Do you feel like you make more love to your Blackberry at work than to your man awaiting at home? Although climbing the corporate ladder may be a top priority for you, it is important not to forget about your relationships. To help find that work-love balance, read on.
Be Clear
If this is new relationship, be clear with each other about your expectations. If you need to be up at 6:00 every morning, make sure he understands that you will not be able to meet for late night drinks. Likewise, if his work requires him to be on call, you either need to be understanding or call it quits before things get complicated. Communication is important in any relationship but especially so with career-driven couples.
Ban the Blackberry
Don’t let any precious moments of together-time the two of you can find be ruined by the non-stop buzzing, ringing or beeping of incoming work e-mails and text messages. When you’re trying to spend some quality time with your man, turn the phone off! This goes for dinner dates, walks in the park and¦ anything else you wouldn’t want interrupted. If possible, disallow work e-mails from being sent to your phone altogether. Your relationship and your sanity with thank you.
Just Say “No”
If your freeloading co-worker asks you to stay late to help her work on a project that she has left until the last minute when you have a movie date with your man, don’t be afraid to tell her no. Be firm with yourself as well. Instead of letting yourself work late into the night, set a 5:00 p.m. deadline to be out the door by. Not only will you be home in time for a homemade meal with your significant other, but you will also be much more efficient.
Meet for Lunch
If you and your guy work reasonably close to each other, ditch the lunch room to meet up at a nearby café© or restaurant. Chat about work over a quick coffee or make it a mid-day-date with a soup and a salad. Lunch dates are a practical way to see more of each other without compromising your schedules. Plus, you’ll love seeing each other’s smiling faces in the midst of your workday stress.
Know Your Options
Try talking to your employer about flexible hours, compressing your workweek, job sharing or even working from home. Remind him or her that the more time you have to spend with your loved ones “ not just your man! “ the less stressed and more productive you will be.
Get Creative
If your workload is truly holding you hostage, try to find other ways to inject a little romance into your workday. Phone calls and e-mails may not make up for the huge and kisses you’re missing out on, but it helps. Better yet, send a silly e-card to make your man laugh or a sexy text message so that he’s all fired up when you finally get home.
