An ordinary task done together can make a lonely afternoon more bearable.

Company does not have to be arranged as an occasion. Folding laundry beside someone, driving to the shop, cooking while another person sits in the kitchen carries much of the comfort of friendship without requiring anybody to be interesting. During a lonely stretch, an unremarkable shared task is often easier to accept and easier to offer than a proper visit.

Invite someone into a chore this week rather than to something planned. If you are the lonely one, ask to come along on an errand. The bar is low on purpose, and it works.