Being a good friend can be tough when life keeps you busy, but if you want your pals to stick with you and want to attract new friends, making the effort to be a good friend is essential. In general, the key to being a good friend is to maintain a relationship equilibrium, so that you're giving as much to the relationship as you're getting. But if you want to be a better friend, you may find that you need to put even more effort into giving.
Step 1
Schedule time for getting in touch with friends the same way you schedule business meetings, and give yourself the same level of accountability. For instance, write a monthly lunch or weekly phone call to a good friend in your calendar, and stick to your plan.
Step 2
Practice empathetic listening by asking your friends about their feelings, instead of offering advice or trying to cheer them up when they share problems with you.
Step 3
Avoid breaking dates with your friends or rescheduling plans unless you run into a genuine emergency.
Step 4
Check your habits occasionally to make sure you're pulling your weight in your relationship. Pay attention to who makes the plans, who does the calling and emailing and who talks most during the conversation, and change your habits if the relationship is unbalanced.
Step 5
Admit and apologize for things you've done that hurt your friend or your friendship. Even if something happened years ago, admitting your bad behavior to your friend can improve your relationship.
Step 6
Resist the urge to talk about your friends when they're not around, even if you think the conversation is fairly innocent. Your friend will appreciate your discretion. And if a conversation veers off in a negative direction, make it clear that you won't participate in spreading rumors about your friend.
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