Last week I was working with a group of people in major transitions. Lost their business income, family situations in peril. Trying to get control of work in a soup of conflict and real life.
We worked to get them on-track to be able to manage both the existential overhead and their work. Because the best system we can build doesn’t prevent these life surprises, but more that they help you respond to them elegantly.
Three Types of Events
Life brings three kinds of events:
Foreseen events:
You know they’re coming. Quarterly reviews. Tax season. Your spouse’s birthday. Annual maintenance.Partially (Kinda) foreseen events:
You know they might come, but not exactly when or how. Someone gets sick. A client calls with a problem. Your car needs work.Unforeseen events:
They arrive like lightning. A family crisis. A business opportunity. An accident. A layoff.
Most people build systems for the foreseen events only. Then they’re shocked when reality intrudes.
