Now that you've created your goals, you can now assign dates for those goals and create a calendar that will outline the timeline for your planning process!
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Select a Date & Look at Your Timeline
Hopefully, you've begun your brainstorming enough in advance, so you have a solid amount of time to plan. For a frame of reference, I began planning the first benefit concert in July 2015 and the concert took place in September 2015. It is important when scheduling the date of your event, that you give yourself plenty of time to plan and keep in mind the time you will need to promote and advertise as well. Your timeline will determine how much time you have to hold committee meetings, brainstorm, and promote your event.
Also, at this point in the planning process, you should have a flexible approximate date, or multiple dates to choose from. That way, if you have to switch things around later when you are planning, you have the ability to do so, and don't have to start from scratch. Once you've selected your possible date, you can now have your set timeline and be able to observe it accordingly.
Look at your timeline and ask yourself: "Is this manageable?" If the answer is no, that is completely ok. You can either change your date or try to limit the complexity of your event. If you feel about the amount of time you have, you can go ahead to the next step!
Check Your Own Personal Calendar
When planning your event, it is important that you keep in mind your personal schedule. If your current calendar looks a bit overwhelming, it is probably a good idea to postpone your event until you have enough time to dedicate to it.
In my personal experience, for the first two concerts I planned, I allotted myself the summers before to plan so I would have plenty of free time and be able to dedicate myself to solely working on the event. However when it came to planning the third concerts, I originally wanted have it in September again, but I knew that wouldn't work. The summer of 2017 was the summer before my senior year, a.k.a "go time" for college. I knew I would have to focus on college applications during the summer, and I knew the fall would be equally as stressful, especially because I was taking the ACT for the final time in September.
As much as I wanted to have the third concert in September, I knew it wouldn't work and that I would get frustrated when I wouldn't be able to commit myself 100% to working on the the event. It was a difficult decision, but in the end, I had the final concert in February of 2018. If you're having trouble trying to balance everything and plan the event, don't just scrap everything. First see if you can postpone the event to a time that would work better for you, if not, analyze the kind of event you are planning. Is it too ambitious for the amount of time you have?
It is also important to keep in mind at this step that you are not alone! You will have your planning committee there to help you, so don't look at the event as some daunting task you'll have to do by yourself. However, if it still feels overwhelming, you can always downsize the event you wanted, or even change the event type entirely. It is a lot better to realize your limits at this stage of the planning process when you can easily change the type of the event, rather than being too far in and realizing you aren't going to have enough time. Most of all, don't feel defeated or ashamed that you have to change something around in order to work with your schedule. If you put passion into what you want your event to support, it will turn out great!
List Your Goals and Achievements
In Step 5, you created your own goals for the events. When making the calendar, list out all your goals and achievements. This will allow you to not only visualize your goals along side your timeline and see if achieving your goals in the set amount of time is reasonable, but also you can space out each goal and organize them to fit your schedule. By doing this, you can rule out goals that don't seem attainable in the given amount of time, and also you can split up goals into mini-achievements that you can spread out through the calendar.
For example, when planning my concerts, I typically set a goal of finalizing a venue by the end of the summer. This gave me motivation and a way to keep the planning process moving and not get stuck. Also bigger goals, such as fundraising and sponsorships, I split up and spread out to make it seem overwhelming. For example, I wanted to have around $1,000 in sponsorships the first year, but I didn't set one concrete date to have all the sponsors secured. I split up over a few weeks so the task didn't seem as overwhelming and was easier to manage.
Give Yourself Breaks & Space
When making your calendar, it is also extremely important to remember not to overload yourself. The last thing you want to do is fill every space up with goals and due dates. When planning a large event, you have to remember to give yourself breaks. Even if your extremely passionate and want to work on your event 24/7, you'll eventually get run down and overworked. Giving yourself space allows you time to work on other things, and have time to maybe brainstorm or think of new ideas organically, without forcing your self to meet a certain time limit.
I try to involve myself in multiple extracurriculars, specifically music and theatre. When I am doing those things, even if I am in the midst of planning a major event, I dedicate myself to solely those tasks. Doing this will allow you to keep having fun and allow your passions to thrive. It'll give you a break from the planning, and will help you feel not as stressed out.
Assign Dates
You're almost done! To finalize your calendar, just assign dates to each goal or milestone you have in mind. Just remember to keep in mind your own personal calendar, and give yourself plenty of space to breathe!
As always, if you have ANY questions, please feel free to email me at find.your.sunshine.concert@gmail.com and send them my way!