What's Your Plan B?

You may think you have things under control, that plans are perfectly in place - but what happens if things don't quite work out as planned - do you have a backup or contingency plan? While you don't want to waste time and effort planning for every eventuality, it can save those moments when either life gets in the way or your original plan doesn't quite work out, if you have a Plan B.

"The best laid plans of mice and men ..." or so says Robert Burns and as the motto for the Boy Scouts says - 'be prepared'.

What if the technology goes wrong?

What if that payment from Client X doesn't come through in time?

Now technology is always good for needing a Plan B - you just never know when it's going to blue screen on you or your broadband goes down just at the critical moment, the phone line goes down, you're out of network coverage or the battery goes dead. How would you carry on?

Can you still give your speech or presentation without technology? Do you have prompt cards in case the Powerpoint presentation suffers from technical gremlins or you can't get connected? Have an alternate way of getting connected. Fully charged batteries, spare one's just in case.

Build a little flexibility into your week. Try to avoid planning everything right down to the line or putting all your 'eggs in one basket', so when things don't work out, you're either thrown into chaos, because you have no time left or you feel as if things have fallen apart because Plan A didn't work out.

It's another good reason NOT to leave things until the last minute, when you're likely to find you need more than the 'last minute'.

Learn to go with the flow and try not to get too tied in to the outcome. Even if things fall apart there's usually a solution if you step back and take a fresh look to find your Plan B.

Ready, Set, Focus

Super charge your day and power-up your productivity. Set aside one day and make a list of all the things you need to get done. Whether you just want to clear the decks, finish off a project or just clear a few things off your action list, get rid of the distractions and get really focused. It's also a good way to get through those tasks you've been putting off for a while.

Set a date and time - it doesn't have to be a whole day. Team up with a friend, colleague, mentor or coach and check-in with each other, on the hour every hour (works well by phone). Spend a few minutes checking in with each other and agree what you're going to do in the following hour.

You'll be much less likely to get distracted when you know the clock is ticking and you'll be more motivated knowing that you're being held to account next time you check-in.

Other People's Deadlines

Respect other people's time in the way you'd expect them to respect yours. Everyone is busy these days and has demands on their time coming from all directions. They are not there sitting waiting for your email to land in their inbox, so that they can instantly respond. They're not waiting for your phone call just so they can respond to your every request.

Plan ahead. If you need something done by a particular time, give yourself a bit of slack. If it involves someone else, this is even more important. Don't dump something on someone and expect them to turn it around to meet your timeframe - especially if you haven't discussed this with them first.

I've seen people dump something on someone at the last minute or only with a few days notice and expect them to given an instant response or meet their deadline. Yes, sometimes we have to work to deadlines and at short notice but make this the exception not the norm.

Don't make your problem (or lack of planning) someone else's deadline.

Share Your Passion

If you do something you're passionate about it's easy for other people to get caught up in your enthusiasm and they'll get more from the experience.

I was out last week with a group and I wanted people to get the most out of their experience, to learn and to enjoy what they'd come to be part of. Now nature is never predictable and you can't guarantee that it will turn up to perform but it's a case of make the most of what's there - enjoying the small moments and not just the spectacular ones.

I had a great evening and others did too and what really put the icing on the cake is that they took the time to say so. They appreciated the effort I'd gone to to make their evening memorable.

Apply the same enthusiasm and attitude to your work and your passion. Go the extra mile.