Event planners don’t just work 9-to-5, especially on the day of an event. Not only are there vendors to coordinate and meeting with clients, you have to keep up with your regular e-mail and deal with any unexpected things that may arise.

The Life Of An Event Planner

As you are busy doing everything you can to make the event an experience for everyone involved, you need to find the balance to make the most of your time. The Houston Chronicle shared an insider look at how an event coordinator spends a workday:

“Planners might work substantially more than 40 hours a week leading up to a major event. During an event, hours can run from 5 a.m. to midnight. Weekend hours are common as well.”

Managing expectations will also cut into your time, so we’ve rounded up a few tips to help you get down to business without taking over your life.

How To Better Manage Your Time

We have all read the lifehacks on better managing time. It can be hard to adapt these into our daily routine, however, especially when in a time crunch planning an event or when making sure things aren’t overlooked when trying to find the perfect space.

• Make the most of mornings: Before you leave the office each afternoon, jot down a quick to-do list of the most important things for the next day. The next morning, prioritize what is most important for the day and do those first thing. You’ll be fresh and the day’s distractions won’t have set in yet.
• Schedule your time in blocks: If you block out your day, there is less of a risk that you will accept too many meeting invites or have to stay late playing catch-up. For example, block out an hour for vendor contracts, an hour for a client meeting, thirty minutes at the day for e-mails and your to-do list for the next day and so on. In the beginning, you may have to set a timer and put up a Do Not Disturb message on your office chat, but you’ll feel great when everything is done.
• Schedule out-of-office errands in chunks: If you do need to leave the office, make the most of it by getting as many errands for an event done in one go. Meeting a client? After that drop off the deposit with the caterer or florist so you don’t have to make an extra trip later.
• Learn how to delegate: It can be hard to let things go, especially if you are a Type A personality. You may want to have total control for fear of something going wrong. If you delegate little tasks, you have more time for the big, most important ones. Delegation is a skill that make take time to develop, but if you start small, you’ll see it helps you save time.
• Avoid the burnout: Giving yourself time post-event to unwind can make all of the difference. Schedule a massage. Take the morning off the next workday to sleep or enjoy breakfast before going in. Whatever you need to do to recharge, take the time so you are fresh and at your best.

Closing

These time management tips are the tip of the iceberg, but integrating them into your workflow can make a big difference not only for your time, but for the event as a whole. The event planning industry may not let you book event spaces online or other conveniences that would save time, but that is why we do what we do. Here at Spacesift, we help you save time when it comes to researching, contacting and choosing a space—so you can easily delegate out that research and contact piece of the event puzzle—and focus on the harder tasks.