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doster

The following idea might seem very unemotional, especially since it regards your personal contacts, but for me it really helps staying in touch with people, who are important for me.

THE SITUATION:
I know many people, I'd like to stay in contact with (Friends from High School, Business Partners, ...). But sometimes those contacts slip through your fingers (or phone) and suddenly a year has passed in which you havend talked to your best friend from High School - what a pity!

THE SOLUTION
I have created a list called "Stay in touch with". Everyone who is important for me (doesn't matter whether private or business contacts) receives a task in this list named:
"Stay in touch wich: [Name]"
Every task hat the repeat interval "After 3 Months"

Setting up this list for the first time you'll have to complete all tasks one time or set any due date you feel appropriate.

Now for every person being important for you, you will get a reminder to contact her (call her, write an email or batter a postcard or invite him for a beer ...). If you are in regular contact with that person, just complete that task (it will come back in 3 month). But just in case you will get out of each other's sight one day, RTM makes sure you'll remember him.

After completing a task it will occur again 3 months after completion. This seems a good time-period. If you don't have the time to contact your frind once, you'll be reminded after 3 month again - leaving the time you haven't heared of each other half a year - quite acceptable, but now you rally should write him a nice postcard ;-)

Using this method you'll be able keeping good relationships to many people without worriing to forget someone, who is important for you and without having to look at your social networking communites every day. In addition you have "full control" who you want to have in your list (I know - quite unemotional ... - but this helps focus on people being really important for you).

Don't worry that you will have to write 50 postcards a day! Using repeat "after 3 months" creates a balanced "workload" for socializing over the year (since you do not have to complete all tasks on the given day - just "write as many postcards" (or whatever) you like/can, and leave the rest for the next day and so on. In 3 months the reminder will already been distributed over several days.

Hope one or another of you will find this helpful.

Cheers!

Posted at 4:28pm on April 28, 2009