Maintaining work-life balance and wellness in the event industry can be challenging due to long hours, unpredictable schedules, and demanding environments. Newer struggles are also emerging with changes in work setups; around 79% of event professionals are facing more stress due to the new work-from-home culture.
You might have had to explore ideas outside of your traditional comfort zone, incorporating digital solutions and technologies that increase workload. Now that hybrid and in-person events are returning in full force, it’s a lot of work to manage.
With the shifting events landscape, prioritising your well-being is crucial for avoiding burnout and ensuring you can perform your best. Here, we provide some tips you can use:
Prioritise Healthy Lifestyle Habits
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After a big event or a long day of planning, it’s easy to sink into bad habits like staying sedentary or indulging in sugary and salty comfort food often. However, these habits can deplete your energy and make you struggle with your schedule even more. Healthy habits boost your well-being and keep you fit and energised for busy days of planning and running events.
A modern weight loss program would emphasise the importance of a balanced and nutritious diet, physical activity, sleeping habits, stress management, and more to improve wellness. WeightWatchers’ Head of Nutrition and Wellness Jackie London notes that even simply incorporating things like more movement into your daily routine can help you practise healthy habits more consistently.
Some movement is better than none; taking a quick walk or going up the stairs instead of taking the elevator can make a difference. Not only do these factors help with healthy weight loss, they can boost your energy, productivity, and mood.
Practise Time Management
Event planning can be hectic and overwhelming, and your schedule can easily go awry with sudden interruptions that can throw your productivity off.
Time management is crucial for maintaining work-life balance and wellness when planning events, as it can give you ample time to work and enjoy your personal life. Batching your tasks—working for a set amount of time on one task before taking a break and moving to the next—can help you stay focused and prevent multitasking.
Breaks are also crucial for recovering energy; schedule short breaks throughout your shift to step away from work and refocus. Get some fresh air, stretch, or chat with colleagues.
Set Boundaries
You can quickly become bombarded with extra and urgent tasks on top of your heavy workload while planning and running events, which can consume your time and lead to burnout. Establishing boundaries and routines can help support your well-being and productivity.
Keeping to a strict schedule and blocking out your calendar can help you carve out time to organise your to-do list, take a break after a meeting, or work on a project with an impending deadline.
This prevents people and tasks from interrupting your workflow so you can maintain momentum, keeping up your drive and motivation that pushes you forward to fulfil your tasks no matter the obstructions.
FAQs
How can I practise healthy habits while working in events?
To promote healthy habits, pack nutritious snacks and meals to fuel your body throughout the long days, and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water, which you can bring around in a reusable water bottle.
Aim for seven to eight hours of sleep every night and try relaxation techniques like deep breathing and meditation to help manage stress. You can also do a quick walk during your breaks to get active despite your busy schedule.
Avoid restricting your diet or skipping meals, as this can deprive you of essential nutrients and sustenance to get you through a long event.
What are time management tools?
Time management expert and author Kate Christie recommends viewing time management as a “time investment”. Since everyone has the same amount of time, you’d want to spend it wisely on what offers value.
Time management apps assist you with investing your time wisely so you have enough time to get work done while also having enough hours in the day for yourself. Time management apps and tools, like calendars, reminders, and task management software, can help you manage your time effectively.
Apps like Pomodoro help you follow the Pomodoro method, which involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break. Other platforms like Todoist help manage and organise your tasks to offer more clarity around your work day. With more organisation and focus, you can get work done efficiently and enjoy your personal time even more.
How do I set boundaries at work?
Setting boundaries in a fast-paced career like events management can be difficult, but you can practice doing so in simple ways. If you’re working on an important project, taking a break, or at a meeting, set your status on your work communications platform to inform others that you’re unavailable, which can help prevent disturbances.
You can also practise saying “no” politely; defend your boundaries by declining tasks out of your scope or responding to people outside your work hours, but let others know you’re willing to help in other ways. Avoid checking work emails and calls outside of work hours when you’re at home after work.
