Happy New Year, Spouse!

The best thing you can do for your spouse and your marriage in the New Year takes less than one minute a day. And it costs nothing. It’s such a little thing, that you won’t believe what a huge impact it will have – until it does! Are you ready to hear what it is? (Insert imaginary drumroll here). Get a pad, notebook, or journal and every day this year write down one good thing about your spouse. That’s it – there are no other rules. The good thing can be something about their person, their personality, their character, something they did, something they said, how they made you feel, etc. – the possibilities are endless!

Make it easy on yourself to incorporate this new habit into your daily routine by leaving your little notebook next to something you already use daily – such as a toothbrush. Or set your phone to alert you at a particular time each day.

Full disclosure: there may be days when this simple act seems difficult. We all run into times where our schedules get crazy-busy. Or – let’s just put it out there – times when we don’t feel like saying something nice about the spouse we may be angry/annoyed/other-sentiment with. Do it anyway. Pushing through on those days will increase the return on your daily marriage mini-investment.

Spoiler alert: You may find yourself going through your day making note of nice things about your spouse so you have something to write down that day – things you may not have taken much note of prior. This is fun stuff! The kind of stuff that helps put the ‘happy’ in a very Happy New Year!

For more ideas on marriage-enhancing spouse-celebrating New Year options, check out what it means to have a “jar moment” and Resolutions for Couples (bonus: none have the word “weight!”)