16 Apr Staying On Top
Staying on Top
It is well documented that jobs in the event sector can be some of the most stressful. Event Managers have to juggle multiple tasks at the same time. So when planning an event it is important that you prioritise things appropriately and stay organised. This way you and your event stay healthy and happy. See some top tips below to help you stay on top:
Make a list: When you have many tasks floating around in your mind it can be hard to focus and make it difficult to know what to tackle first. Writing your tasks down is a good way to de-clutter your thought process and help target what needs to be actioned first.
It will be helpful to organise your tasks by urgency level. Level 1 tasks are the must do’s!!, level 2 tasks in the middle for important but not imminent jobs and level 3 for those little tasks which can be done at your leisure.
Once this has been done you have made yourself a bite size action plan, where you can tackle each task with confidence.
Do the difficult things first: Arriving at your desk in the morning with a long day ahead can seem daunting and starting with a piece of work which is easy to start your day can be tempting.
However this way you can spend a lot of time putting off those things that really need doing. This in turn can put time pressures on the urgent tasks, added stress, additional hours and missed deadlines.
So dive into those large and tricky tasks first to relieve the pressure on yourself, allowing you to race through the smaller ‘to dos’ in the afternoon and finish on time!
Don’t over work: Finishing on time leads me on to my next tip, don’t over work! It can seem like a good idea to work day and night to try and get ahead but there is a lot of evidence that suggests working in this way makes you less productive.
You actually end up burning out, falling behind tasks and this can heavily affect your well-being. Where ever possible take your scheduled breaks and go home on time leaving you refreshed and ready to tackle each piece of work at your optimum energy level.
Realistic deadlines: When working with multiple clients and multiple tasks there can be a lot of pressure to deliver all information almost immediately. This is incredibly difficult, leads you to working at an incredibly fast pace and leaves you feeling overwhelmed. However this strategy can result in a reduction in your quality of work and missing deadlines leaving everybody frustrated.
A better approach is to take your work load into account and be honest with those around you when you actually feel confident that you can deliver on time. However it is important to be aware that sometimes a little compromise is required and you need to allow space for any last minute issues but in the end this will leave you, your colleagues and clients stress free and happy with the service they have received.