My wife, Kristen, and I started our own law firm in 2012. When it was just the two of us, we’d often spend the entire day together. As our firm grew and we hired additional staff, we lost some of our one-on-one time. We got busier and busier and threw more hours at the business instead of prioritizing our relationship. Our nights were often occupied with networking events, and there was a drive to get to the office increasingly earlier.
We realized that it was as important to nurture our marriage as our business. So two years ago, we decided to make some changes. Now we relax together and reconnect every morning. It’s our sacred time. From 6 to 7:30 am after I walk the dog and she makes coffee we sit and talk about our family, the news, vacations we’d like to take, or politics. If we do discuss work, it’s big-picture goals for the firm, not the day-to-day minutiae.
I found that it was tough for me to decompress in the evenings I need time to come down from the day and separate myself from work. In the morning, we’re both more open. Starting the day this way ensures we keep our focus on being spouses first and business partners second.
