Updated! – PEACE OF MIND AT THE END OF THE DAY
A couple contemplating in bed
What would it be worth to you to have peace at the end of every day?
By putting some simple things into place, you can enjoy a relaxing, peaceful night – every night.
Sit down with your partner and, for the next 30 minutes, create an easy-to-follow outline that could, in essence, change your life.
With a paper and pen, answer the following:
What time do each of you get home after work?
How much along time do you each need once you get home? (Fifteen minutes to an hour is typical, so plan within that realm. This should be about the same for those who work from home as well.)
Who will fix dinner, and how long will that take?
Who will clean up, and how long will that take?
If you have children, how much time do you spend with them talking and playing?
In this time, start the wind-down process. About an hour before tucking the kids in bed, turn off the computers, phones, TV, and any other electronic devices, and put away games, toys, books, puzzles, and anything else the kids have left laying around.
How much time is needed to get them ready for bed and tuck them in?
After the kids are settled in, how much time do you and your partner need to handle personal business? (This means completing tasks like opening the mail, listening to phone messages, or making phone calls.)
How much time do you need, just the two of you, to play, talk about your days, talk about nothing, and simply enjoy each other’s company?
The answers to these questions can now serve as your new daily schedule. You can see that the entire evening in laid out before you, and all your tasks are covered.
By each of you taking on certain chores, the evening will fall into place much more smoothly than flying by the seat of your pants. To change things up a bit, you could switch who makes dinner and who cleans up, who will go over the kids’ homework, and who will read them a story before bed.
This is win/win for the entire family!
You and your partner will have a few minutes to unwind after work. The entire family can eat together and share their days. Cleanup has already been determined, and the kids get one or both of you every night of the week. And, to top it all off, you both have precious alone time to focus on your romantic relationship.