“As an introvert, going home and sitting on my couch often appeals to me more than going to a breakfast, or a meetup, or a day-long conference. Like I felt that day at the first hackathon, sometimes I really don't want to show up. One of the most important deals I made with myself was to make networking micro-commitments. These are the three small commitments that I make with myself before an event, and you need to make these commitments, too:

1. I will show up.

2. I will meet three people, and then I can high tail it out of there.

3. I will show up one more time.

I've honored these micro-commitments consistently.”