Balance Your Friends & Girlfriend - AskMen

Balance Your Friends & Girlfriend

Don't Let Your Girlfriend
Sabotage Your Friendships

One of the most challenging aspects of being in a relationship is figuring out how to balance your friends and girlfriend. It's a delicate balance, and mishandling the situation could have serious consequences. If you blow off your girlfriend one too many times, you'll be single before you know it, but your friends won't remain friends with you for very long if you consistently flake out on them.

Ultimately, learning how to balance your friends and girlfriend is about time management and respect. The people who care about you deserve your time; the key is sorting out how to divide that time fairly between the important people in your life. Lucky for you, we're here to help. Take a look at these tips for balancing your friends and girlfriend.

Plan time with each

Your friends have always just called you up when they're in the mood to go out. Meanwhile, your girlfriend has started assuming that you'll be spending every weekend together. The problem is that both parties assume that you can just drop everything and hang out with them. In an effort to balance your friends and girlfriend, a little planning goes a long way. It may seem officious or uptight, but scheduling will help you make the most of your time.

Respect sacred occasions

As you try to balance your friends and girlfriend, it's essential to acknowledge that some events are sacred — some things you absolutely cannot ditch out on. For example, you pretty well have to spend New Year's with your girlfriend, even if your buddies are planning a kick-ass road trip to New York City while all she wants to do is attend a party at her BFF's. Similarly, you can't — under any circumstances — let your girlfriend talk you into blowing off sacred guy time, like your fantasy football draft or your annual camping trip. Recognize that some things are sacred and you'll be more likely to balance your friends and girlfriend.

Turn her into a wingwoman

One way to balance your friends and your girlfriend is to plan outings with both parties. For example, try taking your girlfriend with you when you go out to the club with the guys. Turning her into a wingwoman can be a great opportunity for friend-girlfriend bonding. Your girlfriend can actually be an asset for your friends in the pickup game. Single girls will feel more comfortable talking to your male friends if there's a woman in your group. Also, the sight of your friends talking comfortably with your cute girlfriend is sure to trigger a single girl's competitive nature.

Your girlfriend will enjoy these outings too because women can't resist playing matchmaker. She'll also be happy to lend a hand to your boys because, generally, girlfriends want your male friends to find girlfriends. When your friends start pairing up with girls, they're less threatening to her as you can start doing things like double-dates (instead of having them steal you away to prowl for women). Turning her into a wingwoman is a win-win situation.

More tips on how to balance your friends and girlfriend...