EPISODE 042 - Organisation: What if the plan doesn’t work out?

Michael Seidl: Welcome to a new episode of the Get Shit Done in IT podcast. My name is Michael Seidel. And today we have maybe a little surprising topic. So it is, what if a plan doesn't work out? And some of you might be curious because this episode should have been out three or four weeks ago. And some of you already contacted me on several ways. Thank you for that. So that means you really listen to the podcast and you miss it when it's not out. So to all those who haven't noticed it, this episode is overdue three or four weeks. Okay. So I made a break for three or four weeks. There was no episode the last three or four weeks, I think four weeks. And this is also the topic I want to talk today because in the last 41 episodes we always talked about how to be more productive, how to increase productivity, how everything should be and now we talk about how is reality. So to make it short I just wasn't able to produce an episode. So the last episode was mid-February it was right after Experts Life India. because I was so overwhelmed by the feedback and all the people and I wanted to share that with you, the spirit, the mindset. And I did an episode in India, in Hyderabad, and that was the last one. And then I wasn't able to produce, to get at least one hour to produce the following episode after I arrived back from India. And... The podcast usually, as you might know, it will be published in English and German. Episodes are around 10 to 15 minutes. And I did an episode a few months ago that I need around one hour to completely produce one episode. So in two languages, record all the videos, cut it, publish all the social media stuff and so on.

Michael Seidl: It takes around one hour for each episode. If I do bulk production, it gets a little bit less per episode, but around one hour. And after India, I wasn't able to at least get one hour of my schedule to produce an episode. And real talk, I do a lot of community stuff. As you might know, if you follow me, I do a lot of conferences, like in India. So it took me five days to travel to India, do the talk, to travel home. Everything's for free. Everything's for community. I do a lot of blog posts. I do a lot of podcasts usually. I do videos, LinkedIn lives, and so on. So I think in my opinion, I do a lot of community work. But also to be true, to tell the truth, community doesn't fill my table. I need to do some work stuff, so I need to earn money. And after India, I had some customer projects, had some unpredictable customer projects, some... maybe some tight timelines, some unpredictable projects, unpredictable stuff. So I just wasn't able to find one hour to record the next episode. I thought about it, maybe I can do it on the weekend, but then have to cut that time away from family time and from the kids. This is also very... Hard to do because usually weekends are for the family and also one hour

Michael Seidl: It's very hard for me to get that out of the time because I do a lot of work and other stuff and there really needs to be a really urgent thing that will take some time off from the weekends. So that wasn't an option as well.

Michael Seidl: story short, just wasn't able to do it. And I really was pissed off for some days because I made it nearly one year to have an episode every Monday out every week. I recorded an episode, but I just really was pissed off because I wasn't able to do it in three weeks ago. But after a few days, I was good with myself and just told myself it is okay and I also decided not to record a session the following two weeks because I had some other of course other projects and things to do and it would be tough so I decided to stop for three weeks and it was one of a very good decision to be honest because the pressure was then removed from my mind, from my to-do list, whatever. Because I really thought and decided with myself, I pass the podcast for at least three weeks. And I also decided three weeks ago that today on Friday, March 14th, I do it in the evening, recording the next episode. So that was already planned three weeks ago. And it really helped me to... put away that pressure to produce an episode, to continue the the period, the times, every Monday, and it really helped me to focus on other things. And that was, in my opinion, a good decision. So I wasn't able to do it. The other option would be every day I stress myself to record, to record every day, every day. But this, I think, had... would make me very unhappy. So I really planned, I thought I wasn't able to do it, then I removed the pressure from myself, I planned it for next three weeks on this Friday, and that was a very, in my opinion, a good decision. And that's what I wanted to show. Every 41 episodes in the past was about success.

Michael Seidl: was about productivity, was about how to improve, how to not fail and everything. And now we talk about how I failed or maybe how I maybe not failed, but how the best plan can go wrong if something unpredictable is happening and what, at least in my opinion, can be the best way to react. So I decided Okay, it will not work. I replanned it with a lot of time in between. So I don't want to put that pressure again. And I learned that those things can happen. You cannot... The best plan cannot help you for any unpredictable things that happen. The only thing is what you can do is accept. and live with it and replan your schedule. And that's the reason why we do that session today. Because I always talk about how to be more productive, have a plan, everything. But also, I'm failing. There is something unpredictable. And that's fine. It's just how you react to those situations. And that's what I wanted to talk and wanted to show today. I hope you also liked that session. hope you will still enjoy the podcast. Also with the break of three or four weeks. Right now, the plan is to continue the schedule. every, every Monday, there will be a new episode and I'm comfortable. I'm good that it will happen, that we keep your back on track for the schedule. every month there will be an episode. I was really happy and surprised, positively surprised that some of you really noticed that there was no episode on one Monday, the first one. I had really a few contacts with me on LinkedIn and asked me, hey, what's happening? Is there a technical issue or why don't get the episode? So really want to thank you for this. It really shows me that

Michael Seidl: at least not even a year this podcast is in your schedule you might get something out of it so thank you very much for this and to really say thank you to this I have one personal thing before I do the to say goodbye who might follow me on LinkedIn or see me on the video right now you see I have some nice hoodies from Automator of course It is very basically branded, so you're not an advert running around. It's just basically branded. Really good quality. So all of our customers and partners really like it and love it. So we decided, I decided to give away some of those hoodies for free on any place in the world. So it doesn't matter where you are. If you are in Austria, in Germany, in the US, in India, in Australia, whatever, I will send you package with the hoodie. The only thing you have to do today is March 14th. I did a LinkedIn post today at 8 a.m. Central European time on March 14th where I showed some photos of the hoodies, every color, and you have to comment with your size and your color you like. And then I will throw out, I will... Throw five of those comments and I will send you the hoodie. Maybe we will do more than five because there's a lot of comments right now on the first day. So let's see. So if you want the hoodie, a free hoodie, a really good looking, nice quality hoodie with a small ultimately brand, just very small, then go to that post on March 14th, 8 a.m. in the morning Central European time. Make a comment with your favorite color and your preferred size and one week, so on March 21th, maybe on Friday, maybe on Saturday, I don't know, whatever time is fine. I will get five or maybe more of those comments and you will get a free hoodie within a few days after that. Okay, so go to that post.

Michael Seidl: command with your favorite color and your size and you have the chance to get one of those really nice looking hoodies. Okay, that's it. So next episode is about to be more productive but today it was about how to work with if something doesn't work out. That's also part of being productive and get shit done. So I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know. Right now, it's time to say goodbye, at least for this week. So enjoy your week. Stay productive, and bye-bye.