Wake The Lakes Life Hack for the Week:  Relationship Hacks to Improve Your Life This Valentine’s Day

–Send one supportive text to your partner each day.  It could ask “How did your big meeting go today?” or state “Just wanted to tell you I’m thinking of you while you’re in your interview!” Not only do these make your partner feel great, they encourage you to know what’s going on in each other’s daily lives.

–Have one small gift on hand.  The thing about gifts is that they’re so much more thrilling when they’re unexpected. Keep a small stash of things you think your partner might like on hand to spring on them when they least expect it.  This could include edible treats, a book… or anything they’ll find sweet or funny. Sometimes it’s the smallest gift — delivered at the perfect moment — that gets the biggest reaction!

–Create a “coming home” ritual.  The time when a couple reunites after a day of work is a special one. Create a routine in these first few minutes together that signals warmth and positivity, no matter what’s going on in the larger picture. This could be as simple as hugging the moment you see each other, or sitting down right away to share a cold beverage.

–Use the 3-2-1 rule.  The 3-2-1 rule helps diffuse any tension that may arise when a couple can’t decide what to do — like what restaurant to go to or what movie to watch. Together, come up with three possible options. Then, one person eliminates one option, and the other person eliminates the other option. Et voila! No more tension around what to eat or what to watch.–Every once in a while, do something you hate for your partner.  Like most couples, each spouse may have a list of household duties that each of them usually does. One may typically take out the trash and the other might always do the laundry, for example.  We don’t normally deviate from this routine, but when you do, it could be amazing and rewarding by taking out the monotony of the same day-to-day chores.