Hey Time Dorks,
Hope your holiday season is off to a great start.
Today’s my birthday and as I look back on the past year, one theme that comes up is the importance of good friendships. We moved from London to Lisbon and it’s been a year filled with making new connections, while also maintaining our relationships back in the UK.
This week, we’ll look at an Energize tactic that has everything to do with relationships, a tool to avoid getting lost in your email inbox, and ponder how your attention defines your reality.
🏃♂️Something to Try
When was the last time you had a real conversation with someone? I’m talking about a face-to-face, deep, and meaningful conversation.
In today’s age of modern technology, screen-based communication has never been easier. But that’s part of the problem: It’s taking away from higher-value real-life conversations.
Now you may be thinking, “Okay, so maybe I don’t talk with my friends as much as I should. So what?”
Fair question.
The answer can be found in Harvard’s 75-year Adult Development Study. They concluded that people with strong relationships are more likely to live long, healthy, fulfilling lives.
We’re not claiming that talking to strangers in the grocery store checkout line will help you live to be 100. But spending time with people face-to-face can be a big energy booster.
So here’s a simple experiment to try, inspired by Tactic #81: Spend Time with Your Tribe:
- Think of an energy-giving person in your life.
- Go out of your way to have a real conversation with her or him. You can talk in person or on the phone, but your voice must be involved.
- Afterward, note your energy level.
Even if it’s only once a week, reach out to friends whom you admire, who inspire you, who make you laugh, who let you be yourself.
🤖 Tech & Tools
One of the simplest ways to use our tech to encourage more connection is to keep a note on your phone with the five friends who give you the most energy.
Jake inspired me to do this, so I now have a simple note in Google Keep that I can reference when I’m feeling low and could benefit from some good ol’ fashioned human connection.
Depending on the time of day (and the friend), I might give them a spontaneous call, or a quick text to check if they’re free.
Here’s a simple way to do that: “Hey, how’s it going? Are you around for a quick 10-min catch-up on the phone, I’d love to say what’s up!”
📚 Timely Quotes
“What you pay attention to will define, for you, what reality is.”
― Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It
Thanks for reading, see you next week!
Connor
