8 Productivity Tips for Meeting Planners

Every workday for a meeting planner comes with its own set of new and often unexpected challenges to conquer. You hit the ground running every morning and don't stop until you fall into bed at night.

Over time, operating at top speed can also distract you from job one: taking care of yourself. Maintaining an effective work-life balance is necessary to be productive and happy in both worlds.

Here are 8 tips – 4 each for life at home and work ­– to become your most productive self.  

4 Off-the-Clock Productivity Tips for Meeting Planners

Our strategies start with life away from work. That's because without a healthy lifestyle, your productivity at work or home is at best short-term.  

1. Make a To-Do List Before Bed

How many times have you turned out the light only to worry about the next day's schedule? Avoid this by making a to-do list each night to ease your mind and aid falling asleep.

2. Get a Good Night's Sleep

A tired body results in a tired mind. How much sleep do you need? National Sleep Foundation guidelines recommend 7-9 hours per night.

3. Don't Check Your Email First Thing

You already check your inbox too much, so I recommend you to avoid doing it when you wake up. Instead, focus on the morning rituals which best prepare you for the day such as exercise, meditation, or breakfast with the family.   

4. Work Up a Sweat

Before or after work, exercise is key. Sure, there are the physical benefits, but research also shows exercising regularly improves cognition.

4 On-the-Job Productivity Tips for Meeting Planners

Once your home life consists of more than recovering for the next day, use these strategies to increase productivity at work.  

1. Learn to Say "No"

By definition, meeting planners make things happen. At the same time, you can't do your best by trying to do everything for everyone. Learn to say "no" so you can focus on what must be done.

2. Prioritize Tasks  

It's not enough to have a full to-do list because not everything is equally important. Instead, use the Eisenhower Matrix to separate the urgent from the important as well as discover which tasks you can delete altogether.   

3. Take a Break

Nobody can operate at a sprint all day. Take regular breaks to reduce stress, increase productivity, and decrease physical problems. 

4. Turn Big Projects into Smaller Tasks

Ever feel like a project has too many moving parts to wrap your head around? Use the principles of microproductivity – turning an end goal into a doable timeline – to put all the pieces together for success.

Next Steps                    

All meeting planners recognize the importance of being proactive. The inherently chaotic nature of the work, however, can make even the best feel perpetually reactive.

I suggest that you periodically step away from all the small details in front of you at work or home. Take a deep breath and visualize your ideal self. How do you want to act? Feel? Think?

The answers will remind you of who you are and who you are striving to be.

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