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Sweatpants are the milestone nobody talks about.​
​(3-minute read)
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Hey Reader,

Welcome to The Friendship Habit, where we build better friendships one honest moment at a time.

👥 THE FRIEND

Every real friendship has a moment nobody names.

It’s the day someone shows up in sweatpants and you know they’re not going anywhere for a while.

That’s The Sweatpants Threshold.

The moment the performance ends.

You don’t get the truth from people when they’re trying. You get it when they’re tired.

I’ve worn great outfits to dinners I barely remember.
I’ve worn terrible pajamas to conversations I’ll never forget.

The couch is the opposite of a highlight reel. It’s where nobody is trying to sell their life story.

Lately the juggle of a 2 and half year old and eight month old has had us pushing the very, very low key hangs. Somewhere between bedtime and exhaustion, I realized the best friendships feel like a place to sit down.

Real friendship is built when someone stops auditioning.

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Before we get into the fix, a quick word from the people that pay for my kid's diapers.
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Yes we vaguely know how to use AI, but is that good enough? As someone that's pushing you to do really small things with big upside, HubSpot's guide falls squarely in that camp. Check it out below.
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Back to this week's fix!

🛠️ THE FIX​
​Schedule the easiest hang of the month

Confession time.

I got a few holiday invites this year that I did not expect.
And I’m still waiting on a few that I now realize aren’t coming.

That’s not a complaint. It’s just life in your forties.

And it’s exactly why this week matters.

This is the week where everyone is pretending they’re busy
and secretly wondering where their holiday party invite went.

(There is no invite. It was a group text you weren’t on.)

Which makes this the perfect week to stop waiting…and start inviting.

Put one hang on the calendar that requires no effort and zero polish.

Send one friend:

“Come over this week. No plans. If you wear real pants, you’re overdressed.”

I love to host and entertain. This is not that.

For this one, do not pretend your house is cleaner than it is. Your only job is to make it easy to stay.

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If someone only sees you at your best, they don’t know you yet.

📎 THE RECO
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​UnHide ‘The Marshmallow’ Blanket

We learned from the Snuggie, the more ridiculous the name, the more dangerous the comfort.

​UnHide's Marshmallow is the kind of blanket that makes you subconsciously think, "I live here now."

Buy it for your couch. Not for décor.

For friendship.

Because when your house gets warmer, people do too.

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Talk soon,
Matt Ritter
The Friendship Guy
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Forward this to one friend who would get this and you want to lay on a couch with! Join the newsletter and Friendship Challenge here.​

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