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| Coffee and conversation shared in front of this fireplace at a coffee house recently... |
Recently, I was reading a post about how couples who run a business together protect their relationships in the middle of their busy lives. A simple idea of Matt and Lentil Purbrick regarding their working lives intrigued me.
As well as separate work spaces, Matt and Lentil make sure they have clearly defined roles, and a scheduled weekly meeting to go through everything they’ve been working on individually. "Throughout the week, we write things on a notepad that we might want to talk about, and then we meet once a week over coffee to talk through it all’ Lentil explained.
To maximize efficiency and minimize frustration, Matt and Lentil will write things they need the other to do on a blackboard throughout the day. "Then you can each look at it when you’re ready, instead of interrupting each other all day!"
Though we (Gary and I) don't run a business-business together, our daily lives ARE definitely a partnership--a marriage-business. Sometimes our schedules overlap. Other times, we have separate appointments, and responsibilities take us in two different directions. Our lives are not so busy that we don't informally connect throughout the day, but sometimes "things" slip my mind (or his). So the notepad idea appeals to me--maybe for review even more frequently than weekly!
We have synced our calendars on our cell phones. This is a huge help. Quiet minutes shared every morning before we jump into our day provide time to review the plans for the day. We also enjoy day trips or late afternoon walks together. Adding intentional conversations about dreams, goals, and mutual and individual projects to these outings pays off BIG time.
Seasons in married life come and go.
This is where we find ourselves currently when it comes to the business of marriage.
What do YOU do to keep communication and cooperation flowing well?
I agree marriage is a partnership, and it must be worked at everyday. As a young bride a minister gave me some good advice and I have tried to adhere to it, he said,"Marriage is hard at its best, and you must work on it everyday, some days you won't feel like it, but you must persevere.
ReplyDeletethank you for your encouraging words about blogging on my last post.
Have a great day,
Sue
A most blessed and rewarding work, though. Don't you agree? Most relationships DO require thoughtfulness, consideration, responsibility, commitment and work...
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