One of the hardest decisions two married people will ever have to make is whether or not getting a divorce is the right move for them and their family.

Yet once the mutual choice has been made to go through with the dissolution of marriage, it is easy for the couple to panic wondering what the next divorce steps are and how to carry them out successfully while simultaneously following the rules set out by the family law court.

Instead of allowing for the anxiety and confusion presented by the divorce process, there are ways of preparing for divorce that will alleviate some of the stress surrounding the situation.

The first and most important preparation task for the parties to complete before doing anything else is for each to write out a divorce checklist. This checklist contains all kinds of details regarding anything the divorcing spouses wish to discuss with each other about their impending marriage dissolution. It is also meant to prevent any "surprises" down the road, and to keep both spouses on the same page throughout their divorce.

During divorce, the parties must show the family court judge a record of all marital property and marital debts the couple have between them. Examples of some of these items are as follows: the marital residence itself and its furnishings; the automobiles the parties drive; stocks, bonds, IRAs, retirement and pension plans; jewelry; sporting equipment; bank accounts; and student loans; credit card accounts; bank loans; etc.

Therefore, the next step in preparing for divorce is for each spouse to sit down and write out an asset and debt inventory list. The asset side is to include information about the date the item was obtained, how much the asset is worth, and which party will take possession of it. Likewise, the debt side is to include the date said debt was accrued, how much is owed on it, and which party will be responsible for repayment of the debt.

Once these two tasks are out of the way, there are still more questions for the couple to answer in order to successfully prepare for their divorce.

The next thing to consider is job status and the amount of income earned by each spouse - are both parties presently employed, and if not will one spouse pay alimony support to the other spouse? Further, if alimony is agreed upon what is the amount the paying spouse will remit to the receiving spouse? Agreeing on this topic early on in the game prevents arguments and delays later on in the process.

For those couples with minor children, deciding the issues of child support and child custody are next on the divorce preparation agenda. Who will the minor children live with? Who will be taking care of the health insurance costs and educational expenses the children incur, and which of the spouses will be responsible for paying child support? What kind of visitation schedule have the parties agreed upon for their minor children? Will either of the parents remain in the marital residence with the children?

Last but not least, divorce preparation also involves the aftermath of the divorce: how will the parties explain their marital breakup to friends, family, and co-workers? And, how will their dating lives operate especially if there are minor children involved? Should the parties include a paragraph in their marital settlement agreement that details the manner in which the minor children shall be exposed to the future romantic mates of their parents?

Though answering these questions and making the lists can seem like very time-consuming activities and therefore deemed unnecessary, preparation for anything in life always makes for a better outcome which is something to take advantage of during this most difficult time period.