“Stop Networking”, pretty weird advise coming from the Networking Wiz. But today, those are my words of wisdom. Now, before you roll your eyes too much, let me explain.

Have you ever found yourself at another networking event and wandering aimlessly, or maybe even sitting in your car trying to pump yourself up to go inside your 4th event of the week? I’ve even found myself thinking “if I have to explain what I do to one more person…”. That’s not the attitude you want when networking.

I think at times we try to hit every networking event we can. We don’t want to miss someone or something, or we want to make sure we are seen, or we even like having the excuse to not be in the office. But once you hit networking overload, you’re wasting your time. And believe it or not, others can see that in you. Your smile will be forced, your conversations less genuine and your results will be unimpressive. Its a waste of time.

(and I promise you…if you miss anything that important, you’ll hear about it, there will be pictures, or video and best yet…it will give you a really good excuse to reach out personally to those involved)

So stop networking. Avoid burn out. Set your weekly goals; say 2 events a week, add in an extra 1 or 2 as they pop up, and then stop. Rearrange and prioritize as needed. Overloading your schedule may make you look busy but its the results that truly matter.