Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
Mike Tyson
Last week, I had everything planned out what to do, where to go but this week had a mind of its own. What do you do when life throws obstacles at your “perfect” plan?
Planning is great. It helps you stay organized and holds you accountable. You can look back and clearly see what got done, and what didn’t. And that brings us to the idea of a Retro.
But there are times times when what you planned doesn’t happen. Maybe because you were lazy, or maybe because something unexpected came up. But those moments still exist times when you are not able to do what you had originally planned. Maybe someone called you for a family dinner, and you weren’t able to decline their offer.
Now for the aftermath. After you have gone to that unexpected event, you might have a lot of work to do. Say you’re a coder at a tech company, and a last-minute wedding comes up. You can’t skip it. Work doesn’t care about an unexpected wedding. You might be in a jam, but someone still needs their toast.
What can you do in a situation like this?
Being in situations like this doesn’t mean staying up all night every week just because of an unexpected event. It is about taking responsibility, prioritizing everything you need to do, doing the highest priority task first, and getting it done.
Have a disruption process ready. What would you do if this happens again? Be prepared with a system, even if it is as simple as: come back home, make a coffee, and get to work. It helps you avoid going blank, and you know what to do.
Plan ahead. If you have an idea that there might be an event coming up, tell your manager, tell your boss, tell HR that you won’t be able to work that day. Say, “I have an event coming up. I’ll do the work the next day.” Planning ahead gives you time to enjoy the event and also time to finish your work.
ThaIf your week didn’t go to plan either, you’re not alone. Thanks for reading and feel free to connect with me here: https://jerryg.xyz/socials
