Excellent Advice from "Imperfectly Polished"

I just read this article on Imperfectly Polished and agreed with it so much I just had to post it the advice she gave on working with your spouse...

• Know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.  If you understand where your spouse shines, give them their moment.  For example, I know Mike is much better at the math and measuring parts of projects so I leave that up to him.  He is confident in that area so I let him take control and feel good about himself.  I also know that details are a weakness for me, so I step back and work on the bigger parts and let Mike work out the details.  We balance each other out.
• Plan ahead as much as possible.  Some projects require you to work through them without stopping {some things set quickly, for example}.  If you are stuck and have to look something up or need to figure out the next step in the middle of a project, stress levels will rise and an argument is more likely.  If you have planned ahead, you can avoid those moments.
• Take a reality check.  Remember, you love this person.  Whatever you might be working on in that moment is not really important in the grand scheme of things.  If you are tiling, or cutting boards for a wall treatment, or whatever it might be, it is just tile, or just wood, and what is really important is your relationship.  Don’t get upset over something small or insignificant.  It can be hard in the middle of a stressful moment, but try to remember that the paint on your walls is not really all that important.