3 simple ways to de-clutter your marriage

Marriage is the BEST of all human relationships. But sometimes the bombardment of outside influences seeps into our lives and clutters our relationship with emotional junk.

Declutter your marriage with these 3 simple steps.

Ditch the trash. I mean that metaphorically. Bad memories, pornography, bitterness—anything that fouls up your relationship, or makes it un-Christlike is taking up emotional space that you can’t afford.
Give your relationship breathing space by tearing down emotional barriers. Sometimes a sincere apology can go a LOT farther than a dozen roses or a nice dinner.
Simplify your schedule: We fill up every moment with business, leaving little to no time for the most important person in our life—our spouse. Do you work two or three jobs? Talk to your spouse and see if you can get by with one.

Is your volunteer work consuming more time than you give to your spouse? It’s hard to help others thrive if your own “love tank” is near empty.

Simplifying your life as a whole will make it easier to focus on making sure both you and your spouse are fully satisfied–emotionally, spiritually, and sexually (very important!)
Don’t make spending time together stressful. Lois wrote a powerful article called 9 Ways to Protect your Marriage. At the top of the list is, “spend time together.” While this is vital to a healthy marriage, it’s important not to get stressed out about how to find time or what to do when you are together.

We once counseled an awesome couple who were struggling because they were worried about finding the perfect way to spend time together. What a nice problem!

The truth is, whether you’re looking at the stars or cleaning up the kitchen, the point is that you’re doing it together without distractions.

Simplify your relationship-building by taking advantage of those everyday minutes that you share.

We hope this month’s challenge will take off some of the stress that couples sometimes associate with marriage—especially this time of the year. If this is helpful, let us know in the comments.