Use This Strategy to Plan Priorities Rather than React to Demands
As I scanned my fall calendar earlier this week, all I could think was, “Woah, there’s a ton on there.” An all-company meeting, several client engagements, coaching youth football and softball. And on top of all of that, we’re doing a house project. I felt a sting of anxiety…and then said to myself, I’ll find a way to make it all work.
But I’ve realized that pattern of thinking may not be so healthy. It means I will have to sacrifice many of the things I value most in life to survive the demands. So, I’ve decided to shift instead to a pattern of forecasting my needs.
You see, with enough foresight, I can plan for my priorities rather than react to my demands. So can you. And when we do, we’ll prevent the desperate pleas for help. Reduce the need for emergency self-care. Mitigate burnout and nervous breakdowns.
In my last article, I wrote about my client who began taking time each morning to reflect on the priorities of the day ahead. Let’s take that even further to consider how we could reflect on the months ahead to ensure we are the best version of ourselves.
Demand Forecasting Your Personal Needs
According to financial experts, Demand Forecasting for your business is the process of making estimations about future customer demand over a defined period, using historical data and other information. It’s important to do this to plan, budget, optimize capacity, and improve communication.
For example, in 2001 Nike estimated it lost $100M USD in sales of its popular Air Jordan line because it didn’t properly forecast the demand. Meanwhile, it overstocked low-selling shoes, forcing the company to implement heavy discounts that reduced profits.
Since then, Nike has implemented a demand-sensing strategy where they use predictive data to optimize their sales and inventory.
We don’t need to be Nike to do this. We can just do it by sensing what the demands will be on our schedule in one to three months and taking one of three steps to plan our priorities rather than react to demands:
- Decline. Rather than sending someone a last-minute request to reschedule, decline as far in advance as possible. Sense what will be going on that day based on other meetings, deadlines, and the conditions of your life. Simply send a simple message like, “I’ve realized I won’t be able to attend this meeting based on the demands of that day. Let’s reschedule for the future or find an alternative approach.” Declining isn’t limited to meetings. It could be declining responsibilities or roles that are not in alignment with your goals or that won’t allow you to do or be your best.
- Delegate. It’s so much easier to enlist support from others when they have enough time to respond and prepare to help. Use this as an opportunity to develop someone else who might not have had the opportunities you’ve had. Or simply get things off your plate by finding some person or organization that can do it for you or with you. Try to release your desire for control and your feelings of self-importance that it can only be done by you, or that it will “just be faster if I do it myself.”
- Designate. Place specific holds on your calendar for the things and people that matter most. Mark days or times that will be used for connection, restoration, thinking, and more planning. This only works, of course, if you honor the designated blocks. So stick to it. Go get that massage. Make the time for the walk. Don’t let your future stressed self rob your current thoughtful self of what matters most.
Just do it. Do the demand forecasting to be healthier, and do what matters most.
When will you start to strategically plan priorities?
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