It’s the beginning of the year, which means it’s the perfect time to get your life in order. Career, money, travel, health, personal goals — these are just some of the most common things people write down on their resolution list. But there’s another very important factor that should be on top of your list — your marriage.

Believe it or not, a lot of married people forget to put this on their priority list. If there’s one thing we learned about 2020, it’s that relationships with your loved ones should not be taken for granted. So, this year, make sure to put your partner on top of your list!

Here are some surefire way to improve and strengthen your marriage this year:

Become each other’s best friends.

Friendship is one of the most important foundations of a marriage. When you genuinely like your partner, things just become easier. Quarantine life has tested a lot of marriages last year. A lot of couples were not used to spending too much time together. Without a strong foundation of friendship, tension can easily rise up during stressful times like these. However, if you are both each other’s best friends, you will enjoy being in each other’s company even on tough days.

Work on intimacy.

Intimacy can bring couples even closer and it also makes the bond grow even stronger. Intimacy doesn’t necessarily mean sex, although a healthy sex life is super important too! One of the best ways to enhance intimacy in a relationship is to practice vulnerability. Let your guards down and be open to each other. Intimacy can also be done through sweet little things like holding hands, slow kissing, cuddling and other thoughtful behaviors.

Keep surprising each other.

In long-term relationships, it can be common to fall into a routine. While this is perfectly normal and happens even to the best relationships, it can drive you and your partner away from each other. When the relationship goes on a standstill, this can cause you to seek validation or stimulation outside of the relationship. How can you avoid this? Keep surprising each other!

Don’t fall too hard into the daily routine that you get lazy with each other. To improve your marriage in 2021, make an effort to please your partner. Whether it’s through keeping things spicy in the bedroom or trying out a new hobby together, make an effort to constantly improve your relationship. 

Have those hard conversations.

Here’s another extremely important factor in any relationship - healthy communication. Healthy communication isn’t just talking. It’s having conversations that run deep. Make it a point to discuss even hard topics that might be triggering to one or both of you. Just make sure to be in the right headspace when opening up hard-to-discuss topics. Don’t start a discussion when your partner is not up for talking. If you have to, schedule it, so you can both mentally prepare. Facing hard discussions head on - whether it’s about finances, your sex life or your in-laws - will just make your relationship stronger.

Unplug from your screens.

According to researchers, the average American spends around 12 hours a day in front of screens (TV, computer and phones). That’s about half a day of oftentimes mindless watching and scrolling. Imagine how much more free time you can have if you decide to unplug from technology.

You don’t have to completely give up technology! But, dedicate a day where you unplug from all the noise of technology. Don’t turn on your laptops or TV, hide your phones and just spend a day of wholesome fun. You’ll be surprised how much fun you can have without having to rely on technology!

These are just some of the steps you can take to improve your marriage in 2021. There are so many things that you can do to make your relationship stronger. The ultimate goal — prioritize each other and never stop proving your love!