At work, things come up….a look at the schedule shows you are severely understaffed, personnel issues, unexpected problems with the computer or clients.

Last week, my schedule was not blocked off for a meeting. I started my afternoon 30 minutes behind because the meeting ran late. Despite my moving people around in the am, a computer glitch allowed those slots to be refilled. Ultimately, I was scrambling…first to reschedule my after noon in the am when I caught the problem, then deal with the fact I was double booked anyway. I felt overwhelmed and frustrated. This led me to reflect on how many “fires I fight” – How many unexpected issues I deal with and how many of them could be prevented.

50% of what “goes wrong” could be prevented or planned for. Preventive steps: Blocking my schedule for meetings when they are scheduled. Checking the schedules a week before, making adjustments earlier, and giving the computer people time to correct “glitches” that would prevent double booking. Comnunicating with everyone doing the scheduling about the meeting, asking not to book the slots, and explaining the computer glitch not allowing the appointment holds.

I have these lunch meetings 1-2 times a month and it is not the first time this scheduling issue has come up. I have a plan now of how I can prevent this in the future.
How many issues do you deal with on a regular basis can be prevented with planning? Decide to prevent some of the fires or have a plan for when they happen. It helps to manage the frustration and helps things run smoother.