Free take-home handout
6 Hours to a Better Relationship
A printable adaptation of the Gottman Institute's Magic Six Hours, the small weekly rituals that add up to about six hours a week and keep long-term couples connected.
Free to download and share with your therapist. Educational, not a substitute for therapy.
What's inside
- The six rituals: Partings, Reunions, Appreciation, Affection, Date Night, and a Weekly State of the Union
- How much time each one takes
- Tips for making the rituals stick past week one
- Open-ended conversation prompts drawn from Gottman's Seven Principles
Who it's for
Couples who want a low-effort, high-return maintenance habit before things drift, not after.
Adapted from the Gottman Institute's Magic Six Hours.
Easier with someone in your corner.
A worksheet gets you started. If this is a pattern that keeps coming back, a free 15-minute consult with our intake coordinator is a low-pressure way to talk through it and get matched with the right clinician on our team.
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FAQ
What are the Gottman Magic Six Hours?
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The Magic Six Hours are six small weekly rituals the Gottmans found in couples who stay connected: unhurried partings and reunions, daily appreciation and affection, a weekly date, and a weekly check-in. Together they add up to roughly six hours a week.
Do we really need six hours a week?
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The six hours are spread across the week in small pieces (a two-minute goodbye, a six-second kiss, a daily appreciation), not one long block. Most of it fits into moments you're already having, just done with a little more intention.
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Gottman Method
Evidence-based couples therapy developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman over 40+ years of research.
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