This Couple Is Proof You CAN Successfully Live and Work Together
Let’s set the scene. You and your boo asked all the right questions before moving in together, successfully navigated the seven stages of post-move-in grief and are now straight chillin’ in a grown-up apartment you both love. Life is great! Except lately you’ve started feeling like the office doesn’t really let you embrace creativity and even started writing a solid business plan for your own gig. Your S.O. is so down with the idea they’re ready to quit their own job to help you turn that dream into a reality. But is living and working together a recipe for relationship disaster?
Reverie Co-Founder and CEO Martin Rawls-Meehan and CMO Lisa Tan say quite the contrary — if you play your cards right! The duo shared their top five tips for maintaining a healthy work-life flow that keeps their relationship and their business thriving. (Photo via Reverie)
1. Family comes first. “The only hard and fast rule we really have is that our children always come first,” Tan shares. Even if they do occasionally have a work conversation in front of the kiddos, they’re still focused on making their time together quality. Additionally, Tan explains, “We also make sure that we can tag team when necessary so that one of us is fully on point for the kids when the other needs to focus on work.” Even if you and your S.O. don’t work together, that still sounds like awesome relationship advice.
2. Go with the flow. Tan says that she came on board at Reverie “temporarily” to help Rawls-Meehan with some marketing initiatives… five years ago! The pair understands the value of sticking with what works — whether or not it was part of the plan — and addressing occasional conflict as soon as it arises. No simmering or stewing or any other soup-related verbs means they can resume regular life ASAP. Whether at work or home, in a busy working family there’s no time for tension.
3. No one is a mind reader. Clear communication is a basic tenet of any functioning romantic relationship, but that goes for relationships with your employees and coworkers too. “One thing we’ve had to make sure to communicate to our colleagues (and on occasion, remind ourselves) is that just because we’re married doesn’t mean we automatically know what the other person is doing or thinking,” Rawls-Meehan admits. “It’s amazing how many of our colleagues assume we have some telepathic information-sharing power.” The couple makes sure to schedule regular office meetings together, just as they would if they weren’t married: If they put those conversations off, suddenly they find “it’s time for bed and too late for meaty discussions.”
4. Take advantage of the perks. Okay, okay, get your head out of the gutter. Rawls-Meehan and Tan stress the importance of finding ways to de-stress together during your workday, whether it’s grabbing lunch somewhere fun, carpooling to work or even combining a business trip with a fun family vacay. “Even though we work together, we still don’t actually see each other very much,” says Rawls-Meehan. “If we didn’t work together, we’d just be ships passing in the night.” With two busy schedules to coordinate, they encourage other couples to “take advantage of your proximity.”
5. Bask in each other’s awesomeness. Combining your private and professional lives really allows you to appreciate just how smart, capable and totally superhuman your partner really is, and Tan reveals that it’s one of her favorite things about working with her husband. “When Martin does an amazingly thoughtful husband-or-dad feat while I know there are a million work fire drills he’s juggling in the back of his mind, I can fully appreciate his ability to balance his priorities.” There’s no room for resentment or unhealthy competition when you’re both working hard toward the same goals at work and home.
Do you work and live with your significant other? Tweet us @BritandCo to let us know how you make it work!
(Photos via Getty)