Small CountsA little room for your year
Seeing friends more in 2027: small plans, no pressure
In short
If you'd like to see friends more in 2027, you could start with a small, specific invitation rather than a target for the whole year. Choose a plan that suits you both, whether that's meeting up or having a call. If you'd like a record, keep the moments you want to remember without turning people into a score.
By the Small Counts team. Last checked: . Sources are listed at the end.
First published: . Updated: .
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We link factual claims to sources and distinguish survey results from our suggestions. Survey findings describe the people and dates measured; they aren't a prediction about you. The checked date records the latest content review, not a fresh publication. If something looks wrong, email [email protected].
Decide what more would mean to you
You might want to catch up with someone you haven't seen for a while, make room for a familiar friend, or share something you already enjoy. Those are different wishes; you don't need one big plan to cover them all.
You could choose a starting thought such as I'd like to make time for a catch-up, rather than I need a busier social life. You can leave the number of people and the number of meetings out of it.
Send a small, specific invitation
You could suggest a plan and a possible time, with room for the other person to say no or offer something else. Here are a couple of messages you could adapt.
- Fancy a short walk on Saturday afternoon? No worries if not, or we could find another day.
- Would you like a catch-up call one evening next week? We could pick a time that works for us both.
Choose something that fits you both
You could ask what would make a plan easy to join: the cost, the place, how long you'd have, or whether a call would suit better. There's no need to make it an occasion with tickets, travel and a full day out.
A cup of tea at home, a shared hobby, a game or a call could be enough. A walk is another option if you both fancy it. You can choose a plan around what you each enjoy and can manage, rather than what looks good in a diary.
If you'd like a shared activity to look into, The Reader has a directory of Shared Reading groups, searchable by city, postcode or region.1 You could browse it together and check current details with the organiser. It's one option, not a requirement for making a plan.
Leave room for a no or a different week
If the timing doesn't work, you could offer another date or leave the invitation open. You don't need to turn a delayed reply or a cancelled plan into a judgement about either of you.
If they don't want to make a plan, you can leave it there. A personal goal to see people more doesn't create an obligation for someone else to take part.
You can also change your own mind, shorten a visit or suggest a call instead. The plan is something you agree together, not a promise to a tracker.
Try a repeat plan only if you both want one
After a catch-up, you could ask whether you'd both like to do it again. A familiar plan might be something you'd enjoy repeating, such as a book chat, a game or a call.
You could put the next date in your own calendar if you've agreed it. That doesn't have to become a fixed weekly appointment. You can leave space for busy periods, holidays and times when neither of you wants another plan.
Keep moments, not a ranking of friends
If you'd like a record, you could keep a short title such as Sunday lunch, A call or A game together. You don't need full names, contact details or private conversations to remember that you enjoyed some time with someone.
If you're counting, decide what an entry means. As an example, lunch with three friends could be one occasion, recorded as one item. Recording each person separately would give you three items instead. Neither is a measure of the quality of a friendship; they're just different ways to keep a list.
You can also leave the count out and keep a short note. There's no need to compare friends, set a quota for each person or make every conversation into an entry.
What if I miss a month?
A blank month in a notebook doesn't tell the whole story. You might have had time with people you didn't record, or you might have had other things to do. You can leave the gap without trying to explain it away.
If you'd still like to make a plan, you could return to a small invitation when it suits you. The things you've already kept don't disappear, and you don't owe the notebook extra meet-ups to catch up.
Our guide to keeping a New Year's resolution has more suggestions for small starts and kind returns after a gap.
Remember time together with Small Counts
Small Counts's See people starter includes a list called Met up or called someone. You can edit its suggested target or add your own list or note without a target. A list total counts the items you've entered, not unique friends or how close you are.
Entries are manual. The app doesn't import your contacts, send invitations or arrange a shared calendar. You make plans with each other outside the notebook, then decide what, if anything, you'd like to record.
You could read how privacy works before choosing what details to keep. In particular, you can leave other people's personal information out of your notes and check anything you choose to export or share.
Tracking is free, with no limit on themes. If you'd like a printable record later, the optional calendar-year keepsake collection is digital artwork to download and print yourself or take to a printer. We aren't selling physical prints or products.
Keep the time you want to remember
You could use Small Counts for a short list of catch-ups, or a note about an afternoon you enjoyed. There's no need for a target or a perfect record. Tracking is free; the optional digital keepsake collection is a separate purchase for one named calendar year, with no subscription.
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