Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to invest time in your friendships by
Speaker 1: building micro connection time into each day, because the only
Speaker 1: way to have a friend is to be one. I
Speaker 1: hear from lots of people in their thirties and forties
Speaker 1: who wish that they had more or deeper friendships. And
Speaker 1: I know from studying people's schedules that lots of people
Speaker 1: in their thirties and forties spend nearly all their leisure
Speaker 1: time with their partners, their kids, or screens. If you
Speaker 1: invest all your time in work and family and TV
Speaker 1: or social media to zone out and relax, then it's
Speaker 1: no wonder friendships don't feel as vibrant as they used
Speaker 1: to when you could play on the playground at recess
Speaker 1: together every day. But by setting aside just a little
Speaker 1: time every day, you can maintain and even grow your friendships.
Speaker 1: With family and career, you have a lot on your plate,
Speaker 1: but by intentionally investing in your other relationships too, you'll
Speaker 1: be able to keep them going even through your busiest seasons.
Speaker 1: One way to do this is by designating a specific
Speaker 1: time each day. For reaching out to friends, this can
Speaker 1: really be just ten minutes. Perhaps this is the time
Speaker 1: you're waiting for your oatmeal to cook, or while you're
Speaker 1: on the subway in the afternoon, or ten minutes as
Speaker 1: part of your morning routine. If you use this time
Speaker 1: for quick calls, texts, or emails, then you'll reinforce your
Speaker 1: connections by letting the people you care about know that
Speaker 1: they're on your mind. Often, deeper contact may ensue, like
Speaker 1: a longer call later in the day if you just
Speaker 1: left a voicemail, a substantive text or email exchange, or
Speaker 1: plans to get together in person or by phone. If
Speaker 1: you build friend time into your daily routine, you'll soon
Speaker 1: figure out the kinds of occasions that work. For reaching
Speaker 1: out a thank you note, a birthday or anniversary message.
Speaker 1: Maybe you learn someone is going through an intense time
Speaker 1: or has something important happening, like a big presentation at work.
Speaker 1: You can send a cheerful bit of encouragement, or even
Speaker 1: just wish people well as they leave for a vacation.
Speaker 1: For instance, in ten minutes today, you might send a
Speaker 1: birthday text to your childhood best friend, Happy birthday, Amy,
Speaker 1: I hope your day is as fun as your Madeline
Speaker 1: birthday party circa best Birthday party ever. You could also
Speaker 1: email your gym buddy a podcast episode about how friends
Speaker 1: who exercise together are more likely to reach their fitness goals.
Speaker 1: Check this out. We are each other's ticket to health
Speaker 1: and fitness. You could send a thinking of You card
Speaker 1: to a friend who's recovering from knee surgery. If you're counting,
Speaker 1: that is three friendships strengthened in less time than it
Speaker 1: takes to stop for a cup of coffee. Substantive private
Speaker 1: messages or posts to friends on social media can have
Speaker 1: a similar effect, but passively viewing and liking doesn't really,
Speaker 1: so be sure to use your friend time for really
Speaker 1: reaching out and connecting, not just scrolling. If you are
Speaker 1: using social media, use it to note who has upcoming
Speaker 1: birthdays or who is writing about something big and important
Speaker 1: that's happening in their lives, and then use that as
Speaker 1: an impetus for personal communication. If you reach out to
Speaker 1: friends and family regularly, you will be on the receiving
Speaker 1: end of more communication from your loved ones too, So
Speaker 1: you can start using some of your friend time each
Speaker 1: day to respond to others calls and texts and emails
Speaker 1: and notes and to schedule social time. It's also good
Speaker 1: idea to periodically double check that you don't have any
Speaker 1: messages you've missedst or plans for getting together that are
Speaker 1: still up in the air. And speaking of get togethers,
Speaker 1: the designated ten minutes of friend time is in addition
Speaker 1: to lengthier interactions like your monthly brunch date with your
Speaker 1: best friend, your ten minutes of daily friend time is
Speaker 1: helping to maintain your relationships in between times of deeper interaction.
Speaker 1: So today consider when you might find ten minutes or
Speaker 1: so for micro connection time. Then get into the habit
Speaker 1: of using this time to nourish your relationships. The only
Speaker 1: way to have a friend is to be one, so
Speaker 1: let's get going. In the meantime, This is Laura, Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening, and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
Speaker 1: I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
Speaker 1: your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
Speaker 1: me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod
Speaker 1: that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
Speaker 1: You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: Podcast at i heeart media dot com That Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
Speaker 1: I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
Speaker 1: a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
Speaker 1: I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.