Time Management Tips For Event Professionals
In the event industry, you’re constantly (and literally) racing against the clock. On any given day, you have multiple tasks to complete in an impossibly small amount of time. The smallest inefficiency can set you, your team, and most importantly, your event back.
And while the occasional late night may be unavoidable, you’ll likely burn out if you don’t find a way to better manage your time both personally and professionally.
Regardless of whether you choose to live off your Post-It notes, to-do lists, or your online calendar, time management is critical to not only a long-lasting career in events, but a happy and enjoyable personal life.
To help you to get a grip on your time management, we tapped into our team’s top tips for time management. Check them out below.
Utilize Apps for To-Do Lists & Team Collaboration
We speak a lot about tech tools and apps that help event planners and vendors alike, so of course we try to utilize the most effective and efficient online tools to help us stay organized and on top of everything that needs to be done.
Whether you’re in need of a simple to-do list app or a team messaging application, there’s something out there to fit your unique needs. Asana, Trello, and Wunderlist are just a few of the most popular to-do list apps that will not only keep your tasks in check, but will also remind you when something is coming up and allows you to incorporate your entire team to keep track of their productivity.
Another great way to keep in touch with your team is by utilizing a group messaging application such as Slack, Group Me, or even Skype. These apps allow you to create specific groups for specific events or tasks as well as the ability to direct message a team member for an instant response.
Streamline Tasks with IFTT
If you’re unfamiliar with IFTT, it simply stands for “If this, then that”. It is a triggered based application that can be used on both web and mobile devices where you set “recipes” to automate mundane tasks you find taking up time that could be used on more valuable tasks. IFTT works with a variety of apps for both personal and professional tasks that will save you more than just time, but will also keep your mind at ease that tasks are still being done behind the scenes.
Prepare for the Unexpected
As we mentioned above, there will be some late nights that are simply unavoidable and situations will arise that completely out of our control and unexpected. When you add buffer time to your calendar or to-do list, you can have a peace of mind that you’ve set aside time for this to happen and you’re able to handle the situation accordingly without pushing back your timeline or upsetting guests and clients.
Minimize Distractions
While some tasks are unavoidable and unable to automate through tasks or delegation, there are ways to help minimize any distractions that deter you from completing your task or event at hand. A great tip is to set specific times for when you handle your emails, social media, brainstorming, and conference calls. This also helps set healthy boundaries with those you’re working with as they are aware that you may not respond to their email immediately. Additionally, there are many websites that will allow you to set timers for how long you should search your social channels or clean out your inbox. After the allotted time you’ve set for certain sites, they will automatically become blocked and disable you from getting sucked into the social media time warp.
As we all know, time is money and every moment spent wasted on something that could be automated, delegated or prepared for is another dollar, client, or account lost. By utilizing these time management tips, you’re guaranteed to accomplish more in the day and execute successful, seamless events.
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