It’s hard enough finding someone who you want to date. Once you’ve found that special someone, it can be a lot of pressure to decide how you want to spend time with each other. This is especially concerning if both of you are constantly busy with your professional and personal lives. When you do happen to find precious time together, you don’t want to end up stuck doing the same old thing night after night. It’s important for the both of you to do something special and important to enjoy each other’s company.
This can be an especially daunting task during the week when you’re exhausted by the end of the workday and don’t have the energy to come up with a plan for something fun and exciting. Thank goodness we’ve got you covered! Here are a few ways to spend time with your boo, even on a school night.
Themed movie marathon
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Maybe you’ve never seen any Star Wars movies and your S.O. is a die-hard fan. Maybe you both want to get into old silent movies or the entire Denzel catalog. There might even be a whole series of social justice films that you both have never even heard of before. Whatever it is, tackle this cinematic challenge together. Make a schedule so that once a week you knock down one movie from your list. This way you aren’t just always watching the same old reruns week after week. Keep a running list of your ratings, opinions and thoughts so that you can rank them all when you complete the series.
Cooking competition
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If you both bonded over a mutual interest in the Food Network, challenge yourselves to your own Iron Chef night. Choose one ingredient for the both of you to try incorporating into a dish. Maybe you choose to do dessert and they do the main dish. Whatever it is, cooking together on separate dishes in the kitchen will be a great way to work alongside each other without stepping on each other’s toes. The competitive nature should also bring out your feisty sides!
Book swap
You might feel like you’ve been lagging on your reading if you and your S.O. have been spending a lot of time together lately. A great way to remedy that is to have a reading date. This can be in whatever form you want. You can both sit and read your respective books for an hour — enjoying each other’s company while growing intellectually. You can choose a book or chapter for them to read that you find particularly significant or life-changing. You can even read the same thing. Whatever it is, the important thing is that you’re both doing a shared activity together. If a book is too much, maybe just pick a long-form interview you read last week or a journal study you’ve had bookmarked for a couple weeks. It might seem a bit like homework, but what else is a partner there for than to encourage you to learn and grow?
Explore a new park
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Bring your walking shoes with you to work and meet at a brand new park after you get out of the office. It’s a great way to unwind after a long day sitting at your desk, catch up on the day’s events, and enjoy the great outdoors together with your partner. Grab a quick pre-dinner snack or dessert from a nearby spot neither of you have tried before to do even more exploring. Make sure you stop to pet all the dogs and smell all the roses while you’re at it.
20 Questions
Playing a game of 20 Questions can be good for couples at any stage in their relationship. This is a good way to spend time with each other if you don’t have a lot of time, especially if you are apart. You can do this over the phone, via FaceTime, or even in person. Whatever it is, having a specific time just to ask each other questions can be a way to get closer and learn more about each other. No matter if you’re on your third date or third year, there’s always something new to learn about each other, no matter how small or silly.
Bright and early breakfast
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You don’t have to wait until after work to meet-up with your date. Make a plan to see each other before the day starts, so you get things going on a positive note. Pick somewhere close to both of your offices, and enjoy learning about their morning routines! If mornings don’t work for you, pick a lunchtime spot with a good deal targeted toward the working crowd.
Food truck finds
Sometimes there are those elusive food trucks that move across town so frequently, it feels impossible to track them. Commit to trying that one you’ve been hearing about from all your friends and make plans to meet there after work. That way you can get a quick, easy meal together while also feeling like you went on an adventure together.
Run errands together
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If you two happen to live close by each other, or even if you live across town, try spending the evening following each other around while running some small errands. These can be anything like picking up dry-cleaning, grabbing more garlic at the grocery store or replacing a light-bulb. You not only get to spend time together, but you also get to see what each other’s routines are like. Also, one (or both) of you will feel very productive about the evening at the end of it.
Get crafty
It doesn’t matter if neither of you have a creative bone in your bodies. It’ll be fun to try and tackle a small project together, especially if that project pertains to organizing or sprucing up your respective spaces. Tackle a fun decor project for your walls or create an organizer for the clutter on your bathroom counter. Whatever your final product is will also be a fun reminder of your time spent together.