Monday, April 28, 2014

5 things to do the day after a conference

I just returned from the Phi Theta Kappa international convention, also known as Nerd Nation. 

And it was, in a word, epic. 

But, it always is.

Conferences have a way of imbuing a sense of hope and possibility. 
Connecting w/ my readers @ conferences inspires me to keep going.
Some people are able to take the knowledge and excitement they get from a convention and apply it to their lives, while others enjoy the event but somehow find themselves coming down hard back to "real life" and can't figure out how to translate the convention excitement and motivation into the daily grind.

Do not let that conference excitement you're feeling go to waste. It's very real and can be important fuel for your future if you know how to use it. 

Here are five things I do the day after every conference that I hope help you make the most of your post-conference motivation:

1) Journal
Before you do anything else take a moment and reflect on the conference experience. What did you learn? What was your favorite part? What do you want to change? Who do you want to be? What are you inspired to do?

2) Translate notes into action items
Hopefully you took some notes during the conference when an idea struck you or a speech caught your attention. Translate each note into an action item on your to-do list so those ideas do not get lost. 

3) Follow up with all your new friends
Get all the business cards you collected and/or check your social media channels for all the new friends you met. Reach out with an e-mail or a message reflecting on your conversation and following up on any action-items you both discussed. Schedule a call to talk more with anyone you really clicked with. 

4) Take a walk
Take at least five minutes to walk outside - whether it's on campus or outside your home, just get outside and move. Conferences are highly stimulating and you have so much swirling around in your sub-concious. A walk is a great time to let that knowledge settle and then connect into good ideas.  

5) Do one big thing
After your walk come back to the action items you wrote down in step #2 and choose the one item that could have the biggest impact on your life and DO IT IMMEDIATELY.

Seriously.

Now. 

Why are you still reading this? 

Go!!!!!


;) 

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