Let’s face it, squeezing your party planning in around work, friends, family and the rest of your life is stressful. Drowning in party paperwork and e-mails and losing track of your to do list? Follow five super simple tips to Paper Flow your Party, from Brigitte Hinneberg, author of Paper Flow, your ultimate guide to making paperwork easy! The end result? An organised, fabulous event and a relaxed and confident host.

• MyInvites, gives us a fabulous e-vite service. Now what about all the other paper, e-mails and downloads that parties bring? Each invitation you receive generates more paperwork: RSVPs, gifts, cards and correspondence with friends or family. Parties you host?; invitations, shopping lists, torn out magazine articles of party themes, project plans, supplier quotes, RSVPs, phone messages hastily written down, gift list, receipts, menu, thank you cards, gift vouchers... the list goes on. Time to get your party planning flowing!

• Tip 1: One ‘entrance’ for all your party paper:

  From now on, all party paper you receive via your letterbox, handbag, printer, wallet, will come into your home through ONE point only: your in-tray. Choose a nice dedicated in-tray in one spot in your home and dump ALL your paper here. Date stamp it all so you remember when you received each item – especially invitations!

• Tip 2: The Lead up to parties requires a bit of routine ACTION

  A lot of the lead up to a party includes lots of paper and e-mails that you need to act on. For example, you might need to read a brochure, pay a supplier, RSVP to someone, buy a gift, book a venue. As you empty your in-tray (at least twice a week) each piece of paper now has a corresponding recurring action folder to go to. Here are 5 common ones you can set up now. Create the same folders in your e-mail in box:
• a. Bills to Pay – for any party invoices or helpers
  b. Correspondence to Complete – for RSVPs, thank yous, bookings, liaising
  c. Items to Buy - keep all notes about what you need to buy in the one file
  d. Items to Read – brochures, downloads, gift ideas, articles, inspiration
  e. Claims to make – put all your gift vouchers, concert tickets and anything with future value in this file, as well as invitations with special instructions you may want to keep.
• Now keep the party flowing by making sure you have set times and days in your diary that you will deal with your Recurring Action items. Visit www.paperflowbook.com for your free Paper Flow schedule template.

• Tip 3: The party hotline:

  Keep ONE notebook for all messages, meetings and notes to do with your party. Use removable sticky tabs to easily locate party info.

• Tip 4: Party Project Management:

  When you’re the host of any event, set up a manilla folder titled ‘Party’. This will hold all your plans at your fingertips so when you’re ready to work on your party, it’s all there. Create a project planning sheet to keep you focussed on the end goal and keep you moving it along (get your free one at here) Include all the summary information: the date, your budget, the timeframe, the list of action items to be completed and the theme. Here’s where you’ll keep the guest list, the menu, the invitations, the checklists, shopping list, correspondence and receipts. Schedule all the tasks and times in your diary to ensure you action everything.

• Tip 5: Happy Memories:

  With the party over and still fresh in your memory, it’s time to close off your project file. The ‘Thank You list’ goes back into your Correspondence to Complete file. Any vouchers you get go into Claims to Make file. Create a memory book of the event for easy reference of party information and happy memories. Keep a copy of the invitation, the menu, the guest list, the gift list, the prices and even photos of the night. Choose from a photo album or a display folder or a memory box to house these precious memories.

• Tip 6: Your next project!

  Now your desk is clear of the party paperwork and you have room for the next project in your life! Can we suggest a project that will save you enormous amounts of time, stress and money and is absolutely F*R*E*E? Join us in the Paper Flow 28 Day Challenge. It will take the rest of your paper from mess to success in less than 4 weeks. See you there!