life
You know the one—the person who’s been in your life ever since you can remember, which is probably the reason you put up with this pal’s seriously uncool shenanigans (standing you up, criticizing your relationship and competing over just about everything). Every time you meet up, you go home angry, yet something keeps you coming back for more. Maybe it’s the fact that you’ve known each other since preschool or maybe you’re just a masochist—either way, you’re running out of excuses for why you can’t check out your frenemy’s “amazing” new pad. PIECE OF YOUR SOCIAL PIE As hard as it is, it may be time to cut ties with this old “friend.” Life’s just too short (and your time’s too precious) to waste on relationships that drag you down, even those that began in the sandbox. But we get it, breaking up with friends is never fun. This is a situation that calls for the passive-aggressive slow fade—“Sorry, I can’t this weekend, but maybe the next one?”—repeated a few times until those crumbs of your time become zilch. Or just take the mature route: Step up and air your grievances already.
You guys are war buddies now that you share a new boss whose temper puts Gordon Ramsay’s to shame. While you may not have a lot in common outside the office, you know it’s important to hit happy hour with coworkers for professional reasons. But maintaining work ties can feel like more, um, work. So you reschedule drinks a million times, and somehow that cocktail just never happens. PIECE OF YOUR SOCIAL PIE The annoying but true reality: It’s important to make an effort with coworkers and to keep in touch with other people in your industry too. It’ll help you stay relevant, and it could even get you a promotion or new gig. That means throwing back an occasional after-work beer is actually good for your career. What’s one night every six weeks or so compared with the payoff of a great job rec or promotion?
32 The Nest Mag
Of course you love being around your special roomie (isn’t that why you moved in together?). Problem is, when you’re trying to please all the other people in your life, it’s easy to neglect the person closest to you—after all, you’ll see each other when you get home later anyway, right? PIECE OF YOUR SOCIAL PIE It can be tempting to spend all of your free time hibernating à deux, but just remember that too much together time isn’t a good idea. Even the best relationships need breathing room. But that doesn’t mean your other half doesn’t deserve a healthy portion. In case you haven’t already figured it out, sharing a life together means spending a good amount of time together too. So go ahead and give ’em the biggest chunk— because this particular person requires lots of extra time for something you don’t get to do with anyone else (wink, wink).