How to get rid of brain fog when planning events
Many of us have suffered with brain fog at some point, but in the fast-paced world of event-planning it's unwelcome. Professionals give us their top tips for avoiding it.
Have you been finding it difficult to concentrate on work, taking longer than usual to complete tasks and feeling mentally drained? If you’ve found yourself suffering with any, or all these symptoms, you may be suffering with brain fog.
This feeling of inertia hits all of us at some point. It’s ‘incredibly common in event professionals’ says Lucy Eden founder of wellbeing event specialist Be in Your Element. But in the fast-paced world of event-planning when there are deadlines to meet and multiple tasks to tick off, brain fog is not often welcomed when it arrives.
Sarah Byrne, director at Mosaic Events, says it’s understandable given the ‘enormous amount of information and detail’ your head needs to process alongside multiple decisions to make.
“Your brain can genuinely reach capacity with everything that's involved, budgets, logistics, people management, problem-solving all at once,” she says.
“The high-pressure environment and tight deadlines mean there's often not much time to process one thing before you're onto the next. That constant cognitive demand, especially when managing multiple events or during peak delivery periods, can bring on brain fog.”
Why we suffer brain fog
Multi-tasking and quick decisions are par for the course in events. Event professionals are adept at all these things, so why does it creep up sometimes?
“Brain fog often comes from cognitive overload,” explains Eden. “When we’re processing too many moving parts, making rapid decisions, multitasking, and dealing with constant stimulation, the brain becomes fatigued.
“Stress, lack of rest, inconsistent nutrition, and emotional strain can all contribute. Essentially, the brain is saying, ‘I’ve hit capacity,’ and everything feels slower, heavier, or less clear.”
Eden says brain fog has increased over recent years as workloads, expectations and the pace of delivery has intensified. It can also be more prevalent in women who are perimenopausal or menopausal.
“For women in particular, there’s an important hormonal layer that often gets overlooked,” she adds. “Estrogen plays a huge role in cognitive clarity, memory, and mental sharpness. When estrogen naturally dips it can significantly impact concentration and increase feelings of fogginess. When you combine that with the way event professionals work, the constant multitasking, high-pressure deadlines, rapid decision-making, and emotional labour. the brain simply becomes overloaded.”
How to get rid of brain fog when you’re planning events
If you find yourself in this state, with a cloudy mind and difficulty working your way through tasks, what can you do to rectify it?
Acknowledge it
Feeling that your cognitive flow is blocked is not always a bad thing, says Eden.
“Brain fog can be a signal, not just a struggle,” she says, describing the state as a warning system that we’re operating beyond our healthy limits and need to slow down, or delegate. Acknowledging it and dealing with it is the first step to overcoming it.
“When we listen to it rather than push through, brain fog can help us reset, adjust our workflow, and ultimately protect our energy and creativity.”
Set clear boundaries
Stress and overwhelm are two of the biggest contributors to brain fog, Eden claims, which is why you need to set clear boundaries for yourself about how much work you can take on and the hours you work.
“In the events industry we are still working in that ‘badge of honour’ environment for many, this is not suitable and needs to stop with hard boundaries, which in turn gives you a sense of balance.”
Lucy Eden, founder, Be In Your Element
Lucy Eden, founder, Be In Your Element
Lucy Eden, founder, Be In Your Element
Lucy Eden, founder, Be In Your Element
Sarah Byrne, director Mosaic Events
Sarah Byrne, director Mosaic Events
Sarah Byrne, director Mosaic Events
Sarah Byrne, director Mosaic Events
Break everything down
Considering a project – especially if it’s a large event - in its entirety can be quite overwhelming, says Byrne, who suggests breaking down tasks into smaller chunks and delegating ‘where possible’.
“It is also helpful to deal with work in blocks processing similar tasks rather than constantly switching between different activities,” she says.
She also advocates mapping everything out before starting a project to have as reference when the going gets touch: “I'm very structured about timelines, contingencies, and risk management, which helps reduce the pressure rather than add to it.”
Eat and sleep well
When you’re so overwhelmed you may forget to eat and drink, says Eden, which in turn depletes energy levels and can make it hard to focus. Keeping yourself refuelled and hydrated at these times will help.
“Proper nutrition makes a huge difference. When I'm eating regularly and healthily, I have much more sustained energy and mental clarity throughout the day,” says Byrne who also advocates quality sleep.
She says she has been helped by listening to Delta Waves on Spotify “Delta waves are the slowest brain waves (0.5-4 Hz) associated with the deepest stage of sleep, and listening to this type of music helps me fall asleep more easily and wake up feeling genuinely refreshed and it does seem to work!”
Practise deep breathing
When the fog creeps in, get away from your desk and head out into the fresh air is Eden’s top tip.
“Stepping away from what you are doing and taking a few breaths can help clear the density of the fog,” she says. “Getting outside into nature is my best friend when I need to reset. Taking deeper inhalations out in the fresh air is a game changer when seconds before you didn’t know where to go to next with everything racing around in your mind.”
How to avoid brain fog
As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Here are Lucy Eden's top tips to avoiding brain fog.
Start your day with you
Before you jump into emails, requests, or the needs of others, take five minutes to sit with your own thoughts. Mindfulness is incredibly powerful for clarity.
Plan recovery time during peaks
Build breaks in before you think you need them. It keeps your energy steadier and prevents burnout.
Use project management tools so your brain isn’t the storage system.
Reducing mental load frees up clarity instantly.
Batch tasks
Multitasking drains cognitive energy and is a fast track to fog.
Create ‘quiet hours’ for deep focus
No meetings, no interruptions, just space to think and breathe.
Check in with your body
Hydration, movement, nourishment, and breathwork all support brain function. When the body is depleted, the mind fogs.
Ask for support early, not once you're overwhelmed
Delegating small tasks can have a big impact on reducing fog.
