Now that the winter solstice has passed and days are beginning to get longer again, I always feel like it’s a new beginning. We have 365 days ahead of us to do things better than we ever have before and I always feel inspired by that. One of the things that I want to do this coming year is to invite people over to our house more regularly. We are going to start this year off with a family party and I’m taking you along with me to learn how to plan a party!
Generally speaking, a month is ample time to plan and prepare for a party. You can of course do it in less (or more!) time, but a good rule of thumb is to allow 3-4 weeks. This leaves plenty of time to get it all done without getting too overwhelmed and stressed by time constrictions.
Planning:
Adequate planning is the key to a smooth and unharried process. To get the basics down on paper, I used THE LIST MAKER.
First the Basics:
Date & Time
Theme
Decor
Next the Details:
Break it down into sections like:
Apps:
Entre:
Dessert:
Drinks:
Jot down your ideas as you think of them. I love using Pinterest for my ideas.
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WEEKLY:
Decide what jobs can be done in advance, and which need to be done at the last minute.
Break these jobs down by week.
WEEK 1:
Order/Purchase decor
Send out invitations
Make Facebook Event
WEEK 2:
Clean bathrooms
Make out grocery list
Prepare Fruitcake
WEEK 3:
Send reminder Texts
See if Ella will help decorate
WEEK 4:
Grocery Shop
Now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. GET ‘ER DONE! As you complete a job be sure to mark it off your list. The marking off the done jobs is the most satisfying part of this journey. LOL
DAILY:
Lastly I like to make a list of items to be accomplished specifically each weekend day. Since I work full time, all of these jobs will be done on Saturday and/or Sunday. So I make a list of jobs that must be competed for the weekend. You could also do a separate list for each day, but I find that one list for the weekend works for me.
By the time you are on the forth week, you should have completed almost all the jobs, except for the actual last minute food preparations, rather painlessly!
If you’d like to get a copy of THE LIST MAKER, it is free and available HERE! There is this monthly version that I used for the party planning and there is also a weekend version that I use constantly just for organizing my thoughts and getting things done during my few hours at home on the weekends. I find it invaluable to keep me moving and getting things accomplished.
THE LIST MAKER is not only for party planning! It works great for any big project that could leave you feeling overwhelmed. Maybe you want to do a room makeover, or maybe you want to start your first garden, or maybe you need to organize all your business paperwork… THE LIST MAKER will help you to look at the big project in small doable chunks. Get your free copy now.
Mitchell says
Love having parties! I started planning my sister’s 50th a year in advance! So I could afford it!
gwingal says
Oh that’s a BIG one! I understand needing more time for that. Mine was a small one with maybe 15 people or so. 🙂
French Ethereal says
Hi Nikki, hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s!!! Great ideas here ~ I’ve been using sticky notes for a while but it’s not altogether all the time. 😉 Thank you for the tip of using List Maker. Pinned! <3
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
gwingal says
Sticky notes are one of the best inventions EVER! Thanks Barb! 🙂
Maria says
Great ideas here for a party!
gwingal says
Thanks Maria. I hope you can use some of these ideas. 🙂
Dee | Grammy's Grid says
Looks like you’ve figured out a plan and a way to make sure you get it all done!
gwingal says
I could use an assistant! 🙂