Tips for Busy Couples

By April Kirkwood, M.Ed

Do you need some tips for keeping your relationship strong because of your crazy schedules? I know It’s hard to stay connected when both of you are busy, but it can be done with a little thought and creative planning.

1. SEND A TEXT

When you can’t find time to be together, you can still text. It only takes a minute to send a text. It’s a great way to say “I miss you” or “Thinking of you today.” It can totally make your partner’s day to receive a text like that. You can also get fun and playful in the texts you can send to each other.

2. COMPARE SCHEDULES

One of the first things that you want to do when you’re both crazy busy is compare your schedules. Look for any gaps where you both have an opening at the same time. When you find those gaps, reserve them for time together. Even if it’s just a quick breakfast, it’s a way to stay connected. Taking advantage of available time slots you find is one of the tips for keeping your relationship strong

3. PLAN MINI-DATES

When you don’t have time for a full date, plan a mini-date. What’s a mini-date? It’s just a smaller version of a regular date. Instead of dinner and a movie, maybe you would grab some quick burgers together or meet for a cup of coffee before you both go to work. It isn’t quite the same but it sure beats not seeing one another at all.

4. SYNCHRONIZE YOUR SCHEDULES

Give rearranging your schedules some thought. Can you switch your work hours up so you’re off at the same time? Take your classes at the same time so you have time off together? These are things that are worth thinking over. Even if you only discover something minimal such as being able to go to the gym together, it can help.

5. LEAVE EACH OTHER NOTES

As sweet as a text is, there’s no substitute for a handwritten note. It doesn’t have to be a long, sappy letter. A few little lines to share how much your #partner means to you are more than enough. That’s usually the kind of note that gets kept and reread often. They may even surprise you with leaving a note for you to find, too.

April Kirkwood, M.Ed., has Masters degrees in both education and mental health counseling from Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. She has worked as a social worker in an inpatient hospital, as a therapist assisting treatment teams, and has led intake, discharge, group sessions and summer programs.

Kirkwood has over 26 years’ experience as a middle and high teacher and counselor in both Ohio and Florida. She has worked as the dean for a guidance department of a K-8 school specializing in PBS (Positive Behavior Support) and peer mediation. As well as a lead English instructor for Broward County Schools in Florida, where she was instrumental in mentoring new staff in the area of raising freshman and sophomore state scores in reading and writing.

She also has experience leading weekly court ordered parenting classes, directed at addressing school attendance issues; and has worked with inner city families as a liaison, uniting counselors, school staff and parents.

Her new journey takes her from the shoes of educator to boots of an author and speaker, grounded in her love of the mental health field as well as sharing her personal struggles with love. Kirkwood shares insights about seldom talked about learned behaviors of ‘lust’ and ‘romance’ during critical adolescent times in the growth of each of us. This relatively untouched developmental milestone is key to raising healthy sons and daughters, and to heal areas in our own hearts and minds that keep us stuck in repeating dissatisfying romantic commitments. She has taken the road less traveled as a woman’s advocate bridging the world of psychology with spirituality as a therapist specializing in holistic practices empowering young and old to learn a new way of placing their hearts in the hands of the right kind of lovers.