List for Surviving a Conference

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Wow — I’m tired! BlogHer12 was a great conference but I’m pooped and I didn’t even have to travel very far. I went from my apartment in the East Village to Midtown — basically the commute I do everyday to get to work.

But participating in a conference is exhausting — both mentally and physically.

Of course, I have a list to make it a bit easier the next time you are attending a conference too:

1. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare: I started really planning out my itinerary for BlogHer12 about two months beforehand. The agenda had been posted and I read through it a few times to see what sessions I would benefit from most. I chatted with other bloggers who had been to other BlogHer conferences for their take on sessions, parties and networking so I could optimize my time. I wrote out a list of all the things I wanted to accomplish while there.

2. Bring a Sharpie: I got this advice from Tanya Toledano who writes MontrealMom.com. It is brilliant. Bring a super-fine point Sharpie with you so you can make notes on business cards as you get them.  Write notes on the card as soon as you get it like: “blond hair, glasses, lives in Arizona, possible guest blogger.” This is a huge help.

3. Use Evernote: What an incredible tool. I used this the entire weekend for taking notes. You can include audio, photos and PDFs along with your notes and access them from any device. It makes note taking and life so much easier. I also kept my entire itinerary saved here so I could get to it anywhere.

4. Make a Follow-Up List: While I was at the conference I had my iPad with me and as I met people or got an idea from a session — I added to my follow-up list. So now, this week I know exactly who I have to get back in touch with and what we need to talk about. The more time you let this linger — the less likely you are to make effective relationships and partnerships. Having a call to action list makes it much more possible.

5. Don’t Over Schedule: I totally bit off more than I could chew with this conference. I RSVP’ed for a lot of extra gatherings and parties that I just never made it to. Frankly I was too exhausted! Make sure that you schedule in time to recoup and relax — trust me, you’ll need it!

6. Bring Snacks:   I brought almonds, fruit bars and clementines. It’s always a good idea because you just never know when you’ll get hungry and be stuck in a meeting or session with your stomach growling!

 

Lists Make Phone Calls More Productive

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A friend of mine told me that she felt bad because she never had anything to talk about with her mother when she calls.  I think we’ve all been there.  The time comes for you to “talk” and your mind goes blank.  This is where a list comes in handy.

I suggested that my friend write down important things that she wanted to tell her mother as they happened.  She started making a list.  And when the next phone call came up — she filled her mom in on everything that was going on in her life.  She felt good because she could connect better with her parents and her mom actually noted that this was one of the best phone calls they had had in a long time.

My friend let her in on the secret — she had made a list.  There’s no shame in having a cheat sheet!  Especially if it makes you more successful in whatever task you take on — even talking on the phone with your mom!  Try it!

 

List of Things to Say in Awkward Situations

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We’ve all been there — in a situation where we are fidgeting and searching for just the right thing to say. These awkward social encounters can make us anxious, stressed out and agitated.

Dinner Parties

For some people – dinner parties can be excruciating. Small talk, people you don’t know and awkward silences can really make you uneasy. If you go into social situations like dinner or cocktail parties prepared — you will have a much better time. Here’s some ideas to pull you out of this tough time: Read more

Keeping Track of Your Book Lists

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A recent comment by fellow list producer, Katie C., on my blog about “Keeping a Book List” peaked my interest. Katie told me about a website called LibraryThing.com that she uses to list her favorite books. So I decided to check it out.

She’s right – it’s a great website. It’s a social cataloging site that lets you keep track of your favorite books, wish lists, etc. You can read other user’s reviews and it connects people who like the same types of books. It gives you suggestions about what to read next and can be accessed from anywhere – including your cell phone. So when people ask you “what should I read?” you’ll have all the information at your fingertips!

Basically it’s a social media site for book nerds. Well, I’m in! There are a bunch of other sites and even an application on Facebook that does similar things. But what I like about this site is that it searches the Library of Congress, Amazon sites and more than 80 libraries all over the world. It lets you organize your collection however you’d like – even by using the Dewey decimal system.

Signing up is free but it allows you to only catalog 200 books. That’s fine by me– I probably won’t need more than that. But if you’re a real bookworm you might want to get a paid account that costs $10 a year or $25 for a lifetime! Seems like a small price to pay to get your “nerd on.”

What other book sites do you like to use to keep track of all your reads?

 

Planning My Trip to Paris

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In just a few hours I’ll be taking off for Paris! Jay and I are visiting our fabulous friends Nicole and Peter who decided to move there for three months “just because.”

I know — they are a bit crazy — but this is why we love them. Oh, and also — they love to eat. And they love to plan! (Ok, Nicole and I love to plan…Jay and Peter love to eat more.) This trip has been months in the making.

Here’s a look at how we organized everything:

1. Plan out must-dos: Nicole and I traded email after email for months with lists about what we wanted to do on this trip.

Here’s what it boiled down to: Read more