day, so you know it's realistic.
Your marriage is more important than your children or your career, so you need to start nourishing it.
Find just 15 minutes each day to sit without distractions and talk to your spouse about your day, your thoughts, your dreams and whatever else you feel like sharing as long as you are engaged in an intimate conversation.
And please be sure that your conversation doesn't revolve around things that need to be done around the house, the kids' school activities or any other "responsible" meeting topics.
This time is for you to talk about your individual thoughts and your desires as a couple.
The first step in this fun little adventure in romance is to identify where you'll find your 15 minutes. It starts with the right perspective. What if you found out that you had to spend 15 minutes each day getting a medical treatment that you needed to survive?
Less dramatically, what if you could voluntarily give this time to help your spouse achieve a great deal of happiness? Or pump up your own happiness, get rid of stress and feel fulfilled?
You can find the time. To get you started, here are some areas where you might be able to cut back a bit:
-Watch less television (this should do it for most of us)
-Cut out 15 minutes of mindless web-surfing (this should take care of the rest)
-Check Facebook less often or update your Pinboards a bit less frequently
-Focus at work so you can leave a bit earlier
-Only check your email twice per day (this can be a HUGE time saver)
-Cut down on video games
-Exercise at home instead of driving to the gym
-Put the kids to bed 15 minutes early
-Wake up 15 minutes early
When we decided to make this 15 minutes of "couple time" a priority in our marriage, we simply made sure the kids were in bed at a consistent time each evening and spent our time together before we did anything else.
We found that all of our other responsibilities can easily wait for a measly 15 minutes.
This is our sacred time for each other and the key to staying engaged in our marriage � and we wouldn't trade it for the world!
While 15 minutes per day should do the trick, I further encourage you to schedule a date night once every week or two. It doesn't have to be an expensive or elaborate outing.
While it is preferable to get away from the house and all of the "to-do's" it represents, you don't necessarily even have to go out. Your date night can be as simple as cooking dinner together and sharing a bottle of wine, or just watching a movie together after the kids go to bed.
The important thing is that you are engaged in your relationship and focused on appreciating each other as a couple for at least a short time each week.
There you have it: spend a measly 15 minutes being a couple each day, and you'll feel closer than ever. Throw in a fun date night once per week or two and you will be on your way to having an awesome marriage for life.
See, it's not hard to be romantic after all!
Dustin Riechmann created www.engagedmarriage.com as a source of information and motivation for those who want something more from life and agree that their most important relationships shouldn't be mired in mediocrity. Riechmann says a central theme of Engaged Marriage is candid, practical advice that you can put into action without a huge time commitment. "Whether it's fighting fair or achieving financial peace in your marriage, you will find a plethora of information to help you in every area of family life," says Riechmann, a husband and father of three.
