Avoid Event Planning Burnout with these Stress-Busting Tips

Event planning is one of the most stressful vocations out there. However, it comes with such a high sense of job satisfaction it’s no wonder more people than ever are turning to this interesting, high-stakes role. 

Tight deadlines, stressed clients, long hours – being an event planner is a multi-taskers dream however it doesn’t come without its difficulties. Even the most experienced planners can fall victim to mental exhaustion and a total burn-out. When you’re prioritising someone else’s wants and needs and you need the event to go without a hitch, it’s easy to start neglecting yourself in the process. 

So, what can be done? Here we’ll go through how you can avoid event planning burnout with these stress-busting tips. 

Share the burden with technology

Did you know that event planners no longer have to complete their tasks with paper and tired old filing systems? Everything can be organised via events planning software – click the link for an event planning app. You can keep on top of guest numbers, invitations, use promotional tools, handle ticket sales and connect everything via social media with just a few clicks. Streamlining your event planning process will certainly reduce your stress levels.  

Dedicate time to yourself

Dedicating time to your own personal wellbeing – even as little as 20 minutes a day – could be enough to reduce the risk of experiencing a mental burn-out. When your days involve handling huge amounts of data, negotiating prices and terms with vendors and trying to meet (and exceed) the expectations from your clients, it’s difficult to not feel the pressure. Prioritising your mental health is essential in this highly demanding role.

Cut back on the caffeine 

When you’re in for a long day of event planning, the first thing we reach for is a coffee or a strong cup of tea. If that day quickly becomes relentless then you’re going to continue to consume more and more caffeine as the day goes on. While we use caffeine to keep ourselves awake, if caffeine is over-consumed regularly, you’re more likely to experience a burn-out. Alternate your caffeine fix with herbal teas instead. 

Get plenty of sleep

They say there aren’t enough hours in the day and if you’re an event planner you’ll resonate with this phrase. Staying up late to go through contracts, speaking to vendors and organising the most intricate details of your event sounds normal. However, depriving yourself of sleep isn’t. Sleep deprivation means you’re more prone to irritability, you’ll make more mistakes and you could suffer from health problems later down the line. 

Bonus tip: If you need more hours in the day, go to bed at a good time each night and opt to get up earlier instead. You’ll have done most of your workload before 9am!

And finally, manage expectations

Your client might be expecting the world and you may be eager to provide them with the best event possible, however, this shouldn’t be achieved at the expense of your health. Manage expectations as best you can throughout the event planning process. If you and your client are on the same page, everyone is going to be much happier with the final outcome.