Calibrate your expectations to reality

The email came late on Thursday that school was having early-release the entire following week. In an instant, the work plan was in question. The dance and negotiation began of who had capacity to do pickup and who had immovable meetings in the late afternoon. We made a plan and knew the week would be tough, involving more screen time than normal. We had no choice but to adapt and accept.

I, like most business owners, have high expectations of myself and big goals for my business. Each week, I review what needs to be done from the to-do list, preparation required for meetings, and the tasks on my plate on the home front. I prioritize as each week starts with the best of intentions and the energy to take it on.

As the early-release week wrapped up, we were exhausted, but had survived. The kid was remarkably respectful of the challenge we faced and did not interrupt too many Zoom calls. As I looked at what I had accomplished and what was still on my list, I was disappointed. I did not feel I had moved the needle and my expectations for myself, and the week were not met.

The disappointment of a week with the kid home each afternoon was a good reminder that I am not calibrating my expectations to reality. I need to lower expectations when the week has constraints that will not allow me to achieve everything I would like.

As you go through your week kick off process, it is important to calibrate your expectations to reality. As I have worked to put this into practice, I have identified three factors to take into consideration when mapping out the week.

Constraints

Identify constraints in your week that will diminish your capacity. Those constraints come in many different forms. More meetings than normal, a meeting requiring more prep than typical, a project deadline, the furnace getting replaced, increased home front commitments while your partner travels, or a reduced school schedule create constraints on your week. Whatever constraint you see in your world, take that into consideration on how much you can take on for the week.

Out of your control

There are always things that need to get accomplished that require other people or resources. Those factors are out of your control. They are not always available when we want to get the work done. As you review your plans for the week, identify what items have elements out of your control. Avoid setting yourself up for disappointment when you know that it is a long shot that the prospect will get the paperwork back to you before Friday.

Energy

An important aspect of setting expectations is aligning them with your energy. If you are starting your week rested and rejuvenated, you will get more accomplished then returning to your desk after an exhausting weekend. Often after a big push or exhausting week, we lack the energy to keep performing at the same level. Setting expectations for a recovery week where less output is required will prevent end of week disappointment.

No week goes exactly as planned. There are always unexpected events or circumstances that you cannot anticipate. But there is also a lot that we can plan for and take into consideration when we set our goals for the week. While I continue to struggle with setting my expectations too high, looking at these three factors each week has helped. The key is to calibrate based on reality not based on the best-case scenario.