We made it our routine to write a retro and a planner every Sunday/ @ weeks back, on a Sunday, I was doing exactly that – Planning for the next week. The main highlight for the week is the video I will be posting. It was on the essay by Isaiah Berlin – The Fox and the Hedgehog.
I was especially looking forward to posting the video because I wanted this to be my first animated video. For the past two weeks, I spent my time putting my drawing and animating skills to use – making a total of 20 five second animations.
It was there when I realized my mistake – but it was far too late. I was complacent and I didn’t check whether the animations could have been exported with a transparent background. That was unexpected variable no. 1.
Unexpected variables number 2 to 4 were simply places to go that unexpectedly showed up. My father’s birthday lunch, and meetings at my Church.
I’ve read and heard the phrase “Things don’t usually got according to plan.” multiple times. However I never really understood it’s meaning until now. And so began my research on What to do when unexpected things disrupt your plan.
So what is the answer? The framework I came up with is called: FLEX. It stands for:
F: Focus
L: List
E: Expect Obstacles
X: X-Factor Plan
Let’s go deeper into each one of them.
Focus (Your main goal of the week)
Each week, choose one main go to accomplish at all costs. This is your “primary goal”, which you will prioritize above all tasks, It’s basically you “Even if nothing else happens, I will be glad I did this” task
For example, editing and publishing this video on YouTube.
This primary goal helps you stay grounded if things don’t go according to plan. You know exactly what to accomplish and you don’t have to get distracted and sidetracked by other tasks.
List (Action Tasks and Optional Tasks)
In each important task, there are some “extras” that can be shaved away. For example, when editing a video, you may choose to experiment with a new editing style – this of course takes up a lot more time.
This step in the framework is to simply make a list of optional tasks that you can shave away to save time.
Expect Obstacles (Buffer Time and Limits)
The most common yet simplest mistake we make in planning is not expecting obstacles and variables. Therefore to counter this, ask yourself:
- What might delay me? (e.g., animation bugs, family plans)
- What days/hours are already tight?
- Where can I build buffer time? (like 1 free day or 2 “light” afternoons)
Expect and add appropriate buffer time – this will help you have enough time to prepare in case of any problems.
X-Factor Plan
This is what many call “Plan B”. – In case your main goal cannot be achieved for some reason, you can always have a plan B!
You can do this by pre-defining a “Mini-Goal” you can pivot to in case you cannot achieve your main goal. For example, for whatever reason, I am away from my computer, so instead of editing a video, I shall write my next script!
Sometimes we drift away when a critical variable occurs. This step is to ensure that you don’t feel that your week is wasted when that happens.
Conclusion
I find it very ironic that I had to make a “plan” to make plans. – I suppose that shows how meticulous planning should be. The FLEX framework helps you make small plans efficiently – it’s especially useful in crossing over unexpected variables and obstacles.
I hope you found this blog, very useful – I post a blog every Friday – so stay tuned1