As we step into 2025, it’s the perfect time to think about ways to nurture and strengthen your relationship—especially if you’re the one who usually has to wave the “let’s work on us” flag. Whether you're dating, married, or in a long-term partnership, setting relationship goals can bring you closer, improve communication, and lay the groundwork for a happier future. Here are 25 meaningful—and occasionally hilarious—relationship goals for the year ahead.
1. Schedule Weekly Date Nights
Think of date nights as relationship maintenance. Skipping them is like sneaking a little chocolate into your diet every day—it seems harmless at first, but suddenly your jeans are staging a protest. A little neglect adds up faster than you think!
2. Practice Gratitude Daily
“Thanks for unloading the dishwasher” might not sound romantic, but trust me, it hits differently when you’re tired and hangry.
3. Plan a Dream Vacation
Or a quick weekend getaway—or even just a day trip. There’s something magical about escaping daily routines and responsibilities that turns your partner from “Did you pay the water bill?” into “Wow, I forgot how cute you are!”
4. Establish Rituals
Every Sunday, we take the dogs for a nature walk—it’s our time to connect, whether we’re having deep conversations, walking in comfortable silence, or collectively marveling at how our dogs are the actual stars of this relationship. We also have a yearly tradition of cutting down a Christmas tree in the forest, which ends up being less about the tree and more about laughing hysterically when someone takes a tumble in the snow and tries to blame the “creaky forest sounds” for their not-so-silent-but-deadly moment.
5. Communicate Openly
When my partner admitted they were stressed, I thought, “Wow, they’re opening up to me!” Then they added, “...because I couldn’t find my favorite socks.” Baby steps, folks.
6. Prioritize Active Listening
In a world full of distractions, active listening—giving your full attention—is basically a relationship superpower. It transforms “Are you even listening to me?!” into “Wow, you really understand me,” which might just lead to some... extra-curricular activities. 😉
7. Learn Each Other’s Love Language
If your partner’s love language is acts of service, cleaning the bathroom might be more romantic than a bouquet of roses. (Bonus: it’s cheaper, too.) https://5lovelanguages.com/
8. Spend Time Apart
Absence makes the heart grow fonder—or at least gives you more stories to share. Plus, it’s easier to miss someone when they’re not hogging the remote.
9. Apologize and Forgive
Pro tip: The phrase “I’m sorry” works better when it’s followed by action and not “...but it wasn’t entirely my fault.”
10. Volunteer Together
Helping others is great for your relationship—unless you’re building IKEA furniture for charity. In that case, be prepared to test your patience and your vows.
11. Set Financial Goals
Money talks, but so do credit card bills. Sit down, make a plan, and agree that “emergency dog bed purchases” aren’t actually emergencies... no matter how adorable the pattern is.
12. Practice Kindness Daily
Surprise your partner with ice cream after dinner or let them pick the next show to binge. Kindness doesn’t have to be grand—it can be as simple as NOT eating the last slice of pizza.
13. Read a Relationship Book Together
We read The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman and realized we needed more positive interactions. Now, every time one of us loads the dishwasher “correctly,” we high-five.
14. Schedule Tech-Free Time
We made a rule: no phones at the dinner table. Now, instead of scrolling, we can fully focus on arguing about why he’s ordering a salad while I’m unapologetically demolishing a burger. Progress!
15. Celebrate Milestones
For our anniversary, I put together a list of our top five funniest moments. Spoiler alert: three involved one of us unknowingly trailing toilet paper out of the bathroom, and one involved a rogue squirrel.
16. Focus on Health Together
Couples who sweat together stay together—or at least have a lot of stories about trying to play fair at tennis, even when one of you doesn’t quite understand the concept of "waiting for your partner to be ready" before serving a 90 mph rocket at their face.
17. Work on Conflict Resolution Skills
We’ve started using humor to de-escalate fights. Nothing ends an argument faster than one of us saying, “You’re right. I’ll just become a monk and live in the woods.”
18. Support Each Other’s Dreams
When my partner decided he wanted to get all his buddies to go to Hawaii for a lacrosse tournament—without their wives—I fully supported him... by reminding him how lucky he was to have a partner who actually knows how to pack sunscreen.
19. Create a Vision Board
We included travel, dream projects, and—because we’re nothing if not practical—a section called "don’t forget to buy coffee." Because, let’s be honest, no dream day starts without it!
20. Deepen Emotional Intimacy
We started asking each other deep questions like, “What’s one thing you’re grateful for today?” and “Why do you put the empty Triscuits box back in the pantry?”
21. Do a Jigsaw Puzzle Together
Doing jigsaw puzzles is a great way to talk and connect... as long as one person doesn’t swoop in, steal the section you’ve been working on, and finish it in five seconds like they’re some kind of puzzle prodigy.
22. Revisit Your Wedding Vows (or Make New Ones)
We didn’t do a full vow renewal, but we did add a new one: “I promise to always have ice cream if you’re having ice cream.” Because let’s be honest, no one should ever face the soft-serve temptation alone at Dairy Queen.
23. Laugh More
We’ve started watching blooper reels when we’re stressed. Nothing like watching people accidentally trip over their own feet to remind us that life doesn’t need to be so serious—and laughing together is basically the relationship reset button.
24. Build a Stronger Support Network
Making friends as adults is hard. We’ve started inviting people over with the promise of snacks—it’s working so far!
25. Reflect on Your Journey
One night, we sat down and listed our favorite moments of the year. It was a reminder of why we’re in this together—and why neither of us should ever try to parallel park again.
Conclusion
Relationships thrive on effort, humor, and a dash of intentionality. These 25 goals for 2025 are a great starting point to keep things light, loving, and full of laughter. Which goals will you try first? Let us know in the comments!
By embracing these goals, you will not only enhance your connection with others, but continue to grow stronger as an individual. I would start with 5 and 9.