In August, 2018, I realized that I need to do a better job keeping in touch with colleagues: both my friends and professionals. I listened to a podcast Manager/Career Tools about networking and decided to use some tools to help me network, instead of just letting luck and vicinity dictate who I talk to.

I set recurring reminders on my calendar to keep in touch with folks every few months. When I get the reminder, I send out a message. Or if I delay, I just shift around the event or push it back. Of course I leave spontaneity open; if I end up talking to someone prior to their next reminder, I just shift the following reminders to start from there.

This works for both personal and professional networks. I often add new people to the list to keep in touch. I also write down people’s birthdays when I hear them. It’s nice to receive a birthday wish nowadays. I can’t rely on Facebook for birthdays anymore, since my generation uses Facebook less.

Staying in touch with friends is great. Our lives are so busy all the time. But I hate that word “busy”. We have so much stress and urgency from the immediate surroundings that we don’t step back and consider the non-urgent, meaningful things.

Set a recurring reminder and reach out. They’ll appreciate the thought.