Doing Nothing? Use Informational Interviews to Take Action

You have a goal, but you’re not getting anywhere.

Maybe you want to break into a new industry, start a side business, or build your portfolio, but you aren’t making progress. Instead you waste your time designing business cards, updating your Twitter, and doing things that don’t directly help you achieve your goal. If you want to start freelancing, should you spend your afternoon designing a logo or talking to potential clients?

Besides wasting time, we also tell ourselves things like “I don’t have time” and “it’s not possible because of XYZ.” In the end, the side business never reaches lift-off. You didn’t fail exactly because you never really tried.

That might seem like a safe bet, but doing nothing is riskier than trying and failing. Susan Su wrote about the risk of doing nothing at personal finance blog I Will Teach You to Be Rich:

Doing nothing seems to be completely unrisky — it’s sort of like hunkering down in a bomb shelter. What could possibly happen to you in there? Probably nothing. But even ‘nothing’ has a cost. If you do nothing — or if you hunker down in a bomb shelter — you’re probably safe, but you’re also missing out…on a lot.

While most people create barriers…their biggest fear should really be continuing to do what they’re already doing, and nothing more.

This is applicable to every goal, not just freelancing. Think about the things you really want to do in your life, and then think about the reasons you aren’t doing them. Maybe you want to have better financial habits, but you think you’re too poor to save money. Maybe you want to pay off your debt, but you always find an excuse to pull out the credit card. Changing your habits might be scary at first (Can you not buy something when you’re shopping with your girlfriends?), but doing nothing is far scarier.

The informational interview

Let’s say you have a goal in mind and you’re stuck. You don’t know how to move forward. In this situation it’s helpful to conduct informal, informational interviews. Who do you know who could help you out? If you can’t think of anyone, ask yourself if there’s anyone in your network who is well-connected and might be able to suggest someone.

Once you have someone, ask them if you can take them to lunch or buy them a cup of whatever gets them out of bed in the morning. It can be scary to make contact, but realize that most people want to help others.

A few tips to keep in mind once you have an interview:

1. Prepare a list of questions before you meet so that you can use your face-time wisely.
2. If you’d like their help in solving a problem, think up three possible solutions yourself and ask them which option they think is best.
3. Be professional and prepared — don’t forget that you’re networking, too. First impressions last.
4. Never ask for a job during an informational interview. Stick to the agreed-upon subject matter.

After the meeting, send a thank-you note and keep in touch. Let the person know how you’re using their advice. If you happen upon an article you know they’d find useful, pass it along (do this sparingly, you don’t want to spam them). Create a professional, two-way relationship — don’t just contact them when you need something.

Finally, another major benefit to using interviews to get yourself unstuck is that you now have other people in the loop. It’s hard to slack off when you’ve told someone you respect all about your big plans. If they bump into you and ask if you landed that first client or saved your emergency fund, it’d be embarrassing to admit that you haven’t taken action yet.