I am almost the exact opposite to you - so my question is how much time do you spend keeping in touch with people you used to work with or met - either in deliberate "networking" or simply because you are a sociable person who you know, has friends :-)
About once every second or third week I go out to 'beer:30' with a small (5-10) group of people that I've worked with in the past, so I don't spend too much time networking. Aside from that I'm too busy with my family.
Probably the most successful strategy I've employed in my career is to remember that even though I'm reasonably good at what I do, how I get along with coworkers and management is more important. A lot more important, in fact. Turns out there are plenty of people that are competent enough, so when someone is looking for a new team member, they gravitate towards people that can play nice with others.
