We all know how powerful and motivational conferences can be.
You’re around inspiring individuals, gain tons of new insights, make connections, and feel like you could conquer the world. Then you return home. That excitement starts to fade, and you fall back into your daily routine. For physicians, attending a conference can get pushed aside when we return to our day-to-day of patient care and administrative responsibilities.
You’ve spent your time, energy, and money on the conference. So how do you keep the momentum going once you’re back in the real world? How can we maintain that conference energy and transform it into learned action?
It turns out, after the conference is when the real work begins. You must challenge yourself to turn that inspiration into actionable steps that make an impact on your practice.
Today, we’ll explore five practical steps you can take after attending a conference to ensure that you not only retain the value you gained but also take action to move closer to achieving your goals. The goal is to create real results. From organizing notes to setting goals, these strategies will help you stay intentional and leverage momentum into positive change.
1. Expect the Post-Conference Energy Dip
At the conference, the energy gets so high. It’s like we are instilled with a feeling we can transform the world with all of these amazing ideas. But then we get back to the real world.
But it’s totally normal to feel the excitement fade after a conference, so anticipate that shift. In many ways, it can’t be helped. Being in a room with like-minded people, having stimulating conversations, learning new and inspiring ways to achieve your goals… these experiences are fostered by a conference. Then it all goes away. It’s not surprising the energy does, too.
So don’t get discouraged when Monday hits and your environment has changed. Knowing it’s coming helps you keep the conference’s experiences top-of-mind.
And there are ways to keep your energy up after a conference. Schedule something to look forward to—like a meeting with a colleague. Work a mini-goal into that event that builds on what you learned at the conference. Doing so will help you stay motivated while keeping the inspirational takeaways in your mind’s muscle memory.
2. Reflect on Key Takeaways
Plan a few occasions to go over your notes and reflect on what stood out to you. The first time I do this is always on the plane ride back home. But do it multiple times so that your takeaways can hit your long-term memory.
Prioritize the most actionable insights that align with your goals. I recommend at least three key takeaways. Why did they stand out to you? How might they impact your life?
Whether big or small ideas, consider how you could implement one or two of those actionable steps right away.
With your priorities set, make a list of steps based on the strategies and ideas you’ve gathered. Don’t just set it aside to gather dust. Post it next to your computer or keep it open on your device. This way, you’ll be more likely to plan how and when you can take your next steps.
3. Set Immediate Action Steps
Now that you’ve broken down what you’ve learned into small, prioritized, and manageable tasks, start taking actionable steps as soon as possible. Create a timeline for implementing these ideas and steps to keep yourself accountable. Do this as early as possible.
Another strategy for accountability is to share your goals with someone—an accountability buddy. That can make all the difference. Having somebody you care about and trust checking in on how you’re doing with your actionable steps is a powerful motivator.
When putting together your timeline, consider the importance of momentum. It’s easier to pick up a pebble than a boulder. So start with the easiest or most efficient action item to get the ball rolling. From there, let the momentum take you. As Newton’s First Law states, “An object in motion will remain in motion.”
Keeping the momentum going is what I did after attending a conference about crowdfunded investment opportunities (when crowdfunding was new). I set an immediate action step for when I got home: sign up to one of the platforms I learned about…just to log in and see what kinds of deals were there.
And that’s what I did. The very next day, I got in and looked around. I didn’t understand what I was looking at, but I started the learning process. Then I started asking questions and meeting with people. Pretty soon after that, I made my very first investment in real estate. That led to the second and third investments. Within a year, I was generating multiple streams of passive income—all from that initial momentum.
4. Stay Connected with Conference Peers
Hopefully part of your participation at the conference was networking. After you’ve connected with like-minded folks, reach out to the people you met there to keep those connections alive.
I know what you’re thinking. You get home with a pile of cards and people you’ve exchanged information with. At the time, you said you’d reach out to them. Then there’s a dropoff. Back home, you’re thinking, “Oh, I don’t know if I should reach out to them. They may not remember me, and I don’t want to bother them.” But that’s absolutely not the case that somebody would feel bothered. Everybody is there to make connections. So reach out to people.
Staying connected could take many forms. Maybe you create or join an accountability group where folks can check in on each others’ progress. Or you could continue to discuss and share resources or ideas to keep the energy alive. Set up a Zoom meeting. If you live in the same area, get together for coffee. Or send them a quick text.
Make sure to add value to other people—that feels good for both you and them. So when you meet with these folks, share your key takeaways and what you learned. Doing so also cements the learning in your own mind—helping you stay inspired, motivated, and one step closer to taking action.
However you approach it, use the conference’s community to stay motivated and inspired as you work through your new list of action steps.
5. Plan Your Next Event or Milestone
You can sustain the excitement of a conference by immediately scheduling your next trip. That could be a conference, mastermind, a vacation, or even a combination of those. Maybe it’s the same conference, just next year’s. (Most of the time, conferences will give you an opportunity to sign-up for the same conference next year at a discounted price.) Put it on your calendar!
Whatever the event, just make it something to look forward to that has a positive impact on your overall energy, motivation, and sense of purpose.
Having future goals and milestones keeps the momentum and excitement going. And it also increases your capacity to overcome challenges. Day-to-day obstacles are less scary when you know there is something amazing in your future.
If it’s not an event, get together with friends just to say hi. Tell them about what you learned. In other words, have a mini-meetup or event of your own. We do this all the time here at Passive Income MD. The people in our community are setting up local get-togethers to share strategies on how to achieve our goals.
Make your event something that aligns with your goals and keeps pushing you forward.
Objects In Motion Stay In Motion
I’ve learned that keeping energy up after a conference is key. If you keep the momentum going, you are likely to stay the course on your journey to achieving your goals. After a conference, turning insights into real action is a crucial way to grow and reach new heights.
Reflect, plan, and set up clear next-steps to ensure you follow through on what you’ve learned. Connected with others to stay accountable and always have something on the horizon to keep yourself motivated.
By following these steps, you can turn post-conference inspiration into long-lasting and life-changing progress. Try these steps at your next event! So don’t let the Monday blues win—stay focused, stay excited, and stay resilient. Make the most of the insights you’ve gained!
If you need some accountability to help you achieve your financial goals and live the life of your dreams, join our amazing Leverage & Growth Accelerators Community to get unlimited access to live expert sessions, exclusive library resources, insightful feedback and coaching, a thriving network of growth-oriented physician entrepreneurs, and so much more! Right now on lgacommunity.com, we’re offering a free 30-day trial. See if it’s a right fit for you! We hope to see you there or at one of our many conferences.
Your time is precious, and we are very thankful you’ve decided to join us today at Passive Income MD. Keep educating yourself and taking those actionable steps toward achieving your goals and living life on your own terms. We hope to see you soon. You’re always welcome in our community.
Peter Kim, MD is the founder of Passive Income MD, the creator of Passive Real Estate Academy, and offers weekly education through his Monday podcast, the Passive Income MD Podcast. Join our community at the Passive Income Doc Facebook Group.
