eTip: Budget Your Networking
There are two important resources you can budget in networking, your time and your money.
How many hours a week do you spend networking? Budgeting your time is very important, as one tends to not dedicate enough time to networking. Many see networking as a chore and it doesn't have to be if you set aside time each day or each week to reach out and network with others.
Add up your hours spent at networking events, workshops and other gatherings. Also include your phone calls, lunch dates/meetings, emails, instant messages, and text messages to people outside your immediate family. How much time do you spend networking with others? Are you spending too much time or not enough time networking? Only you can answer that question.
A second important resource to budget in networking is money. Many people don't actually budget their money when it comes to networking, they just pay for networking events, meeting dues, coffee, lunches and consider them a cost; a 'cost' for networking. Oftentimes too little is spent on networking because of the negative association with 'cost.'
If you actually budget a specific dollar amount each week or each month towards networking, you will naturally spend it. It's like the weekly allowance you received as a child, you spent that allowance because you could, and it did not seem like a 'cost.' The same principle works with budgeting money for networking. Allow yourself to spend money towards networking. You will spend it doing exactly what you intended it for, networking.
Your attention to networking will have it benefits if your time and money, well spent, are dedicated resources.
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