Studies reveal the benefits of having regular date nights for long-term couples. From going out to dinner, taking classes together, watching movies, or simply taking a stroll in the park, these moments of alone time together are crucial for a long and lasting relationship.
If you’ve run out of ideas for things to do as a couple, we suggest vision board ideas for men’s and women’s date nights. It’s as simple as making collages of your wants, goals, and dreams for your relationship and it does so much more than just improving your bond.
In this article, we’ll help you understand why making a vision board with your partner can improve your connection, as well as how to make a vision board that works.
THE BENEFITS OF VISION BOARD IDEAS FOR MEN AND WOMEN’S DATE NIGHT
Before we start talking about the best tips that can make your couple’s vision board work, you need to know how making one can greatly improve your relationship.
We’ve researched some of the best benefits of date nights in a romantic relationship, as well as studies to back this information up.
Here are the benefits of vision board making as a date night for couples:
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QUALITY TIME IS SPENT
With work, kids, and/or other distractions in life, it can get challenging to spend quality time with your partner. When you decide to make a vision board together, it will take time to get started and finish, giving you plenty of time to spend together as a couple.
One study, which was a report from the National Marriage Project and the Wheatley Institute revealed that among married couples, only 48% schedule regular date nights. And in the same report, the study shows that couples who spend time alone together at least once or twice a month report experiencing higher levels of marital happiness, as well as sexual satisfaction and stability in their marriage.
Other information the researchers got from the data includes 67% of the couples reporting having sexual satisfaction, 60% reporting being less likely to divorce, and 14-15% reporting being “very happy” in the relationship.
These studies show that spending time together as a couple, alone and away from kids and friends, improves the status of the relationship.
If you don’t like going out, spending money, or doing physical activities, vision board-making can be one of the best activities for a date night.
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GETS YOU ON THE SAME PAGE
Couples come together as one but each has their own values, personality, preferences, and priorities. A vision board-making activity can help you get on the same page in terms of your goals and plans for the future.
You may have many differences in what you want to achieve in the future, but making a vision board together can help you move in the same direction that both of you want.
Many couples break up because they have their individual lives that are going in different directions. However, when you sit down and reveal what you want to achieve in the next few years, you will become more aware of the other person’s needs, helping you compromise and meet in the middle.
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GET TO KNOW YOUR PARTNER BETTER
Some people enter a relationship with another person without knowing them entirely. Sometimes, you may be together because of attraction, similar hobbies, or a superficial reason. However, these feelings of infatuation can be fleeting, leading to breakups early on in the relationship.
When you’re just getting together, a vision board idea for men’s and women’s date nights can be a great activity to get to know your partner better.
You will be sharing thoughts, beliefs, goals, and dreams, which will help you understand who your partner is, as well as where they’re heading in life.
The more you know about your partner, the better bond you will have in the relationship.
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HELPS YOU BECOME MORE VULNERABLE
According to Dr. Anton Shcherbakor, who is a licensed clinical psychologist from Philadelphia, “Vulnerability is the glue that bonds people together.”
As for Saba Haroumi Lurie, who is a licensed family and marriage therapist from LA, and who has been counseling for 16 years, vulnerability is the sense of sharing parts of yourself with your partner and not being scared of being judged.
Making a vision board is a very personal activity. It’s your thoughts and desires reflected in physical reality through images and words. Making a vision board with your partner is an act of vulnerability, and according to these therapists, it is the very act that binds people together.
When you feel safe to show who you really are with your partner, emotional intimacy is formed, and so will trust and security in the relationship.
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HELPS REDUCE CONFLICT
Two people making one vision board for their future means agreeing on what that future will hold for them as a couple. This means two people must agree on what that future will look like for them, and this can help reduce conflict in the relationship.
Getting to know the other person and being vulnerable will also help in improving your communication and understanding. When you know what your partner wants and doesn’t want, you can understand why they behave in certain ways, as well as what they’re hustling for.
All in all, a vision board-making activity as a date night will not only help you spend quality time together, but it will do wonders for your relationship. It increases your bond, helps you become more compassionate about your partner’s needs, as well as gets you both excited for your future together.
TIPS FOR MAKING A VISION BOARD AS A COUPLE
Now that you know the benefits of making a vision board as a couple, let’s talk about how you can make one together. Here are some tips for a vision board-making date night:
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DIVIDE YOUR VISION BOARD INTO CATEGORIES
The more specific you are with your goals, the more effective they will be to achieve. Common categories for couples include finance, travel, family, kids, material possessions, careers, adventures, and wedding mood boards.
Before you begin your vision board-making activity, you need to take the time to list down what you want to achieve together. Once you have these lists, it’s time to look for the images you want to put on your vision boards.
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CREATE A TIMEFRAME
When do you want to achieve your goals? Create a timeframe to achieve your goals and dreams. If you want to travel, put a date on the board to remind you it’s time to apply for that vacation leave, or it’s time to start saving.
Creating a timeframe helps you start working on your goals urgently, so you will become more motivated to act on your goals. Having timeframes that are more than a year from now can also make you complacent. Try creating a 3 to 6-month timeframe so there is a sense of urgency in achieving your goals.
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Be Accountable
Or be accountable for your partner’s actions. Place your vision boards in areas where you get to see them every day. These could be on your bedroom wall, on your kitchen counter, in your living room, or in your den. Make sure the both of you get to see them every day.
You will also need to track each other’s progress. If you’re saving up for a vacation, monitor how much you’re saving. If you want to lose weight together, weigh each other and call each other out if there’s a missed day at the gym. Or when your partner just binged on a whole pizza, remind them to head to the gym to lose the pounds.
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Choose a Physical Vision Board
When choosing the form of a vision board for your date night, we recommend making a physical vision board. There are digital vision boards such as on Pinterest, Canva, and other digital collage-making software, but we believe making a physical vision board is more fun and more effective in helping you achieve your goals.
When you do things with your hands, it takes more time, more thought, and more conversations will likely take place. Seeing a physical vision board will also help motivate you to achieve your goals since you’ll get to see it every day, provided that you mount your boards in strategic areas.
We also suggest choosing vision board kits for your date night activity. The Vision Cloud’s Original Vision Board Kit is a great choice. It comes with everything you need to make a vision board, complete with images, words, stickers, a sturdy board, mounting putty, and even activity sheets.
We’ve also made an article about all the details of the kit, which you can find here.
Vision board ideas for men and women’s date nights are not just for married couples or those in long-term relationships. It can also be a great date idea for new couples who are just getting to know their partner’s values, priorities, and preferences.
Whether you’ve been married for a long time, in a cohabitation relationship, or just starting out as a couple, a vision board-making activity will do wonders for your relationship, improving your bond and getting you on the same page of where your life together as a couple is heading.
