To have a career in the event planning business means that your day-to-day is filled with pressure and you’re constantly running at one speed. Fast! Each year, event planning is ranked as one of the most stressful occupations right next to firefighters and working in the military.
Of course, stress does tend to challenge people to perform at the best of their ability. That’s probably why some may even say it’s good, but too much or prolonged pressure is not healthy and can quickly overwhelm professionals in the event planning business.
An overflowing inbox, an endless to do list, continual meeting requests, meeting deadlines, and performance targets are a daily reality for professionals in the event planning business. Fortunately, it is in fact realistic to attain balance so long as you put the right approach into place.
Let’s review some of the suggested stress management tools for eventprofs that can be applied daily in order to prevent you from going insane and ensure that you continue to love your job as an event planner.
How Professionals in the Event Planning Business Balance Their Workload
Be Realistic. The first and possibly the most important step in coping with stress in the event planning business is to be realistic about the number of hours that exist in a day. Proper time management is the key to balancing work and life. The same way you plan event strategies, you must plan out your life balance tactics. To work towards proper use of your time you should:
- Stop comparing yourself to the top pros in the event planning business because you are your own person and your capacity differs from others.
- Prepare your calendar as far ahead as you can and block off the time periods that you know you will be unavailable. So, don’t just add the date of your upcoming events on the calendar, also block off the days or weeks you know your time will be limited as you organize your scheduled events.
- Next, you need to schedule leisure days on your calendar to allot time to decompress from your workload. If spending time with friends or family is your vice, then use these days to schedule time with them.
- Prior to the time period you will need to plan a major event (where you’ll also be at your most tense), plan for self-care that will nourish you and reboot your energy. That can include healthy activities like scheduled days at a sauna to detox and revamp your health, spa days to pamper yourself, or practicing your favorite activities or hobbies to feed your soul.
- Search and schedule industry networking events that are fun for you to attend so that you’re technically killing two birds with one stone. You’re working towards fortifying your business connections while also enjoying yourself.
Conclusion
Pressure and overload are what mostly contribute to a high-stress environment for people who work in the event planning business. It is vital that during intense moments you keep the tools we mentioned in this article in mind to prevent the effects of stress from unhinging your work/life balance. So long as you set aside calendar days to satisfy your soul, you will boost your commitment to be the best in the event planning business.
Ever wonder how the top professionals in the event planning business balance their work and life? Contact us to find out who our keynote speakers will be for the next Event Planner Expo, and you’ll be able to come hear it for yourself!
