Nick Viall Opens Up About Whether He'll Get Engaged Soon: 'I'm Not a Big Advocate of Timelines'

“I think sometimes timelines can be a little bit dangerous about, you know, setting false expectations,” Viall said on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast Monday

Nick Viall is giving out love advice just in time for Valentine's Day.

The former Bachelor, 41, appeared on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast on Monday alongside relationship coach and author Jackie Dorman and explained why he is "not a big advocate of timelines" when it comes to relationships.

When discussing Dorman's book Married in 12 Months or Less: Reclaim Your Love Life, Heal Your Heart and Unlock the Secret to Finding Your Spirit Mate, Viall admitted that his girlfriend Natalie Joy would "love to hear" about an engagement in a year but he added that "everyone's situation is different" when it comes to marriage.

"I think sometimes timelines can be a little bit dangerous about, you know, setting false expectations and reaching to a certain timeline and all of a sudden ... [you] have other priorities," he explained. "I just kind of tell people to just be careful about setting timelines. If they wanna set a time, it's great, just make sure it's mutual."

The Viall Files host also explained the importance of focusing on compatibility early in a relationship.

Kevin Mazur/2021 MTV Movie and TV Awards/Getty/MTV/ViacomCBS

"People spend way too much time looking for someone to like them rather than thinking about what they like, their compatibility," he shared.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Viall and Joy seem to have that compatibility, judging from the cute glimpses into their lives they've shared since making it "Instagram official" in January 2021.

And marriage certainly isn't off the table for the two, he has shared: ""I wouldn't be in a relationship with her if I didn't think it was possible, you know? ... She's the first person I've called my girlfriend, minus TV, in a long, long time."

The pair first connected via social media after she slid into his Instagram direct messages.

"It was very romantic," he joked on his Viall Files podcast. "It's kind of the meet-cute you want."

Check out more episodes of PEOPLE Every Day, airing on iHeartMedia, Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to your podcasts.