Organizing Your Business Education

I got an interesting note today via Facebook. A client is finding it difficult to keep track of all the teleseminars he's registering for. To the point that he's no longer sure if he has registered. With the proliferation of teleseminars, webinars, etc., I can see why it could be difficult to keep track.

There is so much amazing training being offered by amazing experts that it's tempting to sign up for everything.  I know I register for A LOT of programs.  Like my client, I can't attend them all live, but I want to get the replays so I can listen and learn at my convenience.

Another element contributing to the confusion is the amount of email related to all these programs. Announcements go out; confirmations go out; reminders go out.  It's a lot and we, The Blog Squad do it too.  If you don't send multiple emails, then your results aren't as good as they can be. It's the nature of the beast. People sign up at the last minute so you have to send multiple announcements and then reminders so they actually show up!

Back to the dilemma of keeping track. I confess, I couldn't relate to this person's problem. I have no problem keeping track. I thought about it and here's how I manage my virtual business education...

First, I have a folder in my email account (I use gmail) where I file registration confirmations. Doing this allows me to more easily track what I register for. Plus, gmail's search feature makes it super easy to find emails.

Second, after I register and get the confirmation email (which gets filed in the registration folder), I put the class on an online calendar. Again, I use Google's calendar. I include the dial-in or log in info when I add the class to the calendar.  We use Google calendar for all our appointments so we color-code teleclasses we attend vs. those we present.

Now I know if the class is on the calendar, I'm registered and I can ignore and delete all the subsequent email reminders I get.

I don't "wait until later" to take care of these tasks. When I sign up and get the info (usually immediately), it goes on the calendar. Otherwise the confirmation emails would get buried in the hundreds of emails I receive everyday and I'd probably be in the same boat as our client!

I know there are a lot of professional organizers out there. How do you advise your clients to organize their online learning schedule?