Moving to a new city
Turn "I don't know anyone here" into a real list of who's already there, and two introductions to ask for.
Moving somewhere new feels like starting from zero. It usually isn't. You already know people there, or people who know people there. The work is noticing the network you already have, not building a new one.
Why it matters
"I don't know anyone here" is rarely true. It's more often "I haven't looked." A short pass through your contacts, filtered by where they actually live, turns a vague sense of starting over into a real, short list of people to see. That short list is also where your first real month in a new city actually comes from, not from wandering into a coffee shop and hoping.
How it works
This is mostly a one-time tagging and filtering pass, done once the move is real, lease signed, date on the calendar, followed by a lighter rhythm of actually following through during your first month of settling in. The pass takes fifteen minutes. The follow-through is the part that takes discipline.
How to do it
- Make sure your contacts carry a location, Austin, Denver, wherever you're headed — Track where people live.
- Filter down to who's already there — Filter and bulk update. This gives you an actual list, not a guess.
- From that list, pick two people you trust and ask each for one introduction to someone local — Introductions keeps it double opt-in, so nobody feels ambushed by a cold email.
- Set reminders for your first month there. A coffee a week is plenty — Reminders.
- Once you've arrived, update locations as you actually meet new people, so the picture stays current for the next person who moves near you.
What good looks like
A real, short list of who's already in the new city. Two introduction requests out. A few coffees on the calendar for your first month, instead of a vague intention to "meet people eventually."
If you fell off
Two months in and you still haven't reached out to anyone on that list is a very normal outcome. A move eats every ounce of attention for the first few weeks, unpacking, logistics, the basics of a new routine. Pick one person from the list and send one message today. You don't need the whole list moving at once, you need it to stop being zero.