Timeline Discipline

Why Your Event Timeline Will Fail (And How to Fix It)

Stop planning every minute. Start planning for things to go wrong.

Published June 10, 2025 • 5 min read
Video by نشمـيّـه via Pexels

Key Takeaways

  • Minute-by-minute schedules never work. Ever.
  • Identify the "Domino Tasks" – if these fail, everything fails.
  • Build "Reset Blocks" into your day to catch up.
  • Use LOMAevents to keep your vendor contacts handy for when you need to call them ASAP.

The "Perfect Plan" Trap

You have a spreadsheet. It says "7:00 PM: Guests Arrive" and "7:05 PM: Drinks Served." It looks beautiful. It is also a lie. Guests will arrive at 7:15. The bartender will need ice. The music will glitch. If your plan relies on everything being perfect, your plan is broken.

How to Build a Bulletproof Timeline

  1. Find the Dominos: Some things *must* happen on time (e.g., food service). Other things (speeches, dancing) can slide. Know the difference.
  2. The 15-Minute Rule: Add 15 minutes of "nothing" time every 2 hours. If you're running late, this saves you. If you're on time, everyone gets a bathroom break.
  3. The "Oh No" Plan: What if it rains? What if the food is late? Write down one backup plan for the big stuff.

Don't Micromanage, Facilitate

Your job isn't to shout at people to stay on schedule. Your job is to remove obstacles so they can do their jobs.

How LOMAevents Helps

Pro Tip: Tell your guests the event starts 30 minutes before the "real" start time. Tell your vendors to be ready 30 minutes before that. Now you have an hour of buffer.

Your Next Action

Look at your timeline. Find the tightest squeeze. Add 15 minutes of buffer. Now breathe.

Plan Your Timeline →