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The 5-25-150 rule for organizing your network
Definition: The 5-25-150 rule is a way to organize your network into three tiers: about 5 people you stay closest to, about 25 you keep in regular contact with, and about 150 you keep warm with occasional touchpoints. Each tier gets its own contact rhythm, so your attention goes where it matters most and no important relationship quietly goes cold.
The 150 tier echoes Dunbar's number, from Dunbar, R. I. M. (1992), "Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates," Journal of Human Evolution, 22(6), which proposed that people can maintain about 150 stable relationships.
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Why it matters
Most people do not lose contacts on purpose. They lose them because every relationship competes for the same limited attention, and the loudest ones win. The 5-25-150 rule makes that tradeoff deliberate. You decide in advance who gets weekly attention, who gets monthly attention, and who gets a note a few times a year.
The outer tier is where a lot of value hides. Former colleagues, past clients and old classmates often hear about opportunities you never would. Research on weak and dormant ties suggests these looser connections can be surprisingly useful, but only if you have kept the door open. A simple tier system keeps that door from rusting shut.
How it works
The three tiers
The inner 5 are the people who shape your work and life most: a business partner, a mentor, a top client, a close collaborator. The middle 25 are relationships you actively invest in: key clients, referral partners, people you are building something with. The outer 150 are people you know and like but do not talk to often: former coworkers, past clients, event contacts who stuck. The numbers are guides, not quotas. If your inner circle is 4 or your middle tier is 30, that is fine. The point is to have tiers at all.
A contact rhythm for each tier
Each tier gets a different cadence. A common starting point: inner 5 every week or two, middle 25 every month or so, outer 150 every three to six months. Contact does not have to mean a meeting. A quick text, a shared article, a comment on their news, or a congratulations note all count. What matters is that the rhythm is set before life gets busy, so you are following a plan instead of relying on memory or guilt.
Moving people between tiers
Tiers are not permanent. A contact in your 150 who starts a project with you may move into your 25 for a year. A close client who retires may drift to the outer tier. Review your tiers every quarter or so. Ask who you have been thinking about, who has gone quiet, and who your current goals actually depend on. Moving someone down is not a rejection. It just means a lighter rhythm that fits where the relationship is right now.
Where the tiers live
You can run the rule in a spreadsheet, a notes app, or a personal CRM. At minimum, each contact needs a name, a tier, the date you last connected, and a line of context (where you met, what they care about). A personal CRM adds reminders based on each tier's rhythm, which is where the system starts to run itself. Whatever tool you use, keep it simple enough that you will actually update it after a call or coffee.
Examples
- A financial advisor puts her three largest clients, her business partner and her mentor in the inner 5, and blocks Friday mornings to check in with them.
- A recruiter keeps 25 hiring managers and placed candidates in the middle tier and sends each one a short personal note every month, even when there is no open role.
- A consultant puts former colleagues from two previous firms in his outer 150 and sends a quick message whenever one of them changes jobs or posts a milestone.
- A nonprofit director moves a longtime volunteer from the 150 into the 25 after she joins the board, and switches from quarterly emails to monthly calls.
Putting it into practice
- List everyone you would be glad to hear from this year. Do not filter yet. Pull from your phone, email, calendar and social contacts.
- Pick your inner 5 first: the people your work and wellbeing depend on most. Then choose your 25. Everyone else worth keeping goes in the 150.
- Assign a contact rhythm to each tier, such as every two weeks, monthly and quarterly, and set reminders so you do not have to remember.
- After every conversation, log the date and one useful detail, like a project they mentioned or a child starting college. That note becomes your next opener.
- Once a quarter, review your tiers. Move people up or down based on what is happening in the relationship and in your goals.
- Each week, send at least one low-pressure note to someone in your 150 you have not contacted in a while. Small, steady outreach keeps the outer tier alive.
Write the message in 20 seconds
Free, no signup. The example is filled in: press the button, then replace it with your own situation. In Capstone, a message like it is written for each person you know when their check-in is due.
Frequently asked questions
What does personal CRM mean?
A personal CRM is a tool for managing your individual relationships rather than a company's sales pipeline. It stores who you know, how you met, when you last talked and what matters to them, then reminds you to reach out. Many people use one to run a system like the 5-25-150 rule, with each tier tied to its own reminder schedule.
What is a good CRM for personal use?
A good CRM for personal use is one you will actually keep updated. Look for fast contact entry, a notes field, tags or groups (so you can label tiers like 5, 25 and 150), and reminders based on how long it has been since you last connected. Simple beats powerful. If logging a coffee takes more than a minute, you will stop doing it.
What is the best personal CRM for networking?
The best personal CRM for networking is the one that makes reaching out easy, not just storing contacts. For networking, prioritize reminders by group, a record of past conversations, and help with what to say. Being able to set different cadences for your 5, 25 and 150 tiers matters more than integrations or dashboards you will rarely open.
Which CRM is best for beginners?
For beginners, the best CRM is the simplest one that handles names, notes and reminders. Start with a short list, maybe your inner 5 and middle 25, and add the outer 150 once the habit sticks. A plain spreadsheet with a last-contacted column works fine at first. Move to a dedicated tool when manual tracking starts to feel like a chore.
Is there a free way to use the 5-25-150 rule?
Yes. You can run the 5-25-150 rule for free with a spreadsheet: one row per person, plus columns for tier, last contact date and notes. Sort by last contact date each week to see who is overdue. Free tiers of personal CRMs and basic calendar reminders also work. The rule itself costs nothing. The discipline of reviewing it is what makes it work.
Sorted your 5, 25 and 150? Give each group its own rhythm in Capstone: weekly for your five, monthly for the 25, every three months for the rest. When someone is due, the check-in is already written.
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A study of 20 million LinkedIn members found that acquaintances, more than close friends, led to new jobs (Science, 2022). Capstone keeps those people warm. You approve every message, and it goes from your own email or phone.