Need More Friend Time? Unique Ways to Catch up

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When you were younger spending time with your friends was as easy as going to their house after school. But now coordinating schedules with our friends becomes more of a challenge. Making time for them is important not just because they make you happy, but friends can also provide positive encouragement and hold you accountable to reach your goals.

Here’s a unique list of ways you can spend more quality time with your friends:

Start a wine club – A wine club is basically an excuse to get drunk with friends, but with better PR. An invite to a “Wine Club” sounds far more sophisticated and professional than just inviting someone over for drinks. Other than the wine, organizing a monthly club has many additional benefits. Setting aside a particular date every month gives friends a chance to block that day out on their calendars in advance.

Plus, even if people have to skip a few months here and there, you’ll probably still see them more regularly than if you tried to arrange separate events. I got this idea from my new favorite podcast, Glambition Radio with Ali Brown. She spoke to the CEO of a group called Women of the Vine, which highlights women wine makers. They have a wine club with More Magazine called More Uncorked. All the wine is made by women. Love that!

Go on an exercise date – Struggling to find time to see friends and get to the gym? Exercise dates are a two for one! Exercising can be boring and finding the motivation can be hard. By signing up for a weekly class with a friend, you’ll be more motivated to go and you’ll spend more time with someone you care about. Or commit to doing a walk a few times a week with a friend. That way you can catch up on your gossip and get in your 10,000 steps.

Have a swap party – Order in some food and invite your friends over to trade clothes/bags/shoes, etc. that you don’t use anymore. It’ll bring back the nostalgia of how your shared everything when you were teenagers and you might get some fabulous stuff out of it.

Go to the middle of nowhere – Do you ever find yourself getting together for lunch with friends and then spending more time checking your emails than talking? It’s time to head as far out of the city as possible, where phone service is limited. Going trekking with hiking sticks, kayaking with a new boat, or mountain climbing gives you a sense of adventure and lessens the urge to check your phone.

Help each other out – Got a task on your to-do list you never seem to find the time for? Why not help a friend cross something off hers and in exchange she’ll help you too? For example, if you’re particularly tech savvy, help out a friend who is less so get her website up and running. Then she can shoot new headshots for you if she’s a super shutterbug. It’s another two for one as it’s a chance to see each other and get more done.

How do you like to catch up with friends?