One-Minute Relationship Challenges
While you can do lots of different 30-day challenges solo, consider that you can also do them with a relationship partner.
Rachelle and I often do 30-day challenges together, especially with other Conscious Growth Club members. This month we’re doing NaNoWriMo together, so we’re each writing novels by chipping away at the word count day by day.
For another type of partner challenge, consider doing one specifically to connect with your partner in some pleasant way – emotionally, physically, romantically, etc. I suggest that you make it a super easy commitment – just one minute per day.
Anyone can find the time to connect for an extra minute. Here are some examples for what you can do as a daily couples challenge for a month:
- Share a one-minute hug.
- Kiss each other for one minute, and surrender to the sensuality of the experience.
- Lovingly gaze into each other’s eyes for one minute.
- Set an intention for your day together.
- Share one thing you like, love, or appreciate about your partner.
- Share one idea for a trip or experience you’d like to have together someday.
- Give your partner a one-minute neck massage or head scratching.
- Cuddle or caress each other for one minute.
- Send each other one supportive, loving, or sexy text message.
- Write one supportive, loving, or sexy sentence on a sticky note, and post it where your partner will see it.
- Take a romantic, playful, or silly photo together.
- Do one simple act of kindness for your partner.
Of course you can do more. One minute is such a nice minimum though. It’s long enough that you can do something meaningful in that time, yet it’s so short as to offer little resistance. Even if it’s the end of the day and you’re getting tired, you can still do your one-minute commitment.
Since it’s only a minute, how can your partner resist doing it with you if you make the invitation? Better yet just command your partner to do one of these with you. 😉
Even if you’d normally do some of these anyway, committing to one specific action as a daily challenge somehow makes it feel a bit different, adding a twist of specialness to the familiar.
This month Rachelle and I are sharing a one-minute kiss each day. We kiss often anyway, but not always for a minute or more straight. We’re both playfully enjoying this little challenge, which is hardly a challenge at all – just a nice shared experience to have each day. This has added an extra sparkle to our connection this past week, which has been especially nice given how crazy this week has been for the country and the world.
Sometimes a simple one-minute action becomes a catalyst for more. Usually we end up kissing well beyond a minute, and we don’t necessarily stop at just kissing. It’s easy to frame the action commitment as a minute of kissing though, knowing that it will often lead to more.
This is similar to the idea of micro-habits shared by James Clear in his excellent book Atomic Habits. When you start with a one-minute habit, you won’t likely feel much resistance, and once you do the first 60 seconds, you’ll often feel like doing more.