How to find a work-life balance for your marriage

Finding a healthy work-life balance can feel impossible when you're trying to juggle time with your family with all of your commitments.

But the best way to make sure you get the quality time you need from both is to set boundaries, using time management to figure out what tasks you need to get done in a given day or week.

There's a lot of relationship advice and marriage advice about speaking your partner's "love language" by spending quality time with them, but knowing how to balance that with everything else you need to get done can be difficult.

Work-life balance is the ability to manage your professional workload and commitments in a way that doesn't negatively impact your personal life and relationships.

Here are 5 simple tips to create a healthy work-life balance that will strengthen your relationship and keep you from feeling overwhelmed.

1. Set boundaries at work.

This is the first step, because it will help you manage all your other commitments and maintain a positive work-life rhythm.

The first step is to simply say no. If your boss has a big project for you, you obviously can't turn it down, but be clear about how busy your schedule is and what you can take on. Don't become the person who says yes to everything...you may make everyone else happy, but you'll end up miserable.

Make a promise to yourself to leave work at a reasonable time. Even if you can't do it every day, you'll set a precedent for yourself and your colleagues.

Another great time management tip is to plan your day in "blocks." If your boss hands you a big project, break it up into manageable one- to two-hour chunks.

This way, you won't feel like you have to get everything done at once, and you can leave work at a reasonable time knowing you have another block of time to work on it tomorrow.

2. Manage your digital connections at home and at work.

This is certainly part of drawing boundaries, but it deserves its own point simply because of the role that all of your various "screens" play in your life!

How much time do you spend responding to personal texts or emails during the workday? Remember, this is time you are not spending getting your work done so you can leave on time.

Let your friends know that you may not get back to them right away - schedule short breaks to do personal things so you're not constantly interrupted.

All those minutes you spend refocusing add up to a big time eater.

Turn off notifications on your phone at home, too! Be fully present for your partner...maybe even put it in another room when you're having a leisurely dinner or just watching your favorite show.

3. plan dates.

It's all about quality time with the one you love. You both have busy schedules, so don't leave it to chance. Check your calendars at the beginning of each week to see what's best for both of you.

Of course you'll want to meet up with friends after work, get a massage, or take that cool cooking class you've had your eye on for a while. The "life" part of the work-life balance equation includes all of that, but you want to make sure your marriage is at the top of your priority list.

4. Create meaningful rituals to anchor your day.

A marital ritual is really just a conscious, intentional commitment to support, nurture and reconnect with your partner. It can be a simple ritual, such as kissing each other goodbye in the morning and greeting each other with a hug when you get home in the evening.

Other regular rituals might be to cook together, check in with each other by phone or text during the day, make a lunch date once a week, or shower together.

Focus on creating consistent, loving, mutual self-care with your partner. That way, when work gets especially crazy, you'll still have a solid foundation to fall back on in your marriage.

5. Be mindful of how you communicate, both in the office and at home.

If you work in an environment where bitching about your spouse is the norm, don't engage in it!

It's tempting to fit in with the crowd, but find another way to connect with your colleagues without bitching about your wife/husband. It's an insidious way to undermine your own marriage, and frankly, disrespectful to the person you promised to love and honor.

And on the domestic front, while you don't want to bring your work stress home with you, you also don't want to block your partner when he asks you about your day. Share your frustrations with him and let him know what you need from him - encouragement, advice or just listening.

Even with the best intentions and a passionate commitment to a healthy work-life rhythm, there will be days when everything just falls apart. The perfect storm occurs when both you and your partner are having bad days and you haven't had a chance to really connect in a while.

There's not much you can do about the bad day, but if you've followed most of your work-life balance hacks compassionately and ruthlessly, your marriage won't take too much damage! And maybe it's a wake-up call to get back on track if one or both of you have gotten off the work-life balance bandwagon.

I am a life coach, and I will share some positive and correct lifestyles to make your life happier and happier.