Back in the day when I had a real job, my morning commute into the city was a great opportunity to plan, reflect and to arrange my thoughts into some form of cohesive whole. Since the proliferation of virtual working, that commute has mostly disappeared and it’s usually straight to the home office first thing in the morning with my coffee.
Now we are all familiar with the 6P saying – “Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance” but now that my regular commute has gone, I have a need to be way more intentional about my approach to planning.
Planning it seems is not overly recognized as ‘real work’ and is often seen by A-types as just another form of procrastination. Real work is where it is at. However, in trying to be agile and responsive to my client needs, time to plan is essential. Being proactive is essential, determining a client-centric way forward is essential.
Carving out time in the day to plan is never easy but it is necessary. This is where my dog comes in and her name is Olive. Olive is a seven-month-old Airedale Terrier, our second Airedale in fact. Airedales have been voted as the worst dog to have if it’s your first dog as they are ‘independent thinkers’ and if you don’t stimulate them, they stimulate themselves by eating through your drywall…
So every day I start off with taking Olive for a walk – usually between 3 and 6 kilometers which gives me up to an hour to consider the day ahead, allows me to decide on a direction for a particular client need and to reflect on progress to date. For sure I have interruptions like the other people and dogs that want to interact in different ways and of course Olive likes to vacuum up most of the poo deposited overnight by the local rabbit and deer population.
In these turbulent times it helps living in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where the scenery on our walks provides a sense of calm and perspective. It is a time to do my planning. It is a time to test and consider my client approach. It is a time to consider alternatives.
I’m not suggesting you go out and get a dog to become a better planner. Dogs are a huge commitment. What I am saying though is that you should carve out time in the day to think and plan. For me, Olive provides that incentive and reason to find the time…
Now we are all familiar with the 6P saying – “Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance” but now that my regular commute has gone, I have a need to be way more intentional about my approach to planning.
Planning it seems is not overly recognized as ‘real work’ and is often seen by A-types as just another form of procrastination. Real work is where it is at. However, in trying to be agile and responsive to my client needs, time to plan is essential. Being proactive is essential, determining a client-centric way forward is essential.
Carving out time in the day to plan is never easy but it is necessary. This is where my dog comes in and her name is Olive. Olive is a seven-month-old Airedale Terrier, our second Airedale in fact. Airedales have been voted as the worst dog to have if it’s your first dog as they are ‘independent thinkers’ and if you don’t stimulate them, they stimulate themselves by eating through your drywall…
So every day I start off with taking Olive for a walk – usually between 3 and 6 kilometers which gives me up to an hour to consider the day ahead, allows me to decide on a direction for a particular client need and to reflect on progress to date. For sure I have interruptions like the other people and dogs that want to interact in different ways and of course Olive likes to vacuum up most of the poo deposited overnight by the local rabbit and deer population.
In these turbulent times it helps living in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where the scenery on our walks provides a sense of calm and perspective. It is a time to do my planning. It is a time to test and consider my client approach. It is a time to consider alternatives.
I’m not suggesting you go out and get a dog to become a better planner. Dogs are a huge commitment. What I am saying though is that you should carve out time in the day to think and plan. For me, Olive provides that incentive and reason to find the time…