3 Post Event Practices That Will Make You A Better Planner

I host events for a living.

Some big, some small, some cheap, and some so rich I get sick just thinking about it.

Events are challenging. That’s why I like them. I get to meet a lot of people, make a lot of friends, and on occasion, witness some pretty fantastic spectacles. But ultimately, it’s the challenge I love.

It’s a lot like playing chess: You try to get several moves ahead. To outwit fate, the invisible opponent whose only target is a man who fails to plan.

It’s that love of contemplation, of getting ahead of the curve, of seeing months and years of planning pay off, that keeps me coming back. That keeps me doing the things I need to do to get better. Things like these three post-event practices that make me a better planner.

Get To Work

Six-time Mr. Olympia, Dorian Yates, was one of the few professional bodybuilders to workout the week after a major competition. When all the other guys took time off, Yates went to the gym and trained.

His body, Yates said, was craving the work. He’d just put it through hell, depriving and starving himself, and now it was time to feed. To train. To grow. Yates swore that the best time to get ready for the next event was directly after this one.

Significant events require laser focus. In one aspect, they sharpen the mind. In another, they apply blinders to everything that isn’t immediately relevant. It’s a fantastic way to teach the brain to keep what’s important and filter what isn’t.

Coming off an event, however, is like taking the blinders off and keeping the focus on. Like opening your eyes to a new world around you and actually having the brain capacity to understand it.

For up to two weeks after any event, read as much as possible, write down all your thoughts, work out like a mad man, and eat like crazy.

Set New Goals

Event lessons come to you whether you like it or not. And fast.

These are, all of them, blessings. We just don’t see them that way at the time. That’s why it’s essential to take a moment after every event and set new goals. These can be event-specific, of course, or better yet, lifetime goals.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. Especially big events. They infect you, and you infect everything around you, for better or worse. Use them to make you a stronger communicator, a better, more direct leader, a kinder person. Use them to refine and improve your future by changing your goals today.

Plan The Next One

Your mind hears things differently when you’re in event mode.

Previously unused parts of your brain start to fire, you problem solve on the spot, juggle a million tasks with ease, and somehow make everything look natural. You do if you’re good at it, anyway.

I call it free money, and it’s a major side effect to every event. And the more events you do, the more free money you get.

But like any muscle, you have to work it. Otherwise, those new pathways will rust like a car no one drives, leaving a mess of unused potential behind.

The moment one event ends, look for another. You might not feel like it. It might be the last thing on your mind. But if you really want to improve, none of that matters. Events are uncomfortable. That’s what makes them great. That’s what makes them important. And that’s what makes us better.