I started reading Kayleen Schaefer’s ‘Text Me When You Get Home’ over the weekend and was immediately inspired by her points on just how special the bond between women can be. Even after only reading a few chapters I was reminded of how lucky I am to have some truly incredible women in my life, and how much of a priority my friendships with them always need to be. They’re my support system, the ones who are always up to grab a glass of wine and listen to me vent. My partners in crime through mischievous nights out and endless hilarious text message exchanges. And they’re also inspiring as hell; kicking ass and taking names and always reminding me to keep up the hustle and that anything is possible.

While friendship is one of the best things around, it can also be a lot of work. Like any relationship, friendship takes time and effort. It takes staying in touch and showing up, even when life gets crazy and there are plenty of other priorities in the mix. But I promise you, it’s always worth it. Some tips for maintaining friendships amongst the craziness of life:

Plan Ahead: Listen, we’re all busy. Between work and travel and romantic relationships, everyone’s got a lot of shit going on! Schedule time with friends like you would an appointment, getting time locked in on the calendar far enough in advance to make it easy to find space on everyone’s calendars, and be sure to stick with it. Send a Google Calendar invite or start a group text to make it easy to make sure everyone’s in the loop with what’s planned.

Get in a Routine: Lately I’ve been getting in a groove of having at least one friend over, every other Friday after work. This day just happens to also be the day that my cleaning lady comes, which gives me zero excuse to not feel entertaining ready and keeping it small and casual eliminates any hosting stresses. Having wine and a few snacks on hand makes things super easy and it’s been so much fun to wind down the week with a few hours of friend time.

Tell Each Other How You Feel: Think your girlfriend is a total badass? Feeling proud of how much she’s crushing it at her job? Finding yourself channeling her for some style inspo? Let her know! Everyone loves (and could probably use) a confidence boost in the form of a compliment or gets a mood boost from a few words of encouragement. Boost each other up as often as possible, even if it’s in the form of a quick text or reply to her latest Instagram Story post.

Multitask Hangouts: Spending time together doesn’t always have to be in the form of elaborate, uninterrupted plans. Grab some company the next time you’re in the middle of a get shit done day and hangout with a friend while you run errands or invite a friend to one of your favorite workout classes to get your sweat on together.

Try Mornings: Almost everyone in my San Francisco crew is an early riser so we’ve been making it a thing to grab coffee or breakfast before work. 8 AM is often the most commonly open slot on everyone’s calendars and there’s truly nothing better than starting the day off with time with friends before heading into the office.

What are some of your tips for maintaining friendships? What does being a good friend mean to you?