I moved to a new city in Jan where I know one person, am starting a new company, and have a young family (e.g. limited time). In the last month I've:
1. Spoken to a group of CEOs about how to solve their product management issues
2. Organized a group of 6 product managers for drinks (I had met two of them once)
3. Demonstrated credibility and a willingness to help enough that I've gotten a bunch of inbound intros to help people with their Product problems
Here's what I did:
1. Connected with people at the local startup hub. There's only one here as it's a small city (2. Share my knowledge. I've been doing Product Management for 16+ years. That's a skill that's needed here. So doing talks through the hub has enabled me to meet people and establish credibility. I put the word out that I'll meet with anybody in the local community to see if I can help with their product issues, and now people are sending me intros to others.
3. Organize people. It takes so little to organize a small group of like-minded folks. Last night I got 6 other Product Managers together here at a bar to talk shop. It was a matter of putting the word out amongst people I'd met via steps 1 and 2 with a time, date, and location.
If you lather, rinse, and repeat steps 2 and 3 you'll establish a good community because you're helping others level up.
Think about this time as an investment in your long term success. Work doesn't always look like writing code or talking to customers - having a peer group and mentors you can learn from will help with strategy, tactics, accountability, and - most importantly - your mental health.