Make Contingency Plans
Longtime blog readers know that I usually publish a Summer Fun List around this time. These are the activities that make summer feel like summer to me: beach trips, baseball games, ice cream.
This year much is uncertain. While some activities will be doable — like trail runs — others are not under my control. I can hope our local strawberry farms can open back up before the season is over but our governor hasn’t reached out for my opinion.
I’ve seen various “hot takes” on the internet that this year’s pandemic is forcing us to rethink our fealty to plans. I think this is an odd interpretation of all this; most people don’t plan very well as it is. Also, all of life is ultimately uncertain. This is not a new discovery. Plans are made knowing that sometimes plans must change. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth making.
I think the best balance is to hope for the best, but not to let our self-concept or happiness get tied up in any particular plan. We make our plans, and then also make contingency plans. Back when I was flying to give speeches (remember those days?) I would do this with travel logistics. I would plan to take a direct flight home to Philadelphia from Chicago on a Friday night, but if that didn’t work, I could see that Frontier airlines flew to Trenton on Saturday morning and I could Uber from there.
Likewise, if we can’t go strawberry picking, we can still make strawberry shortcake. If we can’t go to amusement parks, I can still do “Mommy Days” with each of the older kids doing special projects or bike rides or picnics together. This year we’re leaning on Option B a little more than usual, but I’ve had to change many plans in life before. I’m sure you have too. You find yourself at the Trenton Airport, having slept in your business clothes, but you still make it to the birthday party on time.
This article originally appeared in an email to my newsletter subscribers. Sign up here to join. For more work-from-home advice, check out my upcoming e-Book releasing July 21st.