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For many, our lives are already consumed by college and work while trying to keep up a social life. Midterms, extracurriculars and jobs take up most of our time making any free-time rare. Adding a relationship on top of this is difficult, but not impossible.

Stay Organized

Most of us know how to keep track of our day-to-day activities, but not many know how to stay in that habit. Staying organized is not a new concept, if you already have experience balancing work, a social life and school; however, not many people think of applying it to their relationship. One simple way to get organized is to use a planner to write in important dates and deadlines. Doing this simple activity is useful to avoid time conflicts, and keeping track of your schedule can help you see the available time you might have for your partner.

Plan Ahead

Similar to how you would plan classes, events and free time into your schedule weeks in advance, designating time in your calendar to spend with your partner is a good way to maintain a connection. If you have a schedule of your week (online calendars are a good idea), then it is simple to find the days that you are available. Whether you are just hanging out or going on a date is up to you. You don’t need to have all the little details planned out, but having that time already reserved can make it easier to plan outings than to try to squeeze time into an already busy week. Planning this can also be tailored to your individual schedules. If you find opportunities to see each other then maybe this designated time can be used to plan a date every two weeks.

Communicate

As cliche as it sounds, communication will always be key to a successful relationship. There is nothing wrong with needing to take time to study for an upcoming test, but you should always let your partner know beforehand. Communicating with each other about these tasks can avoid any possible feelings of neglect.

Remember, not all details need to be planned. There is still room to be spontaneous if you wish. A simple text asking your partner if they have time to eat together or hang out in short notice can work wonders.

Study Together

Studies have shown that studying with a friend can help improve motivation and enhance problem solving skills. So, why not study with your partner? Take some time to get work done and still be in the presence of each other. Breaks can allow you both to spend time together while not neglecting your schoolwork. Whether this may or may not work depends on personal preference as some people may get distracted when studying in the presence of others.

Every relationship is different and what may work for some may not work for others. Applying your time-management and organization skills into your relationships can help you maintain a healthy and fulfilling relationship.