Tips for Effective Time Management in Event Planning

A behind the scenes look at all that goes into planning a large event can easily resemble that of a circus. The challenge lies in attempting to manage and organize the many different sources of information that need to be processed in order to produce a successful event. In planning a large event, the issue of time management is always a factor and poor time management can lead to stress, anxiety and the production of an event that appears unorganized and unprofessional. Even the smallest of tasks, such as researching the possibility of an espresso caterer for the lobby, has the potential to absorb a large chunk of time, if allowed. The key to successfully planning an organized event in a reasonable time frame without loosing your mind (and some of your hair) is being mindful of the time deadline you are under at all times and utilizing that time wisely.

Assign Yourself Daily Tasks

I have found that the best time to generate this list of daily tasks is at the end of the day, as you can base the list on what you have just completed while it is fresh in your mind. This will diminish the process of spending the first 10-15 minutes of your day re-tracing your steps from the day prior. In writing the list, you can assign priorities to each task; for instance, if a message was left with a caterer days ago, your first task might be to follow-up with them. The tasks that don't bear as much importance should be placed at the bottom of the list, as they would become the highest priority the following day if not completed.

You will also want to assign time constraints to each task on your list. Give yourself and idea of how long you think each item should take you and try your best to adhere to the suggested time. Using the example from above, if you are researching the espresso service on the internet and have come across a few but are still looking, and notice your daily task sheet has you moving on to the next item, that would be your cue to select a service from your compiled list and move on to the next task. Large chunks of time can be consumed through researching on the internet and the task list helps alleviate some of that wasted "surfing" time.

Keep Separate Files

Whether you keep electronic or paper files, it is best to separate all information into sub-sections vs. keeping one giant file for the entire event. With a larger event, you do not want only one large file because time will be wasted digging through the file to obtain one piece of information. Separating files into sub-sections (i.e. vendor, caterer, guest speakers, etc...) means that when you need to access certain information, you will be able to go straight to it, without wasting time fumbling through a million papers or files.

An added bonus to this is the individuals you are doing business with will observe that you are a very organized individual.

Avoid Mid-Day Meetings

The downfall in scheduling meetings in the middle of the day is that you loose the ability to have one large block of time to work on your daily tasks. We all know that the 15 minutes prior to a meeting is dedicated to preparing yourself (if the individual is coming to your office). If this is a meeting with a potential vendor, in which you have to drive to the location for instance, that will take even more time. It is best not to break up your day with such meetings. By scheduling your meetings at the beginning or the end of your day, you are allowing for a large window of time to be spent focusing on completing your daily tasks, in lieu of a few hours broken up into fragments.

Set Firm Deadlines

While you will be setting "mini-deadlines" for yourself each day in drafting your daily lists tasks, it is equally important for you to establish deadlines for completing "benchmark tasks" in the planning of your event. You will want to give yourself deadlines to complete each of these tasks leading up to the event to keep yourself aware of how much time you have left to do so.

An example of setting a firm deadline for a benchmark task would be to set a date for when you need the venue booked. These dates are crucial to the success of your event, as many venues, caterers, printers, etc... have very busy schedules and waiting too long on booking any of them could lead to booking someone less than satisfactory (or being forced to book a service above your budget).

Continuously reminding yourself of the many deadlines you are under while trying not to drive yourself crazy and appear completely composed is, no doubt intimidating. Implementing these strategies into your event planning regimen will provide you with the skills to make the most of the time you have; thus becoming the ultimate "ring leader" of your event.