Hi friends,

Happy Saturday. Just 27 days until the official start of spring. I cannot wait ☀️

For February, we'll be reading Unhinged Habits by Jonathan Goodman.

For March, we'll be reading Shift by Ethan Kross.

— Maneet

Weekly Discussion

Over recent months, I’ve become abundantly aware of my social life going down the drain.

Almost all of my time is spent at home, at work, or at school.

Maintaining friendships is a domain that I’ve always struggled with. As I pass through different seasons of life, my friendships tend to come and go with them. I had a distinct group of friends in high school, a different social circle in college, and waves of different friends since then. Sure, there have been some who have stuck around longer than others, but I’ve never had a “true friend.”

Am I doing something wrong?

Everyone around me seems to have a lot of friends. I must be behind.

In this week’s reading of Unhinged Habits by Jonathan Goodman, I was particularly struck by the idea that it’s better to have fewer, deeper relationships in your life instead of a lot of shallow ones. The book argues that all you really need to increase satisfaction in your life is a spouse who is complementary to you and one true friend.

When I read this, I was genuinely surprised.

It turns out I’m already 50% of the way there. I’m grateful to have a life partner who complements me in so many ways. All I’m missing now is one true friendship.

What surprised me even more from this chapter are the three requirements behind true friendship.

The first is being useless.

This one caught my attention the most. I’ve always thought that friendships need to involve some sort of value exchange. I’ve felt this pressure that if I’m not doing something for others, or if they’re not doing something for me, it’s not a real friendship. It turns out this is a superficial way of approaching it. Friendships based solely on how much we can do for one another are on a shaky foundation. Instead, true friendships should be rooted in virtue, meaning they serve no purpose in your professional or social ambitions.

The second is effort.

True friends go out of their way for each other, just because, without reason. There is something inherently unique about friends who do things for each other without expecting anything in return. There is no pressure. It’s mutual. And again, it’s not about being useful, it’s about being thoughtful. I feel this one needs a bit of balance because it can be easy to fall into the trap of constantly doing things for the other in an attempt to prove your worth. My sense is it’s better to start small and allow it to grow mutually.

Last is celebration.

When things go well, true friends will celebrate with you, and for you. You will do the same for them. You’re there for each other during those big moments and are authentic in your happiness and celebration. True friends are invested in each other.

To recap, the three tests of a true friendship are uselessness, effort, and celebration.

One final note from this chapter is knowing that true friends might not always be in contact.

It sounds silly, but I’ve always imagined that in order to have a meaningful friendship, you need to be talking all the time. The stereotypical image of best friends is constantly texting each other, FaceTiming regularly, etc.

What if that doesn’t have to be the case?

Goodman describes his true friend as somebody he can go months without talking to sometimes. There’s an understanding that life is busy. The important point is that you can pick things up where you left off without skipping a beat and still be there for each other in the moments that count.

I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a lot of friends? Are any of them true friends?

Reply and let me know!

Weekly YouTube Video

​🎬 My Bold 2026 Kindle Predictions (I'm Probably Wrong)​

I just published my annual Kindle predictions video, and once again, I’m fully prepared to be wrong. I talk through what I realistically think Amazon will do in 2026, especially around the Kindle Scribe and AI features, and then share my personal wishlist for Kindle software improvements. If you’re curious where Kindle might be headed, this one’s worth a watch.

Three ways I can help you...

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📚 Check out the Presently Reading book log. It is a complete list of every book we've read in the book club since I started it.