When Plans Change, Do You?

What happens when your day doesn’t go quite as planned?  (They never do.  Do they?)

Do you get knocked off balance?  Do you shift and adjust?

Or do you obstinately stick to you original plan… “no matter what.”

An important time management skill is the ability to adapt.

If you are inflexible, you will not be able to effectively deal with changing priorities.

And you will create unnecessary stress and strife.

When Plans Change… Do You?

Plans change.  That is truism.

If it wasn’t, we could just plan out our days and sit back and watch things play out.  However, it doesn’t work that way.

My fortune cookie (above) was especially timely.

That very day, my team had gotten together for an extended session of  project work. Literally, as we sat down,  a sudden client issue arose.

It was urgent.  It was also important enough to interrupt our session.  Within a few minutes of weighing the issue, we decided to drop our entire day’s itinerary.  Instead, we immediately began to address the new customer issue.

How Quickly Do You Change Gears?

Our team had to change gears.  We had to react to current events.  In fact, we had to drop everything we were doing.

Some people would have been averse to changing plans at a moment’s notice.  After all, we had prepared to have day long creative session.  We even had team members who had flown into town.

However, being able to adapt to changing priorities is a crucial skill.  Doing it quickly, when appropriate, is equally as important.

But, how do you know when to stick and when to change?

Here are a few tips to help you in deciding:

• Evaluate First – Before “jumping,” take a moment to evaluate the priorities at hand.  Is this a necessary change?  Is the situation important?  Or is it a perceived urgency that can wait?  Knowing the difference allows you to stay true to your priorities.
• Commit – When it is time to change… change.  Full force.  Too often, people know that they should be working on something else, but they are resistant to leave their current task.  If you are changing gears, then do it.  No halfway efforts, here.
• Follow Through – Don’t stop short of the finish line.  Make sure you complete the new issues or otherwise your re-directed efforts will be for naught.
• Re-Group – When the urgent matters are addressed, don’t forget to re-group.  What was it that got pushed aside?  Sometimes you may find that it is not worth going back to the previous task.  However, if it was important, don’t let it be forgotten.

Flexibility is Key

When life changes the game, be ready to adjust.

Even the best of plans will need adjustment.

You never know when a curveball will come your way.

Be flexible.  Be ready to adapt.  And you will find that you will be able to deal with whatever comes your way.