Plan your life and career with ABZ planning framework — Nr. 116
Plan your life and career with ABZ