The Husband Project Day 4: Eliminate Stressors

Project #4
Stress-Be-Gone
Eliminate Something that Makes Him Crazy

Today’s focus is to remove one stressor from his life. Figure out what makes him feel a tiny sense of defeat each day and plan to remove it.
 
My husband and I live in Silicon Valley where the dreams are big, but the houses are small. Our home, measuring in at less than 1,300 square feet, with the two of us, plus throw in three teens living at home and a cat with a weight issue and you’ve got the making for some tight living quarters. Every square inch of our tiny town house serves at least a couple of purposes. The living room is also the kids’ computer room. Our dining area is homework central, and our master bedroom is also my office.
  
I know Roger would love nothing more than to come home and be able to lie down for a few minutes at the end of a hectic work day. Unfortunately, his side of the bed is the only flat surface I can use for the layout space for my next article, entitled "How to Organize Your Home from the Inside – Out."
  
One thing I can do to love Roger a little better is to make sure that the bed is clear of projects and folded underwear at the end of the day. One less obstacle between him and a few minutes rest will go a long way in giving him peace.
 
What in your husband’s day makes him stifle a sigh? Does he have to remove a driveway-full of bikes before he can park his car? Is he a neat freak who comes home to Mount Fold-Me on the couch every day?
 
Maybe it’s a carload of donations waiting to go to the Goodwill or a special screw he needs to pick-up in order to fix the door. Whatever it is, see if there’s a way to take the annoyance out of his life.

Getting Creative

• Does the sound of Cartoon Network blaring when he gets home drive your guy nuts? Maybe some Mozart (or Credence Clearwater Revival) would be a better sound to greet him.
• Does your he-man need to wade through piles of make-up and “product” just to brush his teeth? Time to declare some man territory in the bathroom. Put your stuff in baskets or on shelves so he has clear access to all his gear.

Project Reports – What Other Wives Have Done

“A little quirky but one of my husband’s annoyances is getting into the shower to find only a small, tiny little chip of a soap remnant left on the shelf. His biggest contention is that I take up the entire shower caddy with my 10 different “cucumber melon papaya mango coconut vanilla - there’s a produce section in our shower” bath gels so why do I need to use his bar of soap! I made sure a nice fresh bar of soap was readily available.” - Karmyn

“I went through all of the pens on my husband’s desk, pitching the ones that were out of ink, and replacing them with ones that could actually write.” - Tamara

Tell us what you did to get rid of that one thing makes your husband crazy (and not in a good way…)

As the author of 'The Husband Project' Kathi Lipp speaks to groups across the country on how to put your marriage on Project Status.

Find out more about Kathi and the Husband Project Seminar at www.the husbandproject.org.