A 30-Day Marriage Challenge

Marriage Missions posted a blog describing a wonderful way to build intimacy with your spouse.  In it they described the “22-minute date.” Couples agreed to spend 22-minutes each day talking with one another. In other words, they gave up one sitcom so they could sit down and talk with one another. They agreed to do several things while talking with one another for 22-minutes.

  • They agreed to make eye contact as they talked.
  • They agreed to have no children in the room. This necessitated some planning so they could talk after the children went to bed, during the day while children were in school, on a walk after dinner while their children did homework, or some other creative way to get alone.
  • They agreed to turn the TV off while talking.
  • They agreed to turn off answering machines (or leave all cell phones in another room).
  • They agreed to focus on positive aspects of their lives. They also agreed to not bring up past hurts and save any arguments for another time.
  • They agreed to not do dishes or other household chores while talking. This 22-minute segment of the day was for nothing but conversation with their spouse. No other duties would split their attention.
  • They agreed to do this for one month.

Couples who completed this challenge noted they felt awkward at first but soon found themselves enjoying their time together, even looking forward to their time together. They “admitted it was a more rewarding time than they’d ever dreamed possible!”

Why not take this 30-day challenge today? Give up one sitcom and commit to spending 22-minutes a day talking with your spouse—no interruptions, no distractions, no split attention, just 22 quality minutes of face-to-face, full-eye-contact conversation with your spouse. Then, let us know how it impacts your relationship. We’d love to hear.

PS—if you have trouble getting the conversation going, try using questions in Remember When, a pamphlet taken from 10 Great Dates. And don’t forget, have fun!

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