Building an Emergency-Proof Schedule

Dear Women Leaders,

“Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”

My 11th-grade math teacher, Mr. Gass, had this sign posted on the front of his desk.

When you showed up late to class, or forgot your homework, or received a poor grade on a test, he would point to the sign. Excuses like these became irrelevant:

“My printer wasn’t working.”

“I had a game last night.”

“I left my textbook at school last night.”

All of these can be avoided with better planning.

What are most teenagers poor at? Planning.

But it’s not just a function of an adolescent brain; it’s because planning is something that needs to be taught.

You can’t plan for when you’ll get sick, or your child will be sick, or when your internet stops working, or your plane is delayed, and so on and so forth…. right?

Well, no, but you can create strategic buffers in your schedule to help in the event of an unexpected situation.

This is what I mean when I talk about time management. It’s not stacking your day like a game of Tetris so that there is no downtime or unproductive moments.

It’s about blocking time for unexpected interruptions and emergencies. It might look like this:

• Do you have an upcoming presentation? Block the calendar for 30-60 minutes before and after for last-minute prep and decompression time.

• Will you be traveling (for work or personal)? Block your calendar for the first few hours you're back in the office, and leave that OOO responder on until you’ve gotten through your inbox.

• Do you have back-to-back meetings on a Wednesday? Block time on Thursday morning for follow-up or to catch up on the work you missed while in meetings.

If you’ve ever said, “I don’t have time for this!” when something unexpected pops up, then you need these buffers in your week.

Control your controllables.

Make a better plan.

Sincerely,
Your Leadership Coach

P.S. Want more intentional leadership strategies like this?

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