Am I alone in thinking of zombies when “pick your brain” is uttered? Kidding aside, we all do want to help these folks whenever possible, right? Holding regular office hours has been transformative personally, where I set aside a 2 hour block split into 30 minute increments every 2 weeks or so.

This completely eliminates the cognitive load of coordinating a time and place by simply replying with a brief note and a Calendly link. Also, 30 minutes forces everyone to dispense with abundant pleasantries and accelerates the conversation. You can always schedule more time later if you hit it off.

I’ve met some really great people this way and highly recommend making room in your schedule for meeting random folks…it’s like a box of chocolates.