Text "you around for a quick call later today?", give the call a built-in time limit, and use random five-minute gaps to call people you like.
The idea
We now treat phone calls like scheduling a root canal. We'll text, email, DM, send smoke signals, anything but press call. Meanwhile some of the best conversations happen when nobody planned them. Two small moves lower the stakes enough to actually dial: ask by text first, and put a soft end time on it.
How to do it
Text first. If it's too early or you're too nervous to dial, ask if they're around for a quick call. Make it today, not tomorrow or next Wednesday the Eleventeenth.
Install the escape hatch. Mention you have a meeting in 10 minutes. That window is plenty to catch up, and nobody gets trapped in a 45-minute ramble.
Use the gaps. When you get a random five minutes between meetings, scroll your contacts and pick someone you genuinely like and haven't talked to in a while.
Or just call. The worst case is they don't pick up.
Example
The text-first move is what we do in my sessions when someone gets weird about calling. And if you're still scared, pretend you're dialing a pizza place. Confidence instantly goes up 80%.
Script
"Hey, you around for a quick call later today?"
"Hey, just a heads up, I have a meeting in ten minutes but I'm free now!"
Watch out for
Turning it into a meeting request. No agenda, no calendar invite. That's the point.
The Channel Switch: Respond on a different channel than the one the news came through: a LinkedIn post gets a text, an email gets a call.
Bring Back a Little Friction: Some friction is the point. Driving across town or naming a dinner night says you care enough to invest, so sometimes choose the less efficient option.
The Recurring Calendar Invite: After a good conversation, make it a repeating calendar event, with a mutual, guilt-free permission to cancel any single one.
The IRL vs. URL Test: Ask whether a meeting is for connection or a transaction; meet in person for the first, use video or a call for the second.