Planning More

Due to factors entirely outside of my control (and, admittedly, a few within it), I may be going on something of an adventure in the not-too-distant future. The adventure itself isn't going to be an issue. It's not going to be too big of a deal. And if the adventure doesn't happen, the situation stays normal. What's really killer is the uncertainty. Not knowing what's going to happen, specifically whether the adventure will happen or not, means not being able to plan. Or rather, it means having to plan more.

See, I can plan for the adventure, whether the adventure is going to happen or not. I can make preparations. I can do some things to prepare. I can come up with plans and ideas for how it's going to work, whether the adventure actually ends up happening or not. I can justifiably let some preparations go to waste, and some of my preparations can be repurposed. I can get ready for something that might not happen, and if it happens, I'll be glad I was ready, and if it doesn't, it won't matter.

Of course, I also have to plan for what I'll do if the adventure doesn't happen. Those plans will have to be flexible, as I may end up having to change or abandon them, but the same principle applies. I'll make the adventure plan and the non-adventure plan, I'll try not to commit to either plan until I know which way we're headed, and then we'll find out which way the wind blows.

Life is full of uncertainty, and sometimes that means having to change or abandon plans, and that causes some people to call into question who useful plans are in the first place. If you know your plans will need to change and you'll have to improvise later anyway, why bother making plans? But I say that it's good to have plans and back-up plans. It's good to consider multiple likely possibilities and to have plans in place for each of them. Sure, it means that some of your prep time will be wasted, but planning is good practice for future planning, and regardless of the outcome, you'll be glad you had a plan. Besides, some prep work can be repurposed, regardless of what plan ends up happening. For instance, I'm developing a skill which might become essential, but which otherwise will still be handy to have. I won't consider it a waste if I don't end up needing this skill on any adventure. Simply having the skill is its own reward for developing it, no matter what happens regarding any "plan."

So, if the face of uncertainty, I plan to plan for a variety of possibilities. I'll make Plan As, knowing fully well that they rarely go perfectly, Plan Bs, knowing that they rarely go quite the way we expect, and Plan Cs and Ds, time permitting, in case something truly unexpected happens. It's good to keep such plans loose and flexible. But even in the face of uncertainty, I plan to plan. If fact, for me, uncertainty just means planning more.