Whatever your profession, networking – when done right – can powerfully advance success. Networking isn’t just about finding new potential clients. It’s also about meeting more of the people who do what we do, care what we care about, and strive for similar goals. As surgeons, you know how important knowledge-sharing is to scientific progress. Likewise, you need a community to maximize your own personal and professional progress.

And yet due to the daily concerns of our jobs, networking and community building often get pushed to “tomorrow’s” agenda. Then tomorrow becomes next week, or next month… and finally, never. After all, beyond your practice, you’ve got an entire life to manage: family, friends, children, as well as your own health and happiness. You’ve got to take the car to the mechanic, visit the dentist, hit the treadmill, spend the afternoon at the DMV – the list is endless.
So how can we build more relationships when we are already stressed to the limit with so many things competing for our time? My advice to you is the following: Don't. That's right. Don't even try to squeeze in extra time. Instead, focus on meeting people more often while doing the things you already have to do. This way, you can relax and let that 'networking time' come to you.

Before each of your daily activities, just ask yourself: Could this be an opportunity to meet someone new? That's what my friend Steve did when he used to work out at the Harvard Business School gym: He got more clients for his coaching practice there than from any other source.
Also, don't forget those interruptions I mentioned earlier -- taking the car to the mechanic, going to gym or the dentist, or spending an afternoon at the DMV. No matter how miserable those experiences have been for you in the past, they can be great places to make new connections. In the waiting rooms, people are sitting right next to you! You have a built-in conversation starter because you have something obvious in common with everyone there. Okay, so what if you end up talking to a few people who probably are quite a few steps removed from advancing your practice, either as clients or as peers? Nothing lost. They might know people who are on your list. Worst case, you struck up a nice conversation that made sitting there a bit less painful.

The greatest thing about this little networking plan is that it requires no (extra) time at all. It does, however, require a little bit of guts. And the more guts you have, the more you'll meet success. Try it; it will pay off! It certainly did for my young friend Ben, who decided to make the most of the mother of all life's interruptions -- jury duty.

Ben was employed by a large consulting firm, but he was ready for a change. After much introspection, Ben decided he wanted to go into pharmaceutical sales. Trouble is, he didn't know a soul in pharmaceutical sales. Then, he received a jury summons. Although his co-workers encouraged him to try weaseling his way out of serving, Ben decided to go as requested. When he arrived at the lower Manhattan court house, he was directed to a large waiting room and given instructions to sit and wait until his name was called. He looked around and saw at least a hundred people, and he was immediately frustrated. He was the only one who had forgotten reading material. Rather than dwell on his minor oversight or beginning to recount his to-do list in his head, Ben had a different idea. “Out of all these people, someone's got to be involved with pharmaceutical sales or at least know someone who is.”

Ten minutes later, Ben finally mustered up his courage and walked up to the front of the room and stepped up onto the stage. He cleared his throat and said, ”Excuse me! Is anyone here involved in pharmaceutical sales or pharmacology?” He paused. “Could you please raise your hand?” (Today Ben jokes about how the potential jurors might have thought he was asking those questions in the capacity of a court-appointed official.)
One man raised his hand, and Ben said, “Thank you. I will be right down to talk with you.” Ben approached the respondent, introduced himself, shared his interest in pharmaceutical sales, and asked if the man knew anyone in the field. The man was a pharmacist, knew many pharmaceutical sales representatives, and, even more fortunately, was going to a meeting that night that was hosted by a pharmaceutical company. Ben went to the meeting and had a few great conversations with representatives of two major two major pharmaceutical companies. They both asked Ben to contact them about beginning an application and interview process. One thing led to another, and several months later, Ben started working as a pharmaceutical sales representative.

I'm about as exuberant about reaching out to new people and building relationships as anyone you'll meet, and I'm still amazed by Ben's audacity. I love that story.

Now it's your turn to try the no-time networking plan. Maybe you won't be able to conjure up as much audacity as Ben did. Probably you won’t need to. But, please, don’t be afraid to take a chance. I know you can find a way to reach out and meet a few more people this week in the things you already have to do. Could the next boring chore be an opportunity to meet someone important to your life? Of course, and you'll never know how significant that relationship could be until you go out there and build it.

Keith Ferrazzi is the bestselling author of Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a business consulting and professional development firm. For more tips, visit Keith’s blog at keithferrazzi.com.