Most first dates are fairly standard. You spend an hour or two getting to know each other over some friendly conversation until the date comes to a close. When the two parties in question have chemistry, a second date usually occurs. However, what about those dates that are neither good nor bad? Sometimes a date goes fairly well, but soon after the date, the memory of the meeting fades quickly.

Call it the curse of online dating. We are all bombarded with so many options online each and every day (in addition to being bombarded by the fast-paced modern world) that many of our attention spans fade fast in all aspects of life. Today I would like to discuss a trick that will drastically decrease the odds of your date forgetting about you when the night ends. It’s called “location switching.”

Location switching is the process of going to multiple destinations in one date, as opposed to just meeting at a restaurant or bar for the entirety of the night. For example, a date employing the location switching strategy might look as follows:

Step 1:  Meet for drinks.

Step 2:  Walk down the block and play a game of pool.

Step 3:  Take a walk through a scenic stretch to a popular dessert spot.

Step 4:  Grab some dessert at the final destination.

In the above example, four mini dates have been packaged into one big date. All of this will be completed within a comparative time frame of a “regular” date. Heck, if you wanted to, you could add a step 5, 6 and 7! It all depends on how creative you are willing to get. Now, going back to how this will lead to more second dates is simple. It all has to do with basic psychology.

By switching locations, your date begins to feel more comfortable with you because they feel as if they have been on four separate dates with you (even though you’ve literally just spent one evening together). This rapidly increases the amount of comfort, familiarity, and emotional investment they will ultimately feel by the time the night ends — pending things go well. It may not have been a literal four dates, but psychologically it feels that way.

By the time you call for a second date, you will not just be some “coffee date.” Mentally, you will be the person they have already been on four dates with, instantaneously placing you at the top of their radar. If your match feels as if they have been dating you for a while, they are much more likely to ward of your competition, and focus solely on you.