In some ways, I’m really great at connecting and staying connected with people. In other ways, I can easily let time slip too long between reconnecting with someone. I find my most common patterns for this are when
- I rely too much on events to connect
- I’m currently overwhelmed with priorities and work
- Time just simply gets away from me
- I assume they will reach out if they need something
- I don’t have enough time to connect, so I don’t bother
The last one is the one that I want to break first. I get it into my head that in order to connect, long genuine discussions are necessary. Yet, I know that’s not always true. Sometimes a simply mini-check in is all the person needs to know someone is thinking of them. As a result, I’ve conducted a little experiment this week with the following mini-checkin types:
- Messaged someone with a simple “Hi – just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you. Hope all is well.”
- Messaged someone that I know is struggling with a corny joke
- Messaged someone to ask how things are going?
- Messaged someone with “sending love and energy your way”
- Sent someone a photo or quick video
- Sent someone best part of day and asked for theirs
None of these are grand new ideas. What they helped me realize is that I don’t need an hour to connect. That just letting someone know you are there and proactively checking in matters. And I felt a little more connected myself as a result!
How do you do mini-checkins?
