@Saltycroc

Is there any point to a talking stage?

I feel like constantly messaging a girl (who you're not even dating) over weeks/months wastes so much time and is so draining.

But how else do you go about dating/meeting women? It feels like the "talking stage" is a must but at the same time, mostly leads to nothing.

Consider investing into a reliable ready reference you can pick up and study to better prepare yourself for engaging the opposite sex. I'd suggest that you get yourself a copy of Doc Love's "The System: The Dating Dictionary". Doc Love, who until his passing was also known as Tom Hodges, wrote a weekly advice column that's archive is mirrored on several mens focused sites and a podcast. His media is a bit pricey, but it's a solid foundation a guy can branch out from in RP aware circles. I'd suggest you review his advice column to decide if his view on dating and relationships is aligned with what you aspire for yourself. To save yourself a search, give this scribed link a gander to find out if his book is something you'd like to add to your library. It should also be available on libgen.

The problem isn't that these females are wasting your time, but that you don't seem to particularly value yours. Here's "How Girls Really Pick Guys Explained So Simply", courtesy of Richard Cooper.