Working in the event industry comes with quite a bit of stress. Does that mean that event professionals en masse have to deal with burn-outs? No, that does not have to be the case. We explain to you why this is the case and give you 8 tips to prevent that much-feared burn-out.
Stress and burn-outs are two different phenomena. Stress is a common occurrence in the busy life of the event planner. And that stress is not necessarily negative. Oftentimes you need a portion of healthy stress to complete your large list of tasks. Or as expert Veerle Lesire tells from personal experience: "I know people who work a lot and who will never truly have a burn-out." And that's because they like their job so much that for them it is not really work.
Having a burn-out is always a combination of various factors. It is often a result of negative stress, which keeps up for a very long time. And that negative stress is rooted in other factors: you don't feel good about your job, you have a problem in your domestic situation, the relationship with your boss or your colleague is not right, ... In order to prevent a burn-out, you had best bear these 8 tips in mind:
1. Recognise the signals
These signals vary from person to person. It may be that you lose the positive attitude which you normally have. That slowly you become very negative. Or you notice that the quality of your work is decreasing. Or you suddenly make a lot more mistakes than normal and it becomes increasingly hard to keep your mind on your job.
2. Love to do your job
If you really love your job, then it also gives you a lot of satisfaction. If this is not the case, then your work becomes a true drag. And a cause of a burn-out. Be honest with yourself. If event management is not really your thing, try and look for something else.
4. Delegate
I do everything better myself. Either that, or it costs me just as much time to explain it as doing it myself. These thoughts make it harder for you to delegate. And even though they are sometimes true, you had better teach yourself how to delegate. By transferring some tasks, you give yourself mental space, so that you have time to recover and eventually get more tasks done.
5. Flip that 'on'-switch off at fixed times
We are always online, we have access to email 24/7 and we always seem to be available. This also increases the risk of a burn-out. Set your limits. Determine the hours when you are available and disappear off the radar for the rest of the time. Okay, sometimes you can cross your own limits, but choose these moments carefully. If you always answer your phone when your customer or boss calls, no matter what hour of the day, if you still answer those emails outside of office hours, if you always work overtime, ... then it will become increasingly difficult to flip the switch.
6. Learn to say no
This tip goes hand in hand with setting your limits. Saying no is not always easy. We always want to help our bosses, our customers, the attendees of our events, as much as we can. Think about everything you have on your plate. If you say yes to a new question, will your current duties suffer from it? And will the quality of your work suffer? If this is the case, then you should say no. Because if you still accept the question, you will disappoint others. By saying no, it becomes easier to focus and liberate more time for the matters to which you have engaged earlier.
7. Try to be interested in other things than just your job
Sometimes you become lost in your job so much that you forget what are your other interests or hobbies. And yet, these are very important, because they make you who you are. Liberate time for your hobbies. That way, you force yourself to take a break. By feeding these interests, you take your mind off your work and create space for yourself. You will notice that afterwards you will become more productive again.
8. Live healthily: get plenty of exercise, eat healthily and catch enough sleep
Take good care of yourself. Eat healthily and get plenty of exercise. Even though exercise seems like an extra to-do on your checklist, it is very important. Regular exercise provides your brains with more oxygen. Also make sure you get plenty of sleep. When you sleep, your body and mind recover. You will rise the next day again fully charged. And feel free to take a nap. Short 'power naps' give you new energy to perform well the rest of the day.
