As life evolves and the days get more hectic, keeping up with friends grows increasingly harder to do. You find yourself too busy for small talk, caught up in the latest project, chore or family-related assignment. Yet the magazine "Psychology Today" boasts of the importance of friendships---how they improve your immunity, ward off depression and bring you joy. Even "Time" magazine notes that friendship helps relieve the tension of stress. Therefore, despite your busy routine, you must do what you can to make time for friends.
Step 1
Invite your friends to your house for a home-cooked meal. Set aside a date or a day of the week when you and your friends can get together for lunch or dinner. Everyone has to eat, and mealtimes provide an opportunity to catch up and unwind while taking care of an eventual task. If children are an issue, then have your friends bring their family. As they say, "The more the merrier," and who knows? Perhaps new friends will be made in the process.
Step 2
Integrate your friends into your daily activities. For instance, if you work out at the local gym, then sign your friends up for a membership. Take part in aerobics classes together or jog at the local park. Also, if you know you, or your family, is planning a trip somewhere, see if any of your friends would like to come along, even if it is just to see a movie or hit the beach. The objective here is to merge your friends' lives with yours.
Step 3
Make use of technology to keep in touch. Whether you use a social networking site, text on your work breaks or use Bluetooth technology while you're in traffic, you can take advantage of your free time to get updated on your friends' lives. Most social networking sites and even e-mail allows you to post messages now and respond later when you are free. In addition, many friends keep in touch via online public forums. For example, "Time" magazine mentions one group of businesswomen in the New Jersey area who chat about their children while analyzing market problems.
Step 4
Designate an annual meetup. Over time, close friends may move far away, making it harder to convene for small gatherings. Therefore, talk among your friends and formulate some day or weekend of the year when everyone can convene someplace and reminisce. For example, you might all take a vacation to a major theme park or a popular city. Just make sure that no matter what happens, for the sanctity of your friendships, you make time.
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