Timelines and Elephants

A goal is a dream with a timeline -- Weston Lyon

Welcome to Planner's Pointers! Today I am going to talk about what is a timeline and how it is used in meeting and event planning (and lots of other places). According to one dictionary I read a timeline is .. a sequence of related events arranged in chronological order and displayed along a line (usually drawn left to right or top to bottom). Another described as a management tool that described when items are to be completed and by whom. Both of these entries are really good explanations of what a timeline is. What I am writing about is what four things a timeline does for me as both a planner and in other aspects of my work life.

1. A timeline is one of the best ways to keep track of what needs to happen when. That is what organization is all about. Never think that just because you have done something many times you can keep things in your head. You will absolutely miss something if you try.

2. A timeline gives you peace of mind. You have an action plan and you know when tasks need to happen. When you have multiple committee doing 50 or so items a piece, a timeline is the only way you will keep thing happening.

3. A timeline is one way to help keep you within budget. You can order items well in advance so you are not paying for things as 24 hour shipping, or on site printing.

4. A good timeline carries the event forward. If you are one of those people who works best with deadlines, then timelines will be your best friend because you always know when tasks need to be completed.


Not use to using a timeline? It gets easier after you have created one a few times. Develop a generic timeline and then customize it as needed. That will be talked about next week.

How do timelines relate to elephants? One of the best sayings about getting tasks done is about how you eat an elephant. You eat it a bite at a time. A timeline is the bite at a time that helps you get things done.