If you have ever opened your phone meaning to text an old friend, only to look up an hour later having scrolled past a hundred strangers instead, you are not alone. Staying in touch has quietly become one of the hardest easy things we do.

The truth is that drifting apart is rarely about caring less. It is about friction. The friend you have been meaning to call lives three timezones away. The cousin you adore got lost behind a wall of group chats. The mentor who changed your life slipped off your radar the moment they stopped sharing your daily routine.

Our brains were not built to track dozens of relationships across a noisy, always-on world. We remember the people in front of us and gently forget the ones who are not — not out of malice, but out of bandwidth.

So what actually helps? Not more willpower. The people who stay close to their friends are not more disciplined; they have simply lowered the friction. They keep a short list of who matters. They reach out in small, low-pressure ways. And they let something outside their own memory carry the reminder.

That is the entire idea behind Orbit. Instead of relying on a guilty mental note, you decide how often you want to connect with each person, and the app gently keeps the countdown for you. When it is time, you get a small nudge — and reaching out is one tap away.

You do not need to become a different person to be a better friend. You just need a little less friction, and a little help remembering. Start with three people this week. The rest will follow.