I’m a planner.  I love the combination of small details and the big picture.  I’m good at it, and even get paid to plan and to teach others how to plan.  So, trust me when I tell you, regardless of good intentions, some days just don’t go as planned.  Case in point…. Last Wednesday.

I belong to a great group full of nice people, and really useful information and activities.  My challenge is that the monthly meetings are at 8 am on a school day, 40 minutes away.  The meetings are worthwhile, so I plan and deal with the distance and timing.   Toward that end, I worked a little harder last week and set up before-school care for my youngest at his elementary, so I wouldn’t have to hassle my friends anymore just to cover these monthly meetings.  Lunches were packed, clothes were laid out, everyone was up and cooperating.  We were all good to go.

And then…. A car-pool oversleep, a snowstorm and an accident blocking traffic (not that I blame those hapless souls – their day really didn’t go as planned!).   The one morning I needed everything to go exactly as planned, it didn’t.  Sometimes, life gets in the way.

We can learn a lot from our lives when things don’t go as planned:

1. Leave yourself a cushion.  Make just a little room between appointments on your calendar.  The tighter the schedule, the greater the chance for trouble.
2. Have a Plan B, and maybe even a Plan C.  For everything, at all times.  Dinner, daycare, clothes, alternate travel route or public transportation options.  Flexibility is key at all times
3. Variables are just that – Vary-able.  The more appointments you make in your      day, or variables you work into your schedule, the greater the risk of having something go awry.  Don’t pack your schedule too tightly.
4. Laugh at yourself.  Appreciate the absurd in your day, and remember that situational control is an illusion.  It’s ridiculous to think we are “in control” of a situation.  We can only control ourselves and our own behavior and choices.
5. Don’t wait to start on a task, trip or project.  Never plan on having the last-minute to complete a task, trip or project.  If you’re given a deadline, aim for a few days before.  You just never know what might happen.  We get burned by procrastinating if we delay our work until the last-minute and then end up with a technology failure, a loved one in a personal or medical crisis, or a storm and/or power outage.  Or perhaps I am unable to say “Yes” to some great but unexpected event because I have work to do.
6. Dawdle when you get there.  Last week, I had 60 minutes to make a half-hour drive from one client to the next.  I drove almost all the way to the second client, and then took a break.  This eliminated any trouble I might have had in transit slowing me down and making me late.
7. Keep your calendar / phone / planner up to date, so that answers and contact information are with you at all times.
8. Keep your to-do list with you at all times.  This allows you to get things done wherever you are. And take advantage of found moments through your day.

So, embrace and expect that life won’t always go as planned and learn a few tips to help you along the way!