Ever notice how sometimes people get so fired up about something … then a few weeks later, the fire goes out? Like in January gyms are overflowing with the “new year resolution” crowd and a few weeks later – poof! They disappear.
It’s exciting to declare a goal and start working towards it. But if you dive right in without a solid plan, you’re more likely to:
- work harder than you need to
- lose momentum
- give up
It happens all the time, to everyone – including newly engaged couples.
Just google “wedding planning” and you’ll find article headlines, like “18 Things to Do as Soon as You Get Engaged.” It’s easy to start working on random wedding things. You’ll feel great because you’re getting things done, but that will quickly change.
Just like the “new years resolution” crowds at the gym, you’ll lose momentum. Or you’ll work harder than you have to. That’s when the overwhelm and frustration kicks in. You feel like you’re working crazy-hard, but have nothing to show for it.
Imagine the peace of mind that comes with having a carefully thought-out methodical plan. I’ll show you how to go from stressed, frantic, and overwhelmed – to calm, composed, and confident.
All you have to do is slow down.
I know, that’s easier said than done. Especially if you’re the go-getter type who has a million things to do.
But check out these quotes about the importance of slowing down:
- “Slow down to speed up” – David Allen, author of Getting Things Done
- “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” – Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the US
These quotes are all about how to be efficient and effective – which leads to major productivity.
Effectiveness and Efficiency
These two productivity principles go hand in hand, let’s take a closer look at what they really mean:
- Effectiveness – doing the right things; “successful in producing a desired or intended result”
- Efficiency – doing things well; “achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense”
The key to becoming efficient and effective in your wedding planning is to SLOW DOWN. So I came up with two strategies to help you make sure that you’re being efficient and effective in your wedding planning.
> Want to save this for later? Click here to pin this article to your Pinterest board.
Be Effective: Do the Right Things in the Right Order
As we’ve learned, being effective means you’re focusing on the right things and not getting too ahead of yourself.
Here’s the perfect example. A bride who had just gotten engaged asked me for wedding planning advice. Her main concern was: when should I buy my wedding dress?
The problem with is that she didn’t have a wedding date, location, or budget.
So the short answer to her question is: It doesn’t matter when you get the dress if you don’t have a wedding date or a budget.
The long answer is: Slow down and figure out the basics first. Almost everything about your wedding depends on these three things, and it’s almost counter-productive to do anything else until you figure them out:
- Budget: If you haven’t figured out a wedding budget and blindly over-spend on the dress – well, you’ll have less money to work with for the rest of the wedding. Plus, the first question they ask at bridal salons is about your budget!
- Date: Your date will determine whether you can buy a made-to-order dress (which can take 6-9 months to arrive), or if you need to buy a dress off the rack (ready right away). If you order a dress without knowing your date – your dress will determine the rest of your timeline!
- Location: If you buy a huge ball gown, but your partner won’t budge on having a beach wedding … well, you might look out of place at the beach in your ball gown wedding dress. If you had known the location of your wedding, you would have been able to buy a more appropriate dress for the setting.
See how it works? When you slow down, you can plan to do the right things in the right order so that you can keep moving forward.
Be Efficient: Work Smarter, Not Harder
I don’t like to work more than I have to. So if a task starts to feel too tedious, I immediately stop and try to figure out if there’s a faster way to do it. I admit, it takes more time upfront, but if I find the right solution – will save HOURS upon HOURS later.
For example, when I was shopping for wedding vendors – I had half-written messages on sticky notes all over my desk, floating around in my purse, and in my car. It was a mess. So I stopped.
I came up with a system. I did away with the scraps of paper and started doing all my wedding vendor shopping via email. And when my inbox was bursting – I came up with an email template that eliminated the number back and forth emails.
Notice what I did: I had to slow down, come up with a better way to do things, and then move forward.
If you haven’t already downloaded my email templates, you can download them here!
And by the way, if you’ve downloaded my email templates – you’ll see how long and detailed they are.
You might think they’re TOO long and detailed, especially for an initial email to a vendor because most initial emails are short: “My wedding is on August 31 – are you available that day?”
If the vendor is available, they’ll generally ask for more details about the wedding. And you’ll respond. Then maybe they’ll ask about what services you need. And you’ll respond. And so on.
Rather than sending a bunch of short emails back and forth, I’d rather send one long email and receive one long email in return – that reduces to number of emails.
It takes time to prepare the initial email, but you’ll get the benefits later – you’ll save time, stay organized, get accurate estimates, and you’ll feel calm – not overwhelmed with emails.
Using email templates to shop for wedding vendors is a great example of how to be efficient in wedding planning.
How to make sure you’re being effective and efficient
If you’ve been a reader for a while, you know that I like to give you actionable advice. So here’s a brief exercise you can do right now to slow down and make sure you’re being super productive.
First, notice whether you’re being effective or not. Here are some quick ways to tell when you’re NOT being effective:
- You’re working on a task, but you’re not getting anywhere.
- Something has been on your to-do list for weeks.
- You feel stuck. You’re at a standstill and can’t move forward.
If you can relate to any of these scenarios, you might need to reorder your to-do list. Maybe you’re trying to complete a task that depends heavily on something else – figure out what that is and make that your new task. If you feel stuck – ask yourself why. Get to the bottom of it, and start there. If you need input from your partner before moving forward on a task, ask for it.
Second, brainstorm ways to increase your efficiency:
- If you feel like you’re working too hard, or if something’s not working the way you’d hoped, stop to figure out why it’s not working and make the necessary changes. (For example, I was using scraps of paper to keep track of vendors; when that didn’t work, I quickly switched to email.)
- Remember, it’s all been done before! So if you’re struggling with something, or if it’s taking you forever to complete a task, see if there’s a resource to help you complete your task.
- Ask for help. If there’s someone who’s willing to help with the task – ask for help!
Bottom Line
When you’re feeling like you’re not getting anywhere, it’s time to slow down. Check in with yourself (and your partner!) to make sure you’re being effective and efficient to minimize your efforts and maximize your productivity.
> Want to save this for later? Click here to pin this article to your Pinterest board.
Leave a Reply