I’ve noticed men seem afraid of losing their freedom, and that when I back away from them, they pull forward. More important, the less time you spend talking to them, the more time you have to focus on you.

Example:

“I know you have work early tomorrow, and don’t wanna keep you up late! I’m gonna do some reading before bed, I need to hit my GoodReads goal.”

“You sound exhausted! I’m sure you need some time to unwind after a crazy week! I’m hanging with friends this weekend, but call me next week after you’ve had some time with the guys.”

“Here I am, talking your ear off when you probably wanna watch the rest of your show. I need to go finish my workout.”

“I’d love to see you Wednesday night, but that’s when I have my yoga class!”

“Sorry I missed your call, I leave my phone in the car when I’m at the beach.”

“It’d be nice to see you on Sunday, but as lame as this sounds, all I’ve been dreaming about is doing some gardening and chilling with a glass of wine. Can we do a different day?”

“It’d be great to catch up with you, but I’ve had a few zoom calls with family today, and another call sounds exhausting. Let’s talk later.”

If this feels unnatural, know that he will NEVER put himself second and deprioritize his work, his time with friends, his workout routine, or just playing video games in his boxers.