100 Minutes

If you’ve been around Engaged Marriage very long, you know how strongly I believe that even the busiest couples can enjoy an awesome, fulfilling marriage.  It just takes some effort and about 15 minutes a day of engaged Couple Time.

EM community member Hailey Hearthrow has experienced the power of a 15 Minute Marriage Makeover, and in today’s post she shares a simple, powerful plan to take this approach for a 10-minute “test drive.”  Be sure to check it out and then head over to her blog at http://pamperedpartners.blogspot.com for more great tips!

If you are taking the 15 Minute Marriage approach seriously, then in just one year, you will have spent 5,475 minutes together strengthening your marriage.

That’s 91.25 hours! Assuming that most people sleep 8 hours a night, you will have invested almost 6 whole days (waking time) working exclusively on your marriage and nothing else.

Kowabunga! A marriage retreat in your very own home on your time schedule. A vacation without having to miss a single paycheck.

Dubious still about the possible results? Don’t think it will really bolster your relationship with such minimal requirements?

Okay, take it for a test drive. Invest just 100 minutes: 10 minutes a day for the next 10 days.

If it fails, you’ve lost nothing except the time you would have spent watching a video from Red Box.

Here’s how to take a 10 minute test drive

Day one – Rate your marriage. Find out where you stand before you begin. By responding to just 10 questions, you can score your relationship. Repeat the evaluation at the end of the 100 Minutes, and you’ll know if the time is making any difference. Both you and your spouse can take the test at http://pamperedpartners.blogspot.com/2011/10/rate-your-marriage.html

Day two – Listen to “your song” together – the one that played at your wedding, the one you always think of when you remember your first dance, your first kiss, or the night you got engaged. Hold hands while you listen. Try to recreate the mood when you first heard it.

Day three – Individually, jot a quick note that starts with “I married you because…” Exchange notes…and kisses.

Day four – Grab your wedding album and thumb through the pages while you sit on the couch together. Laugh about so-and-so’s candid expression and reminisce about how young and naïve you were.

Day five – Relax with a favorite drink or dessert. While you are at ease, share three things you did today that your spouse might not know about.

Day six – Put your feet up, literally. Take turns giving and receiving foot massages. Too ticklish? Try a back rub instead, or maybe just run your fingers through your spouse’s hair.

Day seven – Dictate out loud a thank you note to your partner, outlining three things he or she did today that you appreciated. “Dear sweetheart, I noticed that you took out the garbage before work, made the bed, and remembered to close the kitchen cupboards after your snack. I am grateful that you are considerate of the little things that might be frustrating to me. You have always been very thoughtful. Hugs and kisses, your eternal mate.”

Day eight – Light some candles, and just snuggle. Wrap your arms around each other, look into each other’s eyes, and savor the moment. Remember how it felt when you were courting. Murmur a few “sweet nothings.”

Day nine – If you can do it in just 10 minutes, enjoy a shower together. (And supposing that it takes a little longer and turns into something more than just getting your hair washed, consider it a bonus!)

Day ten – Go back and rate your marriage again.

Congratulations! You are on your way to a successful 15 Minute Marriage. With just 5 more minutes a day and Dustin’s book, you can have the spark that was yours when your first exchanged rings.

What is your favorite way to spend 10-15 minutes with your husband or wife?  Share it in the comments!


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