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6 strategies for working well with a romantic partner
Already sharing your home, family and social calendar, but would you like to share your business too? Working with a romantic partner can make or break your relationship. But how do you know which one is right for you? If you’re considering a career change, or if you’re already working with someone and want to improve your working relationship, deliberately plan out how to make it work. Thinking is the first step.
Kathryn Morrow is the founder of The White Picket Fence Project, marriage coaching that brings families together. Known for running a seven-figure business and sustaining marriages in the midst of adversity, Morrow helped women who were lost, unstable and insecure showed up in their relationships and businesses, Helping you grow as a strong, powerful person who can grow in all aspects of your life. . Morrow works well with her husband and she was trained at the Gottman Institute and is certified in therapies such as CBT, Marriage Therapy, Sex Therapy, Addiction Recovery and EMDR. Her flagship program, “The 6-figure Nap,” teaches parent entrepreneurs how to make $100,000 a year while their kids sleep.
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I asked Morrow to guide couples through the process and share strategies for working well with romantic partners based on what she has practiced herself.
1. Check the jersey
“Be each other’s cheerleaders,” Morrow said. “Be in each other’s corner instead of competing with each other.” Show them the support and encouragement you want in return. This is true both at work and at home, especially when teaming up within the same business. “It can be easy to get jealous of your partner’s success,” she said, but remember you’re part of the same team and act accordingly. “People thrive when they are supported and encouraged by their partner. Use their love language to support them in the way it is best received. , any of which can show how proud you are.”
At home, Morrow advised them to “present a united front”, believing that not hurting each other would make them stronger as a couple. In practice, this looks like “enlighten and support each other in front of family and friends, especially children.” Keep arguments and disagreements behind closed doors, kiss and reconcile, agree on a way forward together, and then step out in the spotlight and do your part.
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2. Define your role
Instead of letting the mood decide or who takes the lead, “define roles and responsibilities for each person.” Morrow says each should decide together what to do and what to outsource. Doing so will avoid the possibility of unfulfilled expectations escalating into resentment or passive aggression. “At work, assign responsibilities based on individual skills. If your partner is better at sales and you are better at organizing, divide roles accordingly.” , would benefit from parallel application of their own strengths.
At home, she says, it’s important to be open-minded and “outline household chores like child care, housework, yard work, and pet care, and check in with each other on a regular basis about workloads.” At home, Morrow takes on more of her childcare responsibilities while her husband takes care of the garbage and the car. They hire cleaners so they can spend more time with work and family. “Roles can be changed, but they need to be discussed so that no one feels assumed or taken for granted.”
3. Set boundaries
When life and work seem intertwined, having strong boundaries can tell the difference between organization and chaos. That goes for each other, other colleagues, and the work itself. Know when to say no to a project or colleague whose time demands don’t align with your goals. If you risk discussing work ideas late into the night, Morrow says, “Don’t talk about the store after 5 p.m.” To protect yourself, have a clearly defined office space.” ” Clear out your work space and your home space and keep them as separate as possible.
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“At home, have an end-of-work schedule,” Morrow said. ’ says. If you plan to do a lot of work, let your partner understand your intentions. If you plan to finish work at a specific time each day, tell them that time and stick to it. Honesty is key to a successful working relationship, especially if you are married.
6 strategies for working well with a romantic partner
4. Put each other first
What should you do when both the project and the partner need the utmost attention? Put each other first and “let the partner draw the line,” Morrow said. She explained: “Sometimes you’re in a meeting or trying to get on the phone and you can’t let your partner do everything, but other times, when your partner wants or needs attention, you’re the one who’s working.” Turn it on and give it to them.” This strategy works as long as no one takes the liberty. “Recognize that we are partners and teammates first, regardless of other commitments, and wait for other things,” she added.
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Morrow takes a similar stance on family life, advising that “at home, don’t let the kids come first on your mind.” “Having children can lead to unexpected love triangles,” she said, “especially when a woman feels she’s given birth to the love of her life.” Morrow teaches that marriage must come first for a healthy family structure. Think of it as the foundation upon which your business and family are built.
5. Be intentional
If you run your own business, you will set goals and objectives and make a plan to develop the skills needed to reach them. When we do business together, we set goals as a team. Consider which goals make each of you shine, and recognize that they can be different. “My measure of success is the number of nominations our work receives each week,” Morrow says. “But my husband is more focused on how many sales calls are booked each month and how accessible the program is.” What that means is up to you. You don’t have to deliberately decide what to measure and have it be the same.
At home, act purposefully in a different way. “Create a ritual of connection, which may include regular family dates and planned traditions as a couple or family,” Morrow said. For weekly dates and family events, “Be sure to attend whatever happens that week.” Be intentional about connecting and celebrating life together, and be stronger in doing so.
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6. Evaluate your time
Attendance at work and at home requires careful planning of time. That includes carefully delegating things you don’t need to do. Moreau regularly sees people get this wrong. “Managers don’t have time. Parents don’t have time. You’re trying to excel in both.” , advised that efforts should be made to appoint an operations manager. This should be someone who “can respond to requests from customers and team members while focusing on building and growing the business.” Perhaps we should have started this business to spend more time together. Don’t let admins get in the way by overdoing it or being too busy to collaborate.
It’s the same message at home. If you can buy time with money, do it. “Order your groceries online and hire cleaners, assistants and babysitters,” advises Morrow. Each has a cost, but likely much less than doing business in the same amount of time. Don’t lose sight of the big picture: your business and your family’s prosperity. If you have a successful business, it may not make financial sense for you to do your own household chores for $25 an hour. Rethink the idea of spending money to find space to do business or enjoy time with your family.
Check your jersey, define your role, set boundaries, prioritize each other, and evaluate your time with intention. A checklist of conversations you should have with your partner to live and work happily together. Join the same team, work together to win, and aim for the best of both worlds.
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