But how do you make space in your already full-to-bursting schedule? If you’re sure you’re too busy to date, these four tips might help you change your mind and get out more.
Calendar It In
Adding regular dating slots to your calendar does sound a little staid—and the total opposite of romantic, this is true. However, don’t we all set calendar reminders these days for everything else that we value or prioritize in life? For example, you probably set reminders for your meetings, gym sessions, and friend dates. Why not treat dating like a priority? Unless you begin to see dating as something you want to fit in at all costs, it may never make it onto your busy schedule. Blocking out time during your week to go on a date is a powerful way to train yourself to view your love life as an essential part of your overall health. Calendars are so integral to our busy lives nowadays, so it makes sense to unleash that discipline on an area of your life that you want to devote more time to.
Don’t Over-commit
This is not to say that you should commit to fewer dates than you’d ideally like. Rather, not over-committing in your dating life is about making sure that you aren’t making promises that you can’t keep to the person, or people, you are currently seeing. If you can hold back, even when you really like the person, and make sure you commit very slowly, you won’t feel like you’re failing all the time by not having loads of spare time for dating. The more you get to know each other, the more time you can commit, but at first, it’s best to recognize your limits and avoid diving in head-first. (Save your Facebook-official relationship status for when you actually have time to see each other more than once in a blue moon!)
Make a Date Every Week
Whether you’re meeting a work colleague that you have your eye on for a coffee mid-morning, or hitting 1 Oak Nightclub with someone you met on a dating app, it can be helpful to commit to a minimum number of dates per week, to keep you from slipping into complacency. Whether you set your goal at one date or four (whoop! go-getter!), you may find it useful to decide in advance on how many dates you want to have per week at the very least. By all means, make your target monthly, if you think you can stick to that. One date per week is a solid starting point. Even the most hardworking busy-bees can probably cram in an hour or two per week for a date, especially if you’re doubling up with other things that you would do anyway, like lunch or exercise.
Whether you have one hour per week to spare or three, it can be hard to commit to making time for dating in your life. These tips will help you fit in a little more love.
