The Three-Tier Map

Your contacts are not one list. Sort them into three tiers so each one gets the right cadence. Tier 1: the 15-20 people whose careers you actively follow. Tier 2: the 40-60 you know well enough to email cold. Tier 3: everyone else — real but distant.

Tier 1: monthly depth — personal check-ins, congratulations, an occasional call. Tier 2: a few light touches a year — a shared article, a congratulation on a promotion. Tier 3: a semi-annual signal of life so the door stays unlocked when you need it.