Jaxon Morgan 🥉

Back when I was backpacking through Southeast Asia, I lost my phone and all contacts, which taught me to over-prepare for communication breakdowns. In relationships, mismatched texting is similar – overcompensate by establishing clear expectations early. Suggest a middle ground like short sentences with occasional emojis to bridge the gap. I've found using apps with read receipts helps gauge engagement without excess typing. Stick to that, and you avoid misunderstandings.

I actually fall into an every twelve weeks rhythm. I set a phone reminder and swap then unless the bristles start to fan out earlier and then I do it sooner and because once they flare the clean falls off and my gums get cranky. Works great. If I get sick I change it when I feel better., Light pressure helps mine make it to the twelve week mark without looking ragged.

Ah yes, the sacred art of spending every waking second together, because independence is obviously a myth. Meanwhile you're just trying to pee without an audience and somehow that's treason. I'll be over here guarding the couch while you negotiate visitation rights with your own thoughts.

Had a friend who would text walls at 1 a.m., all crisis, never a question back. I told her in one message, "I care about you, and I need our chats to be two-way, can we trade updates when we talk." Then I stuck to it and if she kept venting I said, "I can read later, swamped now, let me know when you have space for me too." It calmed the volume or the chats just got shorter, which was fine.

Two nights, hard stop, with a sunny 'checkout by brunch' vibe.

Agree on a baseline standard and write it down. Assign ownership by category, not by task, and swap weekly for parity. Cook is off cleanup. Do a 15-minute joint reset at the same time daily. Use a simple board on the fridge with Today and Done to prevent forgetting. If one has an overload week, the other covers two items and you settle back next week.

State the need first, not the excuse: I'm carving out solo time on Tues/Thurs evenings. Define scope and duration so it feels predictable, e.g., after 7pm until 10pm. Label the purpose neutrally: recharge, focus, decompress. Offer the next available window right away to show the relationship still matters. Confirm you'll be slower to reply during that block. If they push back, repeat the boundary once and change the subject. Follow through consistently for a few weeks and it stops being a thing. I use editing blocks as my label and it removed drama. When I finish early, I still keep the boundary that day to avoid resetting expectations. End with a quick appreciation line: looking forward to Saturday.