How to make planning fun again -
get inspired with these six tips
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Overwhelmed. Burnt out. Frazzled.
Do you resonate with any of these? If so, take a deep breath. No, really, take a deep breath.
Although essential, planning can sometimes become a daunting task. Let’s just admit it. If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone.
Planning your next greatest hit takes time, energy, and a sprinkle of innovation. We know, we know – this is easier said than done.
If you’re finding yourself losing your luster in the planning process, read on! As a creative agency, we’re here to help.
Re-invigorate your planning process with these six helpful ideas! Each stems from our team’s years of nonprofit event planning and what we’ve learned from experience with our clients and their events.
Learn how to re-find your inspiration for all things planning with these tried and true ideas!
Create a welcoming space
To get the most out of your planning process, it’s important to create a welcoming atmosphere. We suggest taking time before your brainstorming or planning session begins to create a relaxing (and inspiring!) space around you and your team.
It’s great to get out of your normal office setting when planning! By changing your environment, you can combat mundane thinking processes and plans. Consider hosting a planning session outside, where your team can be grounded in nature. Or, book a company retreat space and cater goodies for your employees.
Wherever you are, utilize your planning space to the fullest by tapping into your senses as well. For example, encourage team members to wear their most comfortable clothing on planning day. Light a candle or turn on an oil diffuser. Play white noise or your favorite pump-up jam.
With a welcoming atmosphere and a new space, you are one step closer to a successful (and fun!) planning process.
Get Messy
Many people can become stuck in the planning process. This often stems from the perspective that thoughts have to be organized from the start. Great news – they don’t!
A messy brainstorming process can be highly beneficial and productive. Don’t be afraid to simply brain-dump all your ideas and thoughts. Remember that in the ideation phase, no thought is bad or unusable. Brainstorming is not the time for neat columns and clean spreadsheets.
By embracing the messiness, you can unlock creativity and generate new, innovative solutions. The messiness allows for diverse perspectives to intermingle, fostering a wide range of thoughts and insights. Encourage yourself and your team to think outside the box, challenge existing assumptions, and explore uncharted territories.
Moreover, a messy brainstorming process promotes an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere, where everyone’s contribution is valued. Don’t box in your thoughts by trying to make them perfect the first go-around.
Collaborate
As humans, we are not made to go at things alone. Planning is no different. We encourage collaboration with team members, mentors, and more in the planning process!
When individuals come together to plan collectively, the energy and enthusiasm of the group become contagious. Each person is able to bring their unique strengths and experiences, contributing to a collective pool of diverse perspectives and creativity.
Collaboration also cultivates a sense of belonging and camaraderie, as everyone has a voice and feels valued in the planning process. The collective brainstorming, problem-solving, and decision-making enhance the overall quality of the plan and generate a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere.
Ultimately, the synergy and joy that arise from collaborative planning can transform the process into a fun and rewarding experience for all involved.
Seek Inspiration
You don’t have to pull planning ideas out of a hat. Instead, start with other events or businesses you have seen that you loved. Then, make it your own!
For example, we recently supported our client Families First with creating a new fundraising event. They had seen another organization use branded placemats at gala tables and loved it! Knowing this was a feature they wanted to incorporate at their event, we worked together to create placemats that beautifully suited their unique gala. Across evening dinner tables, each place setting allowed gala attendees to learn more about the mission and impact of the organization and allowed folks to directly donate at the event.
Many events, campaigns, and new projects can benefit from taking a calculated risk or two. Find a fresh approach by seeking outside-the-box inspiration! Your creative catalyst might be sparked by books, podcasts, social and work events, conversations with others, nature – or anything, really!
Drawing inspiration from the outside world not only enriches the planning process but also fosters a sense of connection and joy, making it a more lively and enjoyable experience for everyone involved!
Create a Timeline
There are only two types of people in this world: those who enjoy making timelines and those who don’t. Whichever one you are, know that this step is critical to keeping cool from planning to project completion.
Turn your messy brainstorm into a well-oiled machine that works for you and your team. By establishing a well-defined schedule, individuals and teams have a shared roadmap to follow, ensuring that tasks and milestones are reached along manageable steps.
As you create a timeline, be sure to not let monotony take you over. We encourage adding style and colors, celebrations along the way, and items to look forward to. Whether you are working solo or as part of a team, let the fun spill over from your messy brainstorming to keep the excitement and creative thought going throughout the entire process.
Our team uses Monday.com for all our planning processes. It’s been a game-changer for us as we’ve grown our clientele, expanded our team, and taken on bigger projects in the last few years. We love the fun of color-coding, feeling the reward of a task moving to the “completed” section once finished, and more with this platform.
Check out Forbes’ 10 Best Project Management Software of 2023 article to find the best tools to help your team accomplish the plan!
Reward a Job Well Done
We may no longer be excited to grab a toy out of the treasure chest, but that doesn’t mean adults can’t reward ourselves. Rewarding yourself or your team for completing a planning process is a powerful way to enhance enjoyment and motivation.
When individuals know that their efforts and achievements will be recognized and celebrated, it creates a positive atmosphere and a sense of accomplishment. Rewards can take various forms, such as verbal recognition, team outings, or even tangible incentives.
Take the team for a happy hour after the planning day. Or, provide a self-care day or gift certificate for remote employees. Even better, add time off to everyone’s calendar for a job well done.
By incorporating rewards, the planning process becomes more than just a task; it becomes an opportunity for celebration, camaraderie, and enjoyment, ensuring that team members feel motivated, engaged, and eager to tackle future projects.
You got this!
Whether you are organizing an event, mapping out a project, or setting personal goals, rediscovering the joy of planning is possible. By incorporating creativity, embracing collaboration, seeking inspiration, and infusing a sense of playfulness, you can transform planning from a mundane task into an enjoyable and fulfilling experience.
Looking for more planning support? We are here to help!
At Streetlamp Creative, we pride ourselves on providing top-notch support to ensure the seamless execution of your projects from start to finish. Whether you need assistance with brainstorming, project management, branding/design, event support, ethical storytelling, or more, our team has the expertise and creative vision to bring your projects to life.