How to make friends as an adult. Get a dog.

Making friends as an adult feels hard. It doesn't have to be. Here's the whole system.

Get a dog

Go outside and walk. You will meet so many people. Dog people talk to dog people. It's basically a cheat code. A dog gives you an instant, low-stakes reason to stop and chat with a total stranger.

Don't want a dog? Doesn't matter

Go outside and walk anyway. Talk to the dog people. They're friendly, I promise. Most people with dogs are happy to stop for thirty seconds and let you say hi.

I'm telling you, in a week you'll meet 5 new people. Next time you see them they are already an acquaintance. Double down and go to a local neighborhood coffee shop. Sit by the dog people. You'll have the best neighborly conversation ever. Here in Sac, if you go to Temple, Peet's or Chez Luc you will find your people.

One catch: take notes

You're going to meet a lot of people fast, and you will forget names. So take notes.

Like today. Don and I were walking, and we saw a pup and her mom who I had just talked to the other day - but I didn't write their names down. Doh. So as we were chatting with Don, I just asked for her dog's name again, and hers. Willow is a 10-month-old labradoodle and her mom is Kim. They are now in my notes so I won't forget. Along with Piper, Charlie, Susan, Busy, and Margo.

Pro tip: one AirPod in

Walk with one AirPod in, not two. You still get your music. You can still hear cars. And, this is the important part, you can still talk to people.

That's the whole system

Go outside, talk to the dog people, write their names down. Then repeat daily and try different times of day. You'll meet a different crowd every time.

Morning dog people. Evening dog people. Middle-of-the-day-need-a-stretch-break dog people. Coffee shop dog people. They are all awesome.

Now go out and walk! And report back, please.