A low-effort way to keep your friendships strong

💛 Today’s tip: Stay connected with a boring weekly email update thread.

Most of us have had the disheartening experience of reconnecting with a friend after some time apart, only to discover that you can’t figure out what to say to each other. So much has happened since the last time you spoke that when you ask “What’s new?” the answer is, inevitably, “Oh, not much.” Michael Thompson’s advice for preventing those awkward moments: a weekly email dedicated to totally mundane life updates.

“Even if you can’t be together physically, it’s important to maintain your relationships with frequent communication,” Thompson writes, “even if that communication is low-stakes.” A regular email thread is where you can mention the gallery wall you just hung in your living room, or how you relearned long division via your kid’s virtual homeschooling. All it takes is a few minutes a week for you to feel more a part of each other’s lives.

📚 More from Forge on maintaining your friendships:

The ‘Perfect Friendship,’ According to Aristotle
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It’s Never Been Easier to Be an Amazing Friend
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Give Your Friend the Gift of Boundaries
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