Navigating friendships as an adult can be challenging because generally, life starts to come with more responsibilities however, it is crucial that amid our creative pursuits, we try to find a balance between our work and social life. So, here are a few tips to help you maintain your friendships regardless of a busy schedule.

1. Be Intentional e.g. sync their Important dates on your calendar

As we get busy, we tend to forget things, even the seemingly important ones. They just find a way to slip our minds since there are a lot of things competing for our attention at that moment. So friendship requires intent on our part and thankfully technology has made life in this sense a lot easier. Third-party apps like Capsicum, Rembo, Remember the Milk, Clear, TickTick and a host of others can remind you of what you need to be reminded of, even in-built applications like your Google calendar on Android OS and your Apple calendar on your iOS can remind you of the dates you need to plan towards and when they arrive. This will put you in a better position to plan towards getting them a gift and send your well wishes. You’d agree that there is nothing that tells a friend you care about them more than remembering days, events and occasions that are important to them.

2. Keep In Touch

I know this feels like telling you to give what you don’t have, but hey listen, you don’t have to keep constant communication to stay in touch with your friend! Gestures like sending them that Instagram reels that made you smile or that TikTok you think they’d like goes a long way. Studies have shown that an average person spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone each day and an individual checks their phones an average of 58 times per day. We are all guilty of this. So sending them that video that made you laugh or even that meme that reminded you of the good old days should be easy don’t you think? Remember, it’s the thoughts that count.

3. Plan friendship dates

Planning is a proven and effective way to work around busy schedules. It helps you to find a suitable time that’d work with the schedules of all parties involved. This ensures there’s little to no risk of someone cancelling or pulling out due to lack of time or money. Friendship dates are essential as it would allow you to catch up with each other and strengthen the bond of your friendship. Nothing beats face-to-face interaction.

4. Reach out to them

Whenever you catch yourself thinking about them, reach out to them. A simple, “Hey I was thinking about you, I hope you’re doing great?'' or “I miss you, let’s catch up soon” does the trick. Effective communication doesn’t always revolve around having long conversations every time and neither does emotional availability suggest that you always have to rack up communication streams. It means your friends know and have the assurance that you're nearby when they need you.

Remember, the best kinds of friendships have a lot to do with time and the only thing more precious than time itself is who we choose to spend it on.

So take the initiative and make an effort to reach out to your friends today, after all, true friends are worth all the time and effort in the world.