Image credit: stopnlook

1. Find a sorting system that works for you

Whether you keep your files and resources in the cloud, on your desktop or in a filing cabinet, they need to be accessible and organised.

For digital files, tags can make it easy to sort through and find particular items, while folders and categories can help you to keep different projects separated.

Physical items can be easily sorted into different places – drawers, files or folders. They can also be colour-coded with labels or post-its to make them easily recognisable.

Choose whichever method you find easiest to manage.

2. Stick with what works

Once you’ve developed a filing system that works and you’ve chosen the best tools to fit your working style, stick with them.

It can be deceptively easy to waste time (something I do far too often!) trying out new software and apps just because you can. Don’t get taken in by the novelty of new tools and gadgets.

3. Take a note every time you agree to something

If you set-up a meeting or a lunch date, write it on your calendar. If you plan a conference call, put it in your diary. If you agree to get something done, make a note.

Don’t ever think that you will remember to do something when the time comes. Maybe you will, but what if you don’t?

Making a note every time you agree to do something takes the pressure off your memory. You won’t have that awful feeling that you’ve forgotten something anymore, because you’ll be able to trust that you wrote it down.

And without that pressure, you’ll be able to relax into the real work: getting things done.

Image credit: waferboard

4. Clear out your notes regularly

Making lots of notes is useful if you use them correctly. Set up your note-taking process carefully to begin with, so that you can take notes and forget about them, knowing that the process works.

Depending on how often you take notes, set aside a time once a day (or once a week) to go through them. Spend this time sorting through all of your notes and categorising them. Add appointments to your calendar and tasks to your to-do list. Add contact details to your phone and set alarms for any reminders you need.

5. Set aside a place for ideas

Create a space to keep ideas as they come to you. This might be a simple document on your computer, a notebook or a memo pad on your desk.

Whatever you choose, make this a space for ideas only. This catch-all basket will give you somewhere to hold ideas as they come to you, so that you can follow up on them later.

Again, this helps to clear your mind during the day and take off the pressure of remembering things.

6. Plan time for distractions

Phone calls, instant chat, social media, RSS feeds, emails… with so many distractions, how can we possibly get any work done? Especially since it turns out that multi-tasking is a myth.

If these kind of distracting activities are part of your work day, try to plan them into your diary. Set aside periods of time to deal with them in-between your other tasks.

Turn off notifications except during these set periods. This will free you up to focus on other tasks without neglecting these activities altogether.

Image credit: almilan

7. Create a productive environment

As much as possible, adjust your working environment to encourage your workflow.

Keep your area tidy and clean, organise your materials for easy access and ensure that you are comfortable.

The more comfortable you are when working, the easier it will be to get stuck in and make things happen.

What’s your best productivity tip? Leave a comment below and let us know.

After recently highlighting 5 tips for running events to promote your small business, we’re expanding on this theme by interviewing someone who has done just that.

Peter Wallhead is the founder of Wallhead Web, a web design, development and marketing agency in Hobart Tasmania, and Jobric, a microsourcing site designed to help people find the expertise and stuff they need.

Peter spoke to us about his experience running events to promote his business and the lessons he has learned along the way.

EV: Where did you first get the idea of using workshops as a way to expand your business?

PW: I was given advice from the Startup Tasmania (ST) community that the best way to increase brand awareness for Wallhead Web was to demonstrate in some way that I was an expert in my field. Running workshops on topics I was very knowledgeable in seemed like the next logical step to expand my business.

EV: What kind of process did you go through to plan & develop your first workshop?

PW: I first asked members of the ST community if they thought there would be enough demand for my chosen workshop topic (in this case Social Media for Business). After receiving an overwhelming positive response to the idea I carried out extensive research on the topic. From this research I developed a slideshow presentation and then worked backwards to extract the juiciest bits of copy to use for my marketing materials.

I utilised Facebook, Twitter and an email campaign to current clients to market the workshop.

EV: What elements do you think contributed to the success of your first workshop?

PW: Lots of word-of-mouth advertising using Twitter, Facebook and email. Both existing clients and friends of Wallhead Web including ST helped to spread the word. A low ticket price and two guest speakers (Polly McGee from ST and Jodi Telha from Edible Social Media) provided a lot of value for attendees. I also chose a topic that was of high interest to the business community, which was my target audience.

