Three signs your network is drifting
Skeleton post. Three early signals that a key relationship is slipping, and a small action you can take for each one.
On this page
This is a skeleton post used to exercise the index, category, and post page chrome with a second entry. Replace the body with real writing before publishing.
Sign one: the meeting cadence has slowed
The cadence used to be quarterly, then it slipped to twice a year, then it went a full year without any new touchpoint. Time since last contact is the bluntest signal, but it is the easiest one to miss because nothing actively went wrong.
Three quick checks before you assume the worst:
- Did one of you go through a job change?
- Was the last interaction warm or transactional?
- Does the gap actually feel different to them, or only to you?
What to do
Open the contact, scan the last three notes, and pick one specific thing to follow up on. Generic "checking in" messages read as exactly that, and rarely restart the cadence.
Sign two: the conversations got transactional
When every recent message is about a request, an introduction, or an update, the relationship has shifted into utility mode. Healthy relationships have idle warmth between the asks; transactional ones do not.
What to do
Send something with no ask attached: a book recommendation, a piece of news that fits their taste, a one-line note about a shared memory.
Sign three: you stopped capturing context
When you stop writing notes after a meeting with someone, you have already started forgetting them. The gap between meeting and capture is the gap between intention and follow-through.
What to do
Use a personal CRM to capture context within five minutes of walking out. Future-you will be glad past-you bothered.
