A better way to catch up with your spouse.

Sometimes you have to communicate an idea to your partner that’s a bit too long for text. Other times, you need to talk about where take your son for his ninth birthday, but he’s hanging around. This is a handy time to use the Kw system.

I think my parents started using keywords after my sister and I learned to spell. They lost their primary way to be s-n-e-a-k-y. They decided to talk to each other about the subject at-hand later. They thought of a keyword as a trigger to discuss more in private. Now, my wife and I use keywords throughout the day over text.

How-To

This is one of those simple tips you’ll likely use daily.

1. Think of 1–3 descriptive words that will trigger a conversation.
2. Message it to your spouse in a single text and begin the line with Kw.
3. When you have time to talk in-person, scroll through your texts looking for the Kw and discuss.

Uses

In Productivity?—?As a digital nomad, I work from home and usually have headphones on to keep me focused. Mandy will pick up her phone and send a Kw text to me even when I’m just a few meters away. I’ve become adept at dismissing texts starting with "Kw" without much thought.

For Politeness?—?We’ve had a couple of instances where we wanted to compare notes on a situation that would otherwise not be polite to discuss in public. Kw grumpy jerk man

For Secrecy?—?If we’re planning a fun time for one of the kids as a birthday present, we will Kw an idea. We can later toss it around once the children are in bed.

You get the idea. It’s a simple solution to save work for your thumbs and increase quality communication.

~dnwk~