“Prior planning prevents poor performance” is a common saying in the military and in project management circles.  However, adequate planning also gives one the benefit of having already considered the next three (or thirty) steps of a project when unexpected events are thrown in the way.  In our situation, we had always been tracking toward a March 2010 move to Sussex County, DE.  My plans were to keep the current job until that point, and then move and find new employment.  On the home front, we’d already taken the financial aspect of that plan into account.  On the work front, I’d been working with some key staff members to establish transition plans for the workload, which would minimize the impact on the daily operations of the team.

Then it got interesting.  Last week, I was notified that I’d be terminated from employment for “cost control” reasons.  Joy…  We had just received a good offer on the VA home a few days earlier, so the good news was certainly subdued by the job loss situation.  That said, after a few minutes of bewilderment, we took a critical look at the situation.  The quick realization was that it didn’t change our plans, just their timing.  The transition arrangements graciously provided by the company decreased our risk, and there was now plenty of time to focus on the next steps of our move: putting all of our stuff into storage, get the cats to my parents’ place, move into a temporary home, and make more concrete plans for moving.  Not to mention this is all going to happen over the holidays, with lots of travel and other events.  [We were also able to affect a solid transition of the job's workload, but this blog is focusing on the home front.  Suffice to say, this same planning mentality served the work transition as well.]

I strongly feel that every five minutes of planning for chaotic events during non-chaotic times is worth at least an hour during the chaotic event itself.  If you can realistically ask yourself “what is the absolute worst that could possibly happen?” and plan to those ends, you’ll be fully prepared to handle the bumps in the road as you hit them.  Even the major hurdles will seem small.

That’s not to say it’s time for fearmongering or considering end-of-days plans.  Although I worked very closely with a military-run Y2K program back in the day, I assure you we don’t have a bomb shelter with 20 years of canned food in the backyard.  However, take an honest look at what might happen in your future and then spend an hour or so planning what you’d do if they were to occur.  Would you sell your home?  Could you transition into a new job quickly?  Do you have three or more months’ worth of savings to cover costs while you transition?  If not, how soon can you get there?  Write down your answers and keep them somewhere accessible.  When you think of new ideas or questions, add them to the list – this will become your living “disaster plan.”  I assure you that being able to refer to such a plan – one that was made with a cool, logical head – will be incredibly comforting when you’re hit with an unexpected roadblock on your ideal path of life.

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