If you're after a way to improve your relationship in the bedroom, then the "Cinderella rule" might be for you.
There's no shame in trying to find ways to keep the magic alive - and this method helps you stay fresh the next day too.
The concept behind it is setting a firm cutoff time for intimacy, so you're not pushing your limits just to squeeze in sex at the end of an exhausting day.
It’s a clever mix of boundaries and scheduled romance — and it’s gaining traction.
Alice Giddings, sex and relationships reporter for Metro, says the Cinderella rule is a total game-changer.
“Simply set a cut-off point in your head for when intimacy will no longer be on the cards – this way you don’t have to worry about being exhausted the next morning,” Giddings explained.
She adds: “My ‘turn into a pumpkin’ cut off is 10:30PM, and ideally this is when it’ll be lights out and off to snoozeville. This means my cut-off for intimacy starting is 10:10PM latest…”
Giddings also encourages couples to get flirty in advance. “However, many hours prior to this, you can give your partner indications that sex is on the cards in the evening, but mention in passing the cut-off point,” she added.
The structure, she says, doesn’t make things boring — it makes them better. It creates something to look forward to, and the looming deadline adds a bit of heat to the anticipation.
She’s not the only one who’s ditched spontaneity in favor of scheduling. Married couple Jay and Sofia Lyons swear by setting aside dedicated time for intimacy — and it’s worked for over three decades.
“It’s made our relationship one million times better,” Jay told The New York Post. “It’s the glue that keeps your marriage close — it’s very difficult to have a bad marriage when you’re regularly having sex.”
The couple began carving out sex time in their calendar back in the 1990s after tying the knot and raising kids, and they haven’t looked back since.
.jpg_OIlTKn?tr=w-216%2Cq-70%2Cf-webp)
Experts back it up, too.
“Spontaneity is not the only way to have good sex,” says Virginia Sadock, director of the human sexuality program at NYU Langone Health.
Sadock also points out that the movie-style passion scenes just aren’t realistic for most people. “The steamy, in-the-moment sex sessions that happen in the movies are not realistic, especially for two people with busy, demanding lives.”
So while fairytales might end with a kiss at midnight, real-world relationships could thrive better with a 10:10PM deadline and a calendar alert.