A client I worked with refuses to think about anything beyond today. He won’t plan because he knows that sometimes things change, so why bother? But that leaves his team in total chaos, unable to work toward any common goals.
The worst problem with being Future Blind is that it leaves no margin. In other words, with my driving friend, he’s far more likely to have an accident because he leaves no space to maneuver in case someone else slams on brakes, or crosses over into his lane.
The client’s team can’t compensate for outside changes, because the leader had no plan to begin with.
If you suffer (even in the slightest) from being Future Blind, I recommend you start looking beyond the moment. Stop scrolling on social media, stop focusing just on what you’re doing right now, raise your eyes, and look ahead.
What’s tomorrow look like? What happens if things go wrong? What about a Plan B?
It’s a good argument for scheduling a personal planning session at least once a week. Take a few minutes to reflect on the upcoming week, meetings you have scheduled, and the tasks you have to accomplish. Then, fill out your calendar or schedule with that in mind.
Focusing on the present is important when we’re doing deep work, but every once in awhile, it’s a good idea to come up for air and look around.
If nothing else, it makes it far more difficult to be caught off-guard.
This article about the dangers of being future blind originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
