It’s so easy to get caught up in life and put your relationship on the back burner. Between work, parenting, and keeping the house in order I barely have time for myself much less my relationship, but it is so important to find ways to make time for each other. We don’t get out for traditional dates very often, but we do have some unique dates that keep our relationship going strong.

Get to Know Each Other Deeply

Whether you’ve been together a week or 15 years, you should make time to keep getting to know each other. Dr. John Gottman calls this building love maps in his book, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. One of the keys to a long lasting relationship is getting to know each other.

36 Questions

Do you truly know your significant other? It’s important to make time to really get to know each other, and to continue to do so throughout the relationship. Professor Dan McAdams studied what it takes to truly know someone, and came up with “3 levels of knowing”. Researcher Arthur Aron came up with 36 questions to get through the three levels. You can find the questions posted by Science of People: 36 Deep Questions to Ask Your Significant Other So You Can Truly Know Them.

The 36 questions is a great place to start, but if you would like more inspiration Bestself has a variety of prompt decks to inspire conversation that will bring you closer together.

Personality Tests

One of my favorite dates at the beginning of our relationship was one where we did the Meyer Briggs test, and read our results together while having Sushi at Maki in Tigard, Oregon. Since then this theme has reoccured on many occasions. We’ve done every personality test you can think of from Enneagram to learning about each other’s 5 love languages, and it is still one of my favorite date ideas!

Outdoor Adventures

“Let’s find some place beautiful and get lost”

Hit the Trail

We Absolutely love exploring all of the beautiful trails we are surrounded by in the Pacific Northwest. Our favorite’s are Mt. Hood hikes, and of course The Gorge. Anything with a waterfall or a beautiful view will get me excited!

Roll with it

Grab that bike that’s been collecting dust in the garage and head out for a bike ride together. If you don’t have one, there are tons of places to rent! If biking isn’t your thing put on those roller skates or roller blades!

Picnic

This is a bonus activity because it can be added to either of the ones above. Pack your Picnic Basket and head out for lunch at your favorite park.

Be Kids Again

Remember what it was like to run around and play? Invite some friends and play a game of tag, or your favorite childhood game. It sounds silly, but it can be so much fun!

Self Care

When life gets busy it is so important to make time for self care. Why not turn it into a date?

Get Pampered

You can get pampered without splurging on a couple’s massage at the spa. Instead turn it into a romantic activity at home. Grab some massage oil, facial masks, and maybe supplies for a manicure/ pedicure. Set the mood with some music, your favorite scent in the diffuser, and some candle light.

Hit the Gym

Try a new class at the Gym. Maybe you’ve always wanted to try kickboxing? Or you can work on flexibility with a yoga class. This can be a reoccurring date! Hold each other accountable in staying healthy by hitting the gym together to stick to those New Year resolutions.

Memory Lane

Get nostalgic, and share your favorite childhood memories with each other.

Old photos

Pull out your childhood photos and look through them together. Looking at baby photos together is so fun, and you can both cringe at the preteen versions of yourselves.

You will be surprised at how many old stories will come up. Who knows, maybe there are even some you haven’t already shared.

Take a Drive

Visit some of the places from your childhood together. Drive through your old neighborhood, by your old school. It’s fun to relive the memories with your significant other.

Digital Tour

If you aren’t able to drive to your childhood neighborhood take a tour with google maps! You can also google your childhood address, and check if it’s been on the market recently. If you’re lucky, you can find photos of the inside to look at. This can be fun to see how it has changed.

Music Swap

Make each other playlists of the favorite music from your middle school or high school years. Did you have the same taste in music, or are they complete opposites like ours?

Too Busy? Get Something Done together

Sometimes life feels so crazy that you truly can’t find time for a date night. Well, there’s still hope. Make the most of your time, by being productive together.

Cook Dinner Together

This one can be fun even if you aren’t too busy for a date night. Whether you find a new recipe or make one of your tried and true favorites, it will be double the fun together. One of our favorites to make together is pizza! We love this Pizza Dough recipe from Allrecipes.

Grocery Shopping

Getting the shopping done is one of my least favorite tasks, but it is always more fun when we do it together. Turn it into a game by splitting up and seeing who can get their share of the list done first. You can also split up and pick out a few of each other’s favorite things.

It’s so important to keep dating your partner, and making time to build and maintain your connection. However, it’s important to remember that you don’t have to wait till you have time for something elaborate. You can find ways to be creative to make the time you have work in meaningful ways.

What are some of your favorite date ideas? How often do you plan dates with your significant other? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!