Train into the net

Be fully prepared for when things go wrong

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to train into the net. True time management
masters create a resilient schedule, one in which life can

(00:25):
keep moving forward even when things don't go as planned.
In my forthcoming book Big Time, A Simple Path to
Time Abundance, I talk about becoming the ring master of
your life. When people say my life is a circus,
they usually mean it's chaotic, But this is a slander

(00:48):
against circuses. An actual circus is incredibly well organized. Performers
do their tricks precisely, often executing things in sea within
a fraction of a second. There is no question where
anyone is supposed to be or when the logistics are incredible.

(01:10):
We should aspire for our lives to be like a circus.
But there's another part of this metaphor, which is that
acrobats and other performers usually perform over a net. The
idea is that if something goes awry, the outcome isn't terrible. Now,
to my mind, a net is a net, But when

(01:32):
I have spoken with professional acrobats, I've learned that is
not the case. The net needs to be precisely where
they expect it to be. They also train into the net,
figuring out how to land in the net so that
they don't get injured. In other words, the net isn't
an afterthought at all. It is a very carefully considered

(01:55):
part of the program. I think this is wise, and
yet contrast this with how many people think about their schedules.
Maybe we think casually about what might go wrong, but
we don't really think this through. We just trust that
things will go right, and most of the time they
probably will. But I think this assumption is the source

(02:17):
of a lot of chaos in people's lives, or leads
to people thinking certain things just aren't possible. For instance,
have you thought of a backup option if your car
won't start and you need to get somewhere. Have you
thought about who will pick up your kids if you're
stuck in a traffic jam. Have you thought about what
you'll do if the power goes out in your house

(02:39):
in winter, or if your Wi Fi goes down right
before a major virtual presentation, if your spouse's flight home
is canceled, what are you going to do If you've
got young kids and you really need to be somewhere else.
Are all of your backup plans readily available? And does
everyone in your life know how and when to switch

(03:01):
to Plan B now? I will admit that thinking through
all the bad things that can happen can make one
seem like a pessimist, but I like to think of
it as more rational optimism. You certainly hope things will
go well, just as a professional acrobat has absolutely no
intention of missing a normal trick in a performance. But

(03:25):
you just don't know. Maybe the guy on the other
trapeze who is supposed to catch you has a sudden
fainting spell. Best to have a net and train into
the net so you can go on with the show
in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

(03:47):
here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for
listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

(04:12):
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