Stop Winging Marriage
Most couples will spend hours planning a vacation… and zero minutes planning anything for their marriage.
In this Marriage IQ episode, Dr. Robin Buckley (author of Marriage Incorporated) makes a bold claim: treating your marriage like a business might be the smartest move you’ll ever make. Not because love should feel corporate—but because thriving relationships don’t run on “hope and vibes.” They run on clarity, structure, and follow-through.
Here’s the problem she sees constantly: people can manage teams, budgets, conflict, and KPIs at work… then come home and expect marriage to turn into a Disney ending. Happily ever after—no meetings required.
But real life says: division of household labor, burnout, resentment, missed connection, and “I thought you were doing that.”
So what’s the “boardroom blueprint”?
Start simple:
Assign chores based on preferences and strengths (not as a power play, not as a transaction).
Create check-ins: daily (5 minutes), weekly (20), monthly (60), quarterly (a longer reset).
Use your brain on purpose: when emotions spike, you’re in “amygdala mode.” The goal is to re-engage the strategy brain—the prefrontal cortex—so you can solve problems instead of starring in them.
And the most surprising part? Structure doesn’t kill romance. It often creates space for it—because when logistics are handled, connection can breathe.
Weekly Action Tip:
Pick one time today (yes, today) and do this:
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Shut a door. (“Unless someone is bleeding or the house is on fire… don’t knock.”)
Ask one real question:
“What made you smile today?”
“What was hard today?”
“Tell me something you want me to understand about you right now.”
That’s it. Five minutes of intentional connection—because the strongest marriages aren’t the ones with the most luck…
They’re the ones with the best systems.
Link: Watch the Full Episode Here
If you have missed other Marriage IQ Weekly Tip emails, here is a link to catch up on them!
