How Successful Event Planners Start Their Days (Clue: It's all about getting into the right mindset)
Do you want to take your career as an event planner to the next level? Whether you’re a rookie planner or an industry veteran, there’s always a way to step up and make yourself even better than you were yesterday.
We spoke with successful event managers and condensed their most crucial advice into these 5 easy-to-follow (if not always easy to do) steps.
Wake up dark and early
Remember that saying about “waking up bright and early”? Forget that. "Bright and early" is for most people. A key reason why the best event planners seem to be able to do so much in a day, is because they have more of “the day” to begin with. Highly productive planners start their days before the sun rises.
This give them ample, uninterrupted time to plan their days, clear emails and get all their small, nagging tasks out of the way – before getting the main chunk of their work (which includes communications with clients, venue providers and other parties) done during the day.
Move your body
While the last saying wasn't quite true for successful event planners, this next one certainly is - “Healthy heart, healthy mind”. Top event managers exercise every day, and usually at the same time each day.
If you’re wondering when the best time to work out is – it really doesn’t matter. Decide on a time that’s best for your schedule - whether it’s before, during, or after work – then stick to it. Top even planners swear by the importance of daily exercise to keep their minds and bodies feeling energised, buzzing and ready to go.
Set a morning routine
Effective event planners don’t just “happen” to be productive, they thoughtfully set up their days for maximum productivity.
This starts by making sure each work day begins exactly the same way. It may sound boring, but our minds (and bodies) work best with these routines firming in place. So experiment with what works best for you, then stick to it – every single day.
To help you get started, here’s an example of how one successful event planner that we spoke with, beings each morning:
6.00am: Wake up, brush teeth, drink a cup of water6.05am: A few minutes of meditation, followed by a short jog6.30am: Shower, change into office clothes7.00am: Plan the day’s schedule/tasks7.15am: Clear emails while having breakfast8.00am: Off to the office, feeling energised and ready to take on the day
You may have to wake up earlier to get the kids ready for school, or decide to shift exercise to lunchtime or after work to fit your schedule. It’s all good. Just set a morning routine that works for you, then stick to it.
What’s missing?
You may notice a few things that are conspicuously missing from the above. You may be wondering, “What about the buffer time for hitting the snooze button, or checking Facebook?”
That’s right. Successful event planners don’t have either of those items in their morning routines. And we’d recommend you strike those off your list too, if you’d like to be a high-performing event manager.
We did say that following these tips wasn’t going to be easy. But we can assure you, the boost in productivity (and your career performance) will absolutely be worth it. All the best with your new (productivity-focused) morning routines!
