While most New Year’s resolutions don’t last for long, you can stick to it for much longer if you have the same goals as your partner. The emotional support can really help you take your resolution well beyond the second week of January.
Try these New Year’s resolutions for couples or sit down with your partner and set your own goals, that benefit both of you and the relationship in the long run. If you don’t really know what kind of resolution works for a couple, try these simple ideas.
1. Prioritize Positive Over Negative
Relationship in which partners have more positive interactions than negative ones are happier, but if the opposite is true, a break up or divorce is almost inevitable. Focus on the positive aspects of your relationship and spend more time praising the other than criticizing them. Giving out at least two compliments for every criticism is a great couples resolution.
2. Make Intimacy a Priority
The level of intimacy in a relationship is build in many ways, from sharing to sex. Making it a priority is one of the best New Year’s resolutions for couples. Don’t leave it at a generic level, you can easily set a few separate goals. For example, relaxing together for at least 30 minutes a day, or promising to try something new in the bedroom every 3 months.
3. Get Healthier Together
One of the most effective New Year’s resolutions that works for couples, getting healthier together, either by making better dietary choices or exercises, can be a great bonding experience. If you go to different gyms, going on a diet together can increase the chances of success for both of you, since tempting junk food can be permanently removed from your cupboard.
4. Multitasking
Spending time with your guy while one of you is tapping away at a touchscreen or a keyboard doesn’t lead to quality time. Reducing or abandoning multitasking can be one of the best New Year’s resolutions for couples. When you’re spending time with each other, really make it count by putting away gadgets and focusing on having fun.
See also: Best Reasons for a Long Engagement
5. Learn Something New
Another way of improving your bond is learning new things together. Whether it’s a common hobby or lessons that you both want to attend, learning a new skill together is a great way to stay close. It doesn’t matter what kind of skill it is as long as it’s something that you’re both new to.
6. Improve Your Communication
One of the best New Year’s resolutions for couples is working on your communication. This only feels like a chore when the other isn’t really listening. Promise to each other that you’ll be open and really listen to each other and you’ll make a lot of progress. Honesty doesn’t have to be brutal, and you don’t have to tell each other everything, but this resolution will definitely pay off in the long run.
7. Take Responsibility
The simple act of apologizing for a minor thing after taking responsibility for it can make your partner feel respected. As a couples resolution, promise to each other that you’ll always apologize when you’re making a mistake, instead of letting it build up and create more tension.
8. Give Up a Bad Habit Together
Just like getting healthier together, one of the best New Year’s resolutions for couples is trying to break a bad habit together. Don’t just take something away, focus on finding something that replaces that habit with something less harmful.
9. Improve Your Finances
The easiest way to improve your finances is to focus on making better decisions together. That doesn’t mean that you have to cut corners and be miserable, but together you can decide what expenses can be reduced in order to save money for something that you both enjoy. Make sure that the cost cutting measures are balanced and affect the both of you roughly in the same way.
Don’t miss: How to Spend More Quality Time with Your Partner
10. Plan a Vacation
One of the best New Year’s resolutions for couples is saving up for something really important, like a dream vacation. Making small sacrifices throughout the year can bring you closer together and closer to your goal, whether it’s a dream wedding or a second honeymoon.
