How we make it work: he works nights and I work days

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Photo illustration — Ashley May

I usually work 10 to 6 — and so does my boyfriend. Too perfect, right?!

Right.

I work 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and he works 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Fortunate for us, his job is just temporary.

But, we’ve been in this schedule all summer. So, we’ve learned to get creative with the little available time we have.

Talking to friends in similar situations, it seems pretty common for 20-somethings to go through this dating dilemma — after all, most of us are trying to get our financial feet on the ground and also start a career. Don’t stress, if both parties want to make it work, different schedules won’t kill your relationship.

Here are a few ways we’ve made the most of our opposite sleep schedule:

1. Breakfast dates. If I’m willing to wake up a little (OK, a lot) early, I can catch my boyfriend before he hits the sheets. I try to keep him awake for an extra hour with the promise of a big breakfast. We’ve learned that we have the most time in the morning — so, we do morning, instead of evening, dates.

2. Plan ahead. Our weekends wouldn’t match up if he didn’t request off when I’m off. He does a great job of working his schedule to make sure he’s at all major occasions, like friend’s weddings and family functions, and he makes time for us.

3. Stay in touch. We try our best to text or call when we have a free minute and I know this helps a lot when we don’t have more than a second in passing. Sometimes even an email or a Facebook message helps us keep up-to-date with each of our daily lives.

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