How to save your marriage from your startup (and your startup from your marriage), according to entrepreneurs: The oscillation between “can’t get enough of family time” and “can’t wait to escape to my work routine” is a familiar scene for many. It’s often the case for the average workaholic, but perhaps even more so when you’re a founder of your own business — that work-life balance becomes difficult to strike, and likely ends up being a delicate setup that’s hard to maintain.

So, how do people do it? We’ve talked to entrepreneurs who recommend always having a business partner to share the burden with and others who have told us that their morning routines went straight out of the window when they decided to forge their own paths. We have for you here some words of wisdom on how to keep your marriage intact through the highs and lows of building your own business. It goes without saying that these tips are just as applicable to the average workaholic as they are to a startup founder.

It seems counterintuitive, but clock in your “me” time: Entrepreneurs report that taking time alone helps counter burnout and puts less pressure on all their relationships, not just their romantic ones. Even in peak pandemic, you were likely hyper connected all the time, which can really take a toll on you and by extension, your relationships. Add to that the pressure that you must make time for your significant other, and you likely find that you have no time left for yourself. So take time at least 10 minutes each day to decompress alone so that you have the energy to give to your meaningful relationships. Solitude is also a good way to tap into your intuition, helping you to be a better person and entrepreneur. It is proven to boost creativity and productivity, gives you time to plan without distractions and improves your psychological well-being.

Don’t negotiate on together time: As important as it is to spend time alone, entrepreneurs are also some of the loneliest people, which can give birth to a host of mental illnesses. So don’t take your partner for granted and make sure you don’t negotiate on date nights. Nawah’s Omar Shoukry told us the same thing last year when he reported that one of his solutions to workaholism was to give as much importance to family time as he did to work meetings, treating family obligations much as he would business ones. In fact, Trish Harp, founder of California’s Harp Family Institute, recommends scheduling weekly meetings to check in with your spouse, just as you would with your business partners.

Be clear about financial risks and timelines: Entrepreneurs make huge personal investments that can drastically affect their family’s finances long-term into their businesses. Meg Cadoux Hirshberg, author of For Better or For Work: A Survival Guide for Entrepreneurs and Their Families, encourages entrepreneurs to be honest with their partners about financial risks and timelines for reaching / passing each stage. Again, make sure that you know what you are — and are not — willing to negotiate on.

Your life partner might be your best business partner: Elves’ co-founders and couple Karim El Sahy and Abeer El Sisi told us in one of our very first episodes of our podcast, Making It, that being married for 20 years actually made it easier for them to work together because there was more understanding built into the relationship. And while it might not work for everyone, for others, it is a great way to make sure that you stay connected to your partner. But even El Sahy and El Sisi told us that, on tough days, they make a point to take an hour between work and home to decompress so that they can appreciate being together again.

Ask your partner for help when you need it: LIfe and work don’t have to be church and state. Sometimes, allowing your partner to see you in a professional setting and even to help out when their skills are complementary can help you appreciate each other all over again. Even if you don’t grow apart while you’re busy working, there are likely sides to your partner that you haven’t seen in years — if ever — if you’re both consumed by work. This is also true when you need a little perspective. Your partner might be your best BS-proofer, if there ever was one, so don’t hesitate to involve them when you’re squeezed.

Give your partner the support they need when they’re going through a crunch: It sounds redundant, but put yourself in your partner’s shoes and go out of your way to show support when you can. Understand that rough patches are inevitable and that your partner will appreciate your efforts to make things easier on them during those times. This could mean checking in with your partner with a text or leaving them a note on a crunch day, or just making an effort to show that you care in whatever way you know matters to them most.

But remember, it’s the little things that matter: Sure, romantic gestures and special times are important, but it’s the little things that add up to a day-to-day relationship. You don’t want to spend times when you overlap childcare or when your morning routines line up squabbling over petty issues. Make sure that you are gentle with yourself and with your partner at these times above all else, because, not only do they set the tone for your days, but they are the times that you will likely appreciate the most when you’re on the clock.