Learn how to better manage your notes, time and production after attending a conference.
Going to a conference (physical or virtual) has always been very exciting for me. A perpetual student, I look forward to new learnings and the many potential improvements to my life and business.
But dealing with the ‘sea of notes’ and ‘to-do items’ afterwards has always proven challenging. How do you do it productively? How do you spend the least amount of time – for the best possible outcome. Here are my 4 proven secrets to conquer the post-conference overwhelm.
1. Take control of your notes. I use the ‘3 pen process’ when I take my notes. Blue pen for main notes. Highlighter for those items which I want to notice first when referring back through the notes. Red pen-to mark an arrow next to the action items.
When being discerning with your notes ‘from the get-go’, you make sure that no time is wasted when you get back to your office. You don’t have to re-read every quote, thought, or comment that you found interesting at that time. Being organized about the way you take notes during the conference, ensures you are most productive with your time after the conference.
2. Make an action list. Since you don’t have to re-read and go over everything that you wrote, you are ready to hit the ground running as soon as you get back. And your first step is to pair down your ‘sea of notes’ into one succinct action list. Simply pay attention to your red marks only, and make a separate list of your action items.
3. Prioritize. You have three choices: immediate priority, short-term, and long-term. Immediate items are easy, fast, you should have done them long time ago, they are no-brainers. Give yourself only two days to get them done.
Short-term priorities have 30-60 day span. Ask yourself: which of these action items have the lowest cost and will bring the biggest return?
Long-term priorities don’t mean ‘someday’ and certainly not ‘never’. Give yourself a time span of not more than 90 days.
4. Get it done! The best way to get done what you set out in your action list is to put them on your calendar. Spread out your calendar in front of you and plot each action item on a specific day of the week. Be sure to give yourself a start time and an end time. Resist interruptions. Work AS IF you’re going away on vacation – somehow that knowledge always gets us more productive.
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