I have listened to many couples complain that the business is destroying the intimacy at home. When too much time is taken up with business, your partner and family will very likely feel neglected. For the compulsive worker, forgetting about your personal relationships and throwing yourself into business can be very tempting. Business can be an addiction as everyone in business well knows. But the problem becomes one of ignoring the home front issues that will have to be dealt with eventually, or the home front will disintergrate.

When the banks lent money freely to everyone and anyone in the past three years, most experts knew that it was just a matter of time before this business model created the banking crisis we are now experiencing in the financial markets. The banks knew this problem was going to eventually blow up, but their focus upon short term profits from the fees created by loaning money to everyone who could breathe didn’t prevent them from doing the destructive lending that they did, and now our economy is facing the consequences for this action.

The same is true with marriage and your business. If you put all your energies into your business, your marriage will eventually suffer. One might argue that the true entrepreneur should be single, and not in relationship with a personal relationship and a family. But that would be a very lonely existance. So most business people try to manage both. Unfortunately, very few can do both well.

What I have seen is that by focusing upon business to the exclusion of your home issues, you will eventually cause problems and probably when you least expect them. Ignoring the problems in life will not make them go away. Rather they build in intensity and the solutions become harder the longer you wait to deal with the issues.

Now is the time to take stock of your home life as well as build your business. The truly successful entrepreneur know this balance, but most new comers have to learn the hard way. To balance both, you must focus upon both at different times. You need time for your business and you need to set aside time for your emotional life with your partner and / or children.

I recommend giving time to your relationship on a weekly basis just like you have weekly meetings with the key staff to ensure that the business communication system does not break down.

Such marital sessions are called “Weekly Check In” sessions and should like business meetings not be allowed distractions or interruptions to stop them. They should be scheduled. They should be at least an hour in length. They should ask questions you would rather not ask, and deal with the issues that are most important for both parties. If you place your home life on as high priority as you do your business, you will find your business will not be distracted by home disruptions. But if you ignore your home life, your business will take a toll. When both business and family is in crisis, you multiply your problems. When you deal with problems before they become huge, you lessen the dangers facing both your business and your home life.

For more about “weekly check in” sessions (questions to ask, how to engage each other) read my article on my blog at my web site http://www.healmarriage.com.