EV: What lessons did you learn from running your first workshop?

PW: Next time I would ask any guest speakers to sign a Non-compete Agreement to prevent them from working with workshop participants in the future. To save catering costs, I wouldn’t run the workshop over a lunch period again and I would adjust the ticket price to more accurately reflect the time and effort involved to run the workshop.

When marketing the event, I would be more careful to clearly explain who the target market is, to prevent beginners from attending an advanced workshop.

EV: What did you do different when planning/developing your second workshop?

PW: I didn’t include lunch and downgraded from barista made coffees to self-serve to save on costs. I  also increased the ticket price from $25 to $40 to better compensate for the time and effort required to run the workshop. Instead of hiring guest speakers again, I researched the topic (Business Mobile Strategy Development) more thoroughly so I could present the workshop myself.

EV: Your second workshop garnered less interest than your first one. What elements do you think contributed to that?

PW: The timing of the workshop was right after the Easter break which is normally a major crunch week for business owners, who were my target market. There was also a very short lead time before the workshop so the word-of-mouth marketing may not have spread as far as it could have.

The price increase may have also been too much. Potential participants may have wondered why this workshop was $40 when the last one was only $25. More explanation for the price increase could have helped to ease this concern.

Lastly, without a basic understanding of my chosen topic, people would be unlikely to know if they need help with it or not, which could have affected registration numbers.

EV: What lessons did you learn from your second experience?

PW: To make sure that there is enough demand for the topic and have a legitimate reason for increasing ticket prices, especially if it’s a sudden increase. Also, to never try to run a workshop in a post holiday period.

EV: What is the best nugget of advice you could give to someone planning their first business workshop?

PW: Leverage every personal, business and community connection you have to promote your workshop to the greatest target audience in the shortest amount of time.

EV: What will you do differently next time?

PW: I will choose a topic that is clearly in demand, run the workshop after lunch and market it early and often to a clearly defined target market.

Image credit: INPIVIC

Even if you’re a pro at creating engaging slideshows, using the same tools at every event can easily get boring.

Here are four alternatives to slideshows to make your next workshop or meeting more interesting. Can you add any more to this list?

1. Whiteboards

A whiteboard, chalkboard or even an easel and butcher’s paper will give you more flexibility than a slideshow. Starting with a blank canvas and coloured chalk or markers, you can create an engaging presentation as you go. You might even want to start by pre-setting some basic notes or designs before your event begins, and adding to it with the help of your audience.

For a truly interactive event, using a whiteboard or something similar allows you to get your audience members involved with hands-on activities.

2. Handouts

Speaking of hands on, if you are working through more individual-based concepts, printed hand-outs may be more your style. Individual sheets allow attendees to follow along as you work through material or complete individual activities during your session.

Be mindful of losing audience attention when using handouts, as the material is laid out already, giving them the opportunity to work through it at their own pace and disregard your presentation. Using handouts in addition to group activities will help to keep your audience engaged.

3. Videos

A livelier option than a standard slideshow, a well-produced video will add a different dynamic to your presentation. Short videos are great at breaking up blocks of information or connecting sections of a presentation.

As a complete presentation, a video may struggle to hold your audience’s attention as much as a slideshow would. Used sparingly, however, this media form opens up your options to include pre-recorded material and vary your presenting methods.

4. Infographics

Most of us know infographics as something we share and look at online, but why not use them during your presentation? A well-designed infographic can be a dynamic way of presenting a lot of information at once. You can then distribute individual copies of the graphic, or work through it with your audience, drawing attention to each section in turn.

Infographics offer a great way to add colour and other visual elements into your presentation without losing important information. These can also be a handy resource for your attendees to take with them or to share online via blogs and social media.

What elements do you use in your presentations besides slideshows?

Image credit: sparetomato

Word-of-mouth is generally considered one of the best ways to promote a product or service. When it comes to your event, word-of-mouth is a useful method of increasing awareness and attracting new attendees.

Encourage your attendees to recommend your next event to friends and family with these three tips.

1. Make it easy to share

Making it easy to get the word out is your first step. Making it easy to find your social media accounts will help your attendees to follow and connect with you. Add details like your website, Twitter handle and Facebook URL to your promotional materials and your event website.

Having brochures or fliers available for attendees to take will encourage sharing as well. Make sure these materials are easy to find and have clear details about where to purchase tickets for your event.

