TIN #037 - How To Beat (Networking) Procrastination
Use these strategies to hit your networking goals
Good Morning đ - Greg here.
Happy Saturday to everyone who is taking one small step with networking this week.
I admit, I procrastinated writing this newsletter this week.
I had other deadlines. Iâm giving a speech at Unleash America at the end of April, and my presentation slides were due this week.
I also wrote on article about AI in HR for an online publication, and I had to finish it earlier this week.
Competing priorities led me to put off writing this issue.
Usually, have it done before Friday, but here I am on Friday afternoon trying to hit my weekly deadline.
It got me thinking about the ways procrastination can kill your networking.
This morning, I'm sharing ways to overcome procrastination to keep your networking on track.
This issue takes less than 4 minutes to read.
Before you read this issue, check out my new chatbot!
I trained it using my book and the previous issues of this newsletter. It can only answer questions about networking, but give it a shot and let me know what you think!
A Silent Killer
Procrastination is something that affects everyone, even those who are usually productive and efficient.
It can be difficult to determine why we are procrastinating, particularly when we have time and plenty of runway to complete a task, yet we still put it off until the last minute.
This can be problematic when it comes to professional networking.
Networking is something that doesn't always come with a deadline, so it's easy to put it off and tell yourself that you'll do it later, but âLaterâ can quickly turn into âNever.â
If you keep saying âNeverâ to networking, you wonât have a network when you need it.
Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to beat procrastination when it comes to professional networking.
Set Deadlines
One of the reasons we procrastinate is we don't have a deadline.
When we don't have a date we're working towards, it's easy put things off.
To combat this, set a deadline or a goal that you want to achieve by the end of the week. Something like:
âIâll send 5 messages to my existing connections by Friday.â
This will give you something to work towards and can help motivate you to get started.
However, deadline only work if youâŠ
Hold Yourself Accountable
Deadlines are effective only if thereâs accountability behind them.
You need to hold yourself accountable for completing your networking tasks.
This can be challenging, particularly if you arenât reporting your progress to anyone.
If no one know what youâre planning to accomplish, itâs easy to tell yourself, âIf I donât do this, no one will know.â
It makes it easy to say, âIâll do it later.â
Try working with an accountability partner, such as a colleague or friend who can help keep you on track.
Tell him or her what you are trying to achieve. Ask them to check in on you to make sure youâre on track.
Be that personâs accountability partner. Keep them on track for their goals as well.
Knowing someone else is going to ask about your progress makes you more likely to do what you say youâll do.
If you need one, feel free to send me an email at greg@gregsroche.com telling me what you plan to accomplish next week. Iâll hold you accountable.
Break Tasks Into Smaller Pieces
Sometimes we make a goal out to be bigger than it really is.
We convince ourselves that it's going to be harder than it actually is, and this can lead to procrastination.
To fix this, break the task into smaller pieces.
If the networking goal you set for your self feels overwhelming, try breaking it down into smaller steps.
For example, if your goal is to reach out to 5 people by Friday, start by contacting one or two each day.
A smaller task is easier to do. Which means youâre more likely to do it.
Get Started
Another way to beat procrastination is to just get started.
I know this sounds simplistic, but sometimes, we spend more time planning to do a task than we actually spend on the task.
If itâs a small task that takes a short amount of time, do it now.
I talked about breaking the task into smaller pieces in the section above. Now that you have smaller pieces, get them done!
Thatâs the point, make the task small so you can do it now.
If your goal is to send one networking email or message today, do it!
It will take a couple of minutes.
Youâll feel like you made progress and youâll be motivated to do it again tomorrow.
Be Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to networking.
You broke your weekly goal into small parts and did one of these smaller tasks today.
Great!
Do it again tomorrow.
This is how you make progress.
This is how your network grows.
This is how you keep your networking alive.
Procrastination can be a challenging habit to break, but by using these strategies, you can beat procrastination when it comes to professional networking.
Remember to set yourself a deadline, hold yourself accountable, break tasks into smaller pieces, just get started, and be consistent.
With a little effort and dedication, you can overcome procrastination and take your networking to the next level.