🗝 The key is flexibility
Ep. 71: On surviving first contact, the delight of a winter squall, and a tribute to a longtime member of Ithaca's running community.
Most of the snow from last Sunday’s storm melted during the week. A timely squall struck just a half hour before we were to leave the house for the Winter Chill 5K yesterday, making for interesting travel and a far more festive run with snow-covered sidewalks. As it was snowing, I said, “Well, a squall wasn’t on my bingo card today.” A timely introduction to today’s commentary piece.
A Tip for the Modern Worker
Speak up. See something you think can be improved? Speak up. Witness a wrong that should be righted? Speak up. Need something, like training or tools, to make your work life easier? Speak up. You may not get the response you're hoping for, but speak up. Silence is consent.
This tip is one of 365 in my Handbook for the Modern Worker. As I’ve grown in my career, I’ve gotten far more comfortable with speaking up. Design is a subjective space, but it’s also filled with research-based heuristics. When I see something that’s not optimal, I say something. You can disagree while still being diplomatic and sensitive to others. It’s far better than the alternative.
#365DayDraw
I drew this and wrote the accompanying annotation as part of my #365DayDraw project 7 years ago today.
Can you see like I can see?
Either this creature has perfect vision, albeit compromised by a lack of stereoscopic vision, or it’s got the world's biggest contact lens. Nowhere to hang some nice Warby frames on them, no. Fun fact: normal contacts are between 13 and 15mm, but you can score these 20mm contacts if you want to look like a Disney character.
Commentary
Of the aphorisms that Alan Ritchson’s Jack Reacher puts out there in the eponymous Amazon Prime series, this is by far my favorite:
No plan survives first contact with the enemy.
The quote is attributed to Helmuth von Moltke, who wrote a military strategy essay in 1871 that, albeit not as concise as above, held the same sentiment. Amy was telling me about how lesson planning was going for school, and how it was hard to plan very far out. I dragged out this quote and we both thought it was very relevant.
Think about how this quote applies to non-military life when the “enemy” is the weather, your boss, your clients, the general public, or anything else you interact with.
A road is closed due to a downed tree.
Reroute.Your dinner plans are thwarted when the place is too full.
Pivot to takeout.The power goes out just before you sit down to relax with a show.
Light a candle and share a glass of wine.The carpet you just installed is fraying horribly.
Contact the company to get a warranty replacement, though it means moving everything out of the living room again (this one hits close to home)
Chess has so many permutations that you obviously can’t plan your whole game. Practice helps you learn to deploy tried-and-true patterns as you play, but things change minute-by-minute. The key is flexibility and exposure to a variety of conditions. You adapt in the moment, make your best strategic play, and then be prepared to jettison your plan if the landscape changes.
When I think about my everyday routine, even that changes dramatically. Seldom do I look back at the end of a day and see it has played out exactly as I imagined in the morning. Adapt, be flexible, and think on the fly.
The last, highly visual example is from last weekend, moving my son into his residence hall in Boston. We pulled up, double parked, and saw this fence surrounding the building’s front door.
Turns out the adjacent building has a passthrough to his building on the second floor. So one walkup, a traverse, and two flights by stair or elevator put us where we needed to be. Good stuff.
Miscellanea
Amelia Habicht died on January 5. She was a local athlete and a long-time member of Finger Lakes Running Club. I was always inspired by her grit and determination as I shared race courses with her after she suffered a stroke. Please watch her 2014 TEDx talk about stroke recovery at Ithaca College. Rest in peace, Amelia.
Determination is powerful beyond measure.
– Amelia Habicht
In an abrupt emotional U-turn from the above, the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm is coming to Max on February 4. I’m a fan, so happy to see this installment coming. Larry’s quote at the end of the trailer sums up his character rather well:
I really did my best under the circumstances of a person who hates people, and yet, had to be amongst them.
– Larry David