Have you ever had one of those days when your plan completely fell apart?  I recently had one of those weeks.  Nothing was working out as planned, events were changing daily, and I was struggling to get a handle of the situation, let alone get ahead of it.

If we are honest with ourselves, we may find that we are in this situation more often than we would like.  Things rarely go as planned.

“All human plans [are] subject to ruthless revision by Nature, or Fate, or whatever one preferred to call the powers behind the Universe.” ― Arthur C. Clarke, 2010: Odyssey Two

From CEOs to busy moms and dads, we all experience the “ruthless revision” of our best laid plans.  So what do we do when things just aren’t working out as planned?  Each one of us responds in a different way.  I tend to get angry and frustrated.  Some people grasp desperately in an effort to get back into control, and still others can easily slide into panic.  Others may just disengage and get depressed.

After my frustration last week I was reminded of three steps we can use in order to put ourselves back into control and move forward in spite of our changing plans.

1. Triage – Just like an emergency room nurse who must rapidly asses patients and determine who needs care first, we must assess what is truly necessary.  Our tendency in the face of change is to “stick with the plan” and try to accomplish all we set out to do.  Often this is not possible and instead we must perform a triage on our priorities.  In this case, simply ask yourself what is the absolute minimum that needs to be done.  In the case of a mom or dad, maybe it is just getting clothes on the children and feeding them before school.  Whatever the case, determine what must get done and simply focus on that.
2. Ask Yourself:  What can I control? – Sometimes all we can control is ourselves, and that is vital.  (see my post on How to Get into the Control Zone).  A technique I have found that works well for me is to stop and make a list.  In doing so I both put myself in control as well as conduct the triage step mentioned earlier.  Accordingly, I suggest making a list of your new priorities and what you desire to focus on now that your initial plan has changed.
3. Ask for Help –  We all need help at times.  For a mom or dad at home, this could  mean trying to get a babysitter to watch the children while you get your essential tasks done or putting a show on for the little ones while you get your essentials in order.  In a business setting, this can mean delegating out the essential tasks and load shedding items off of yourself.

I clearly remember a time in my squadron where our deployment plans changed and we had to react immediately.  I was impressed with the way that our commanding officer responded – he first determined what was essential, made a list of the essential items, and then delegated responsibilities as well as annotated tasks and deadlines for other people.  In this manner, we accomplished everything that needed to be accomplished within the short, stress filled window we were given.

Plans change, expect them to.  But let’s not react to our plans changing, let’s respond to them by first conducting triage, secondly asking how we can get back into control, and lastly, asking for help or delegating.  In doing so we can still meet our mission as well as keep our sanity.