Why bother with all these spreadsheets?

Pro-Tips to be a Master-Planner

It's not really an original thought to say that, being organised is really essential to execute a great wedding. It's what those of us, who still use 90's clichés, would call a no-brainer.

The devil, though, is in the detail.

It's easy to say, "be organised!", and then proceed to visualise a neat overflowing To-Do list, which we tick off one-after-another to a motivational montage sequence. There is no doubt in the the utility of To-Do lists, the real question is - are these lists more than just stress-buckets that you spend copious amounts of time looking at again and again?

Better yet, if you're anything like me, you pay attention till you really really can, and then introduce our old friend 'procrastination' to the fray. And then they make merry together.

As professionals, we have developed many tools & techniques over a long period of refinement & time. Additionally our corporate background necessitated the implementation of these best-practices. These tools and techniques helped us get our work done, made sure we have backups for any sort of contingencies, whilst all the while maintaining & scoring for quality. But well that's just that, we had the time and inclination for this sort of thing.

So don't bother re-inventing the wheel. It's our responsibility to share a few really simple tips on how to make your planning more effective, and keep you organised without sacrificing any measure of peace.

Below are some fundamental yet really powerful tips, which have helped us design and execute events & functions with extreme complexity and lots of moving parts.

CAPTURE:

Use a notebook, or use a computer - but just put down everything you need to get done in one place. Don't worry whether you'll be able to complete those tasks, or when you'll get to them. That is a question for future you.

For now, just jot down everything you need to get done. So that you have it all in one place, so that you don't have to worry about it slipping your mind. Keep updating this if and when something more strikes you.

SHORTLIST:

Now that you have an exhaustive resource of all that you must do. Come back to this list and from here choose what you're going to be able to do today. You can do this first thing in the morning.

You don't have to worry about the other pending taks and block out precious mental-RAM on any of the other tasks. You can always come back to them at any time. Choose what you're going to do that day and then go about concentrating on just those tasks.

ASK WHY?

This is the life-force or this three part system. Make sure you ask yourself WHY before doing anything, and internalise this reason. What is the reason? What end does this serve? Why is it necessary?Many times we are overwhelmed into doing things which are urgent but not important. Asking 'Why', can save you from this consuming trap.

Of course, there will be times when you end up doing things just for the sake of getting them done. But asking ourselves 'why', even in these instances, will make sure that it is a conscious decision and that it does not become a niggling & lingering annoyance in our psyches.

Additionally, if our emotions are in-sync with our actions - if we are cognisant of our emotions when performing deeds - it drastically improves our ability to be attentive and present.

Reach out at nishant@weddingquotient.com if you have any questions, feedback or just want to discuss the above.