Six Tips to Help The Overwhelmed Event Planners Find Zen
Event planners have the eighth most stressful job on the planet, according to CareerCast’s 2015 rankings – and is it any surprise given how much is riding on every event and how many variables need to be brought together to work as a whole? Yet, stress levels are not a barometer for how hard or productively you are working. Our ever more competitive working world has instilled in many the mentality that lack of stress equals laziness. This couldn’t be further from the truth: a calm event planner is much more likely to function better and more efficiently than one who’s stressed out. Try these six tricks to help you keep calm throughout the frenzy of event planning:
1. Tackle one small task at a time
We’ve all heard the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, but there’s a lot of wisdom to be taken from it. Overwhelmed event planners can apply the logic behind it by breaking their event planning into small, manageable chunks and getting through them one by one. Forget about multitasking: as satisfying and ego-boosting it might be to feel like Superwoman or Superman and tackle ten tasks at a time, multitasking can actually lower the quality of your work.
2. Write things down to give yourself headspace
Every event planner will have felt as if their brain is literally overflowing with information, to-do lists and people to call. Unload by writing everything down. The moment you’ve put pen to paper and scribbled down those things you feel you can’t afford to forget, you’ll feel more focused. If you have an affinity for apps, then Evernote, Asana and Trello are some great project management tools that can help you keep track of every step. Corporate Event Planning Software is another tool that minimises how much information you need to manually store.
3. Enlist the help of RSVP Management Software
As all event planners know, keeping track of an ever-changing guestlist is enough to make the most organised event planner’s head spin. As the RSVPs come flooding in, you need to know who’s coming, who isn’t, who’s vegetarian, who only eats fish and whether they prefer to be contacted by email, SMS or phone. Save yourself the impossible task of recording all of this on a notepad or in a spreadsheet with Corporate Event Planning Software that’ll manage the whole process for you and store all the data for you to use in planning future events.
4. Phone a friend and get things off your chest
Another way to unload is verbally. When you feel as if it’s all becoming too much, step outside and give a friend a call – preferably someone who isn’t involved in event planning. Even if it’s for two minutes, hearing a friendly voice and having a rant can do wonders for your mental health in the short term. They’ll be able to offer an outsider view on things and help bring you a fresh perspective.
5. Listen to music or use earplugs
The worklife of an event planner involves talking to people – face to face, on the phone or Skype and over email. When you have to knuckle down and get some grafting done, try putting in headphones and listening to music. Choose whatever soundtrack you need to make you feel happy, calm or motivated. If you find it difficult to concentrate with music on, then simply popping in some earplugs will afford you some welcome silence.
6. Factor in some leisure time
Plan some downtime at least once a week. It’ll give you something to work towards and raise your morale. You don’t have to be extravagant – a night in with a loved one and a bottle of wine or a hike are perfect, depending on how energetic you’re feeling. Try to also fit in at least three weeknights that are work-free: not even sneak-peaks at emails on your smartphone while you’re catching up on series. Your well-being needs to factor high up on your priority list. To find out more about how you can expertly manage the RSVP process at your next event, download our Practical Guide to Professional RSVP or give us a call. Image Credit: s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com
