Time Management

We all lead very busy lives these days and so it’s important to be organised. For most of us the one commodity we never have enough of is time. Remember the old adage ” Time and tide waits for no man ” I have worked in the event business for seventeen years or more and I am well experienced at working against the clock. As an event organiser or event supplier there are no second chances. You simply have to be ready on time. Having a Time Plan is essential.

You might be a busy mum organising a Birthday Party, a volunteer organising a Race Night, a member of a committee organising an Outdoor Event,  Fun Day, Fete or Gala or a someone responsible for setting up a Store Promotion or Grand Opening.  In every case you have a lot do do and the clock is ticking.

Time Planning Tips

Be organised

First you need to set out your aim. Write down what you intend to do and by when.

Next consider your options. There’s always going to be more than one way to do something. Lets call these ” Courses Open ”

Each course of action will be affected by various factors. Some will be advantageous, others will have a negative effect.

On a sheet of paper jot down your several possible ” Courses Open ” and under each one have two columns. One column for advantages, the other for disadvantages ( or call them plus and minus )

Finally review each one in turn weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of each and from this evaluation decide which will be your best course.

The course you choose becomes your Plan.

Make a To Do List

Now you have a Plan you need to create a To Do List.

Write down everything you can think of that needs to be done. Don’t leave anything out no matter how insignificant.

Go through the list and next to each item jot down how long it will take to complete.

When you have finished your ” To Do List ” you will know the total time needed to get everything done.

Organise your team

Allocate specific tasks to your team.

Prioritise

Put your ” To Do list ” into order with the most important tasks at the top and the least important at the bottom.

Make a Time Plan

On a clean sheet of paper write down the event ” Start Time ” at the top left.

Give yourself a buffer to allow for delays and write down a ” Set By ” time. This is the time that everyone in the team should be working towards. If everything is ready at the ” Set By ” time then there will be a chance for a breather before the event begins.

Works backwards from the ” Start Time ” and ” Set By ” time using your priority list and you will be able to work out the actual time that each task is to be carried out by.

When you have finished you will have a detailed ” Time Plan ” which shows all of the jobs that need to be done, who is going to do them and by when.

Brief your team

Give every member of the team a copy of the plan or brief them and make sure they know what they have to do and how long they’ve got to do it and when to start each task.

Be flexible

Your carefully worked out Time Plan puts you fully in control and hopefully avoids the chaos and frustration that can ocurr in the run up to an event. Remember that the unexpected can happen and so you need to be flexible. Try and stick to the plan but be prepared to make changes and adjust if necessary.

Good Luck!

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