Adding a phone number to promo materials is a good way to reach potential attendees who don’t spend much time online. For printed materials in particular, having a mixture of standard contact details and online sharing methods will help you to reach a wider audience.

2. Create incentives

For those who enjoy your event and love to share, it won’t be hard to encourage them to tell their friends. For others, they may need a nudge in the right direction.

Offering a prize is a great way to encourage sharing. This could be a free ticket or bonus merchandise with a ticket purchase. It could also be a prize for attendees whose friends sign up as a direct result of their invite. This encourages follow-through as well as simply raising awareness.

To encourage attendees to bring along friends and family, special deals or discounts may help. A 2-for-1 ticket deal or a group discount is a great incentive for attendees to share your event.

3. Follow-up

While a broken record is no fun to listen to, reminders do make a difference.

During your event, bring attention to the various ways attendees can share with friends. Point out your social media accounts, website URL and any physical promo materials available. As people exit, a poster or stack of fliers by the door is a good reminder as well.

Using social media, you can post reminders for those who enjoyed your event to share with friends. Most importantly, this is a good way to monitor who is talking about your event and thank those that spread the word. Public thank-yous to those who help you get the word out will serve as subtle reminders for others to do the same, as well as showing your appreciation.

Do you find word-of-mouth to be an effective marketing strategy? How do you encourage attendees to share your event?

You can send an email to invite people to your upcoming event with Eventarc’s email feature.

1. First, log in to your Eventarc account and click on the title of your event.

2. Click on the emails tab to view your email campaigns.

3. Click on Create Email.

4. Enter your email settings.

Choose Invitation from the drop-down menu. Enter a name for your email which will appear in your email campaign list. For invitation emails, you can choose an email list to send it to. If you have already created an email list it will appear in the drop-down menu.

Enter a subject line and your name. Due to legal requirements, you will need to enter a physical address in the Address box before continuing.

When you have completed the form, click Next to continue.

You can send an email to thank people for attending your event.

1. First, log in to your Eventarc account and click on the title of your event.

2. Click on the emails tab to view your email campaigns.

3. Click on Create Email.

4. Enter your email settings.

Choose Thanks from the drop-down menu. Enter a name for your email which will appear in your email campaign list. Enter a subject line and your name.

Due to legal requirements, you will need to enter a physical address in the Address box before continuing.

When you have completed the form, click Next to continue.

When creating an email list you can import contacts from your MailChimp account to save time.

1. To get started, log in to Eventarc and click on your event name.

2. Click on the Emails tab to view your email campaigns.

3. Click the Your Lists button to view email lists you have already created.

4. On the next screen, choose Create List to make a new email list.

5. Enter a name for your email list and choose the first option: “Import from MailChimp contacts.”

6. Find your MailChimp API key.

Click the link on this page and log in to your MailChimp account. On your dashboard you will find an API key.

Enter this key into the Eventarc form to import your contacts.

You can send an email to remind registrants about your upcoming event.

1. First, log in to your Eventarc account and click on the title of your event.

2. Click on the emails tab to view your email campaigns.

3. Click on Create Email.

4. Enter your email settings.

Choose Reminder from the drop-down list and name your email for your reference. Enter the subject line for your email and your name. Due to legal requirements, you will need to enter a physical address into the Address box before creating your email.

When you have completed the form, click Next to continue.

When creating an email list you can enter email addresses manually.

1. To get started, log in to Eventarc and click on your event name.

2. Click on the Emails tab to view your email campaigns.

3. Click the Your Lists button to view email lists you have already created.

4. On the next screen, choose Create List to make a new email list.

5. Enter a name for your email list and choose the fourth option: “Attendees from a previous event.”

A drop-down menu will appear, showing all of your events. Choose one from the list and click on Create New List.

When creating an email list you can enter email addresses manually.

1. To get started, log in to Eventarc and click on your event name.

2. Click on the Emails tab to view your email campaigns.

3. Click the Your Lists button to view email lists you have already created.

4. On the next screen, choose Create List to make a new email list.

5. Enter a name for your email list and choose the third option: “Manual entry.”

6. Enter the details of your list into the text box.

Make sure each email address is on a separate line. If you want to to include first and last names, you can put these on the same line as the email address, separated by commas.