Flexibility: The Key to Successful Planning

Sometimes you come across people who are so strict in their planning that they do not accept last-minute changes. They cling so tightly to what they have on the agenda that they get stressed if there is a last minute change, even a small one.

I have dealt with this type of personality on many occasions, and this past Saturday is a recent case in point. I had to arm myself with a lot of patience, applying self-control to be able to cope with the situation and not let myself be carried away by an aggressive emotional response to what happened.

I put it in context: about two weeks ago I went to a hairdresser of an acquaintance, so that she cut a little the ends of my hair, I'm letting it grow and I always go so that my hair does not lose the shape the cut. Then I made an appointment with the hairdresser to have a hair surgery treatment to give my hair shine and less volume. She gave me an appointment for Saturday at 8am.

Last Wednesday I reminded her by messenger that I would go on Saturday at the agreed time. Friday night was when she texted me back, confirming that she was waiting for me at the salon. Everything was normal.

On Saturday I got up early to prepare breakfast, to be ready at 8 am for my appointment. But one thing is what you plan and another thing is what can actually happen in that time. In other words, everything got so complicated that by the time it was 7 am I knew I wasn't going to be ready to leave at 8 am. By the way, the salon is only two blocks away from my house, but I knew I would not have time to leave at the appointed time.

I told my son to lend me his cell phone to send her a message notifying her that I would not arrive at 8 am, but half an hour later. This was with the intention that she would not think that I would not go to the appointment. Among the things that happened to me that morning was the lack of communication on my cell phone because it had filled up its memory and did not allow me to open any application, but that's another story.

Between setbacks and unforeseen events that day the last thing I could do before leaving was to wash my hair to get ready. I applied three shampoos to make sure my hair was completely clean. And when I got rid of everything I left home at 8:30 am, but first I took the bottle of hair treatment that I was going to apply, leaving the shampoo because I had already washed my hair, but something like an "internal voice in my mind" told me to also take the shampoo, but I left it anyway.

I quickly walked the two long streets that separated us and when I arrived at the hairdresser's, the first thing she said to me, after greeting us saying good morning, was: "you are missing your shampoo". I told her all alarmed: but I already washed my hair!... and she answered me very seriously: no, I have to wash it myself, the quality of my work depends on a good shampoo. So I had to go back for the shampoo, regretting on the way that I had not listened to the "little voice inside my mind".

On the way back, a little tired from the double walk, I was getting ready to wash my hair again when the hairdresser started to say that she works planning her time, that her time is worth gold, and other things that in the end I didn't even pay attention to. I let her talk, let her vent, at the end of saying everything she had accumulated and after a brief silence I told her very calmly but with character: look my friend, the best thing about planning is that it is flexible, it is subject to any change, to any unforeseen event that may occur. Thank God it is flexible, and whoever does not want to understand that this is so or does not know how to plan or reprogram, that person does not want to live happily because he or she will be complicated in the face of eventualities that cannot be controlled, in the face of these unforeseen events the best thing to do is to reprogram because a good planner in the face of any eventuality only rearranges and reprograms. So, my friend, I did what I had to do, I gave an hour's notice that I was going to be late, and here I am, after having to go through many eventualities to get there and I even walked twice as far. For the rest of the morning, the subject was not touched anymore.

At the end of the day I ended up with beautiful hair because the best thing about her is that she is good at what she does and she takes great care to do a quality job. That's why I always come back to her. I hope to God that I don't have any kind of eventuality at the next appointment and I know I have to bring shampoo so I don't have to walk twice as much.

And you, how do you plan?, are you rigid in your own planning?, I look forward to reading comments, thank you.

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pictures from unsplash.com