Some days there just aren’t enough hours in the day to complete daily tasks. On Sundays, it seems like the week just flew by. You ask yourself, “where did the time go”? Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter if you were having fun or the worse week of your life. You don’t understand where all of your time went.

However, your love interest shouldn’t have to suffer as a result. You may feel like postponing dates might be the easiest way to get more time for yourself. But this can have a detrimental impact on your relationship.

Communication is the key when building strong relationships. If you want to stay close to your partner, commit to spending quality time with each other. Couple time is very important if you want to develop and bond with your partner. If your goal is to spend more time with your partner, the following are a few ways to stay connected even when there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

Eat Together

It doesn’t matter how busy life gets. You and your partner still have to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Eat your meals together. You both have to eat. Discuss world news during breakfast, or get a quick bite to eat at lunch and discuss plans for dinner. During dinner, you can talk about the day’s events and enjoy a good laugh.

Use breakfast, lunch and dinner to get and stay connected. Focus on one another and let loose. Talk about the highlights of your day, or anything that motives or inspires you. You can even use this time to discuss fears and doubts. Mealtimes are the best times to converse and interact with each other. Resist the urge to watch television. Don’t allow this form of entertainment to separate the two of you. This is a terrible distraction that should not be the focus of your meals.

Maintain a Sleep Schedule

If time is a problem for you and your partner, learn how to maintain the same sleep schedule. If the two of you are married or living together, maintaining the same schedule is one of the easiest ways to spend more time with one another. Whatever you do during that time, you’ll be doing it together. It doesn’t matter if it’s cuddling or just talking. It’s the perfect way to spend time and get closer. Even if you are too tired to do anything at all, at least you will be in the same bed and are close to one another. This is much better than going to bed alone and waking up in the morning alone.

If you aren’t married or living together, you can still have the same sleep schedule. You’ll have the same waking hours, which means that you can schedule meals and phone calls with one another. This also makes it easier to approach one another without experiencing schedule conflicts. For instance, you can call early in the morning and not worry about waking them up too early. Maintaining the same sleep schedule adds many opportunities to connect and get closer.

Carpool Together

If you have the same schedule and work in the same general location, consider carpooling together. These days everyone seems to have their own car, but sharing this time together is another way to spend quality time with each other. Think about it. You’re just sitting in traffic alone with nothing else to do but listen to the radio or sit in silence.

Why not use this commuting time as a way to converse with your partner? Who cares if one of you has a work schedule that starts a few minutes earlier. Use this time to bond and connect. Besides, it gives you an excuse to use the carpool lane and get to work faster. Also, it helps save on gas!

In addition, if the two of you go to the same places anyway, why not carpool there together? For example, you might shop at the same grocery store or go to the same gym. Carpooling can help you save time, money and get closer.

The bottom line is that you should find more opportunities to spend time together, despite how busy you may be. If you feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day, do not take time away from your relationship to free up time. Your relationship should be just as important as your job, school or family.

Consistently cancelling dates with your partner will only make things worse for your relationship. Work on finding little tidbits of time here and there. It doesn’t matter if you are sitting in traffic or dressing for work. Try to spend time together.

Keep in mind that you’re in this relationship because you love how this person makes you feel. If you truly understand this, you’ll realize that this person makes life easier for you, especially when things get too stressful. Spending just one hour of quality time with your loved one will not only help relieve stress, but it’ll also bring you closer. Don’t get too busy to enjoy and improve your relationship.