Date nights look different right now. Heck, everything looks different right now (hello to wearing bras only every so often and getting away with it!).

The thing about being two people who always work from home is that work never stops. Sometimes I don’t close the laptop until midnight. I guess when you can watch The Golden Girls while cranking out work, it’s easy to forget that I am, really, actually, working.

I’m not complaining. Doug and I are beyond grateful for the flexibility we have, especially since he works most weekends. Our flexible schedule let’s us take much-needed time together throughout the week. However, between being on our laptops and working on our phones, we actually can go days without having a meaningful conversation, or spending meaningful, media-less time together.

If you’re anything like us, you might be spending more time at home, but it doesn’t mean it’s more quality time. Doug and I put our heads together a couple weeks ago to think of creative ways we can do date night and connect (since going out to Applebees for happy hour appetizers is no longer an option). Here are some things we’re loving:

No media during date night.

We’ve had this rule for a while, but this is especially important since we’re home, which is also work, and media always equals work. Even if we’re just hopping on to check a quick Instagram notification, there is bound to be a work email, text or missed call. So, we just put our phones to the side and forget about them for a few hours and it’s pretty nice.

Cook a meal together.

We started this last week and it’s so sweet! We have a little grill outside, so Doug has been grilling and I cook some side dishes. Our apartment is small, so even though he’s outside and I’m in the kitchen, we’re practically touching. Last week we made ribs and baked cookies afterwards. This is a way better option than ordering takeout, which can feel like the “same ol’, same ol.'” (Check out my cinnamon roll recipe for a delicious date night cooking activity.)

Ask each other intentional questions.

Every week, Doug and I do the the Marriage Journal, a tool developed by Audrey and Jeremy Roloff. We love it! The journal keeps us connected and aware of what’s going on with each other during the week, it gives us the opportunity to talk about our weekly rhythm and what we want to change, and it has a series of intentional questions that help us connect on things that matter, and that we might otherwise skim over. Check out our date night questions here. These are included in the journal, and the journal offers so much more which is why we love it. But for years we only did the questions and they are great on their own as well.

Do a game night (cards, checkers, puzzles).

Couples that have fun together, stay together. I’m sure there’s some sort of academic article out there that proves this. While game nights seem like something that should be done in groups, there are plenty of games that work well with two players. Sometimes we play Heads Up and it’s the funniest thing. Doug doesn’t know his animals, so seeing him trying to explain an animal that he doesn’t fully understand kills me every time.

Let me know some of your date night favorites below. Quarantine is giving us all an opportunity to reevaluate and do things differently, so if you don’t already do weekly date nights now’s the time to start!