In recent years, there’s been a collective movement in business and entrepreneurship for leaders to prioritize their health and wellness. Companies are adopting better practices for establishing a work-life balance with their employees. Professionals are getting better about setting work-related boundaries so they can take much-needed breaks. But what about event planners?
Event planning is one of the most demanding professions, with hectic schedules, constant communication, intense marketing, and multi-tasking of several events at once. How can you, as a New York event planner, develop best practices that allow you to enjoy a better work-life balance? Here are a few insights to consider.
1. Start by Setting Work Boundaries
For starters, examine your current workload and schedule. And then look for opportunities to create some work-related boundaries. When you leave the office, leave the work. If you’re operating out of your home office, then leave that space and close the door. Be mindful of when you’re “home” and with family and friends. These times are to be dedicated to them. And it means not answering your phone or checking your emails. Develop boundaries you can stick to and then be diligent about committing to them.
2. Add Personal Time to Your Schedule
As an event planner, your days, nights, and weekends are ruled by schedules. You love being organized and working off of checklists. You thrive on deadlines and in-a-pinch problem-solving. Just don’t forget to pencil in some time for yourself. At the beginning of each month, go through your calendar of events and to-do lists. Find an hour here, a day there, and any moments of solitude in between. Schedule a break. Schedule lunch with your bestie. Schedule a little extended weekend for yourself in the middle of the week. Just remember, if you don’t pencil in time for yourself, you won’t allocate time for yourself on the fly. So, make the effort to honor those breaks, hobbies, and quiet times before your schedule gets too full.
3. Listen to Your Body
No matter how savvy of an event planner you are, if you’re sick, rundown, or over-stressed, your work will suffer. When you’re looking to establish some work-life balance, make a point to listen to your body. Take the steps necessary to introduce healthier snacks into your day and quit meal-skipping. Recognize when your brain is tired and give yourself permission to step away from the screens and calls. Aching muscles and fatigued energy means it’s more than ok to take a midday nap. Listen to what it is that your body is telling you and make the decisions to maintain your health. It’s the only effective way you’ll be able to sustain peak performance as an event planner.
4. Delegate the Little Things
You may have started your event planning business as a solopreneur. But you can’t expect to grow and scale it all by yourself. If the workload is too exhaustive to handle on your own, look for ways to delegate some of those responsibilities and tasks elsewhere. Hire a virtual assistant who can manage responding to general inquiry emails for you and return phone calls. Hire the help you need to execute your events with a team. When you realize you need help, remember it’s a good thing. It doesn’t signify your inability to handle it all. It means you’re growing and a sign you’re doing well. But don’t ignore it and overburden yourself alone for too long. Not delegating or asking for help, over time, will lead to certain burnout.
Find your peace with these work-life balance insights. And don’t forget to mark your event calendar for October – The Event Planner Expo 2023 is coming, and you definitely need to make time to attend this incredible, three-day conference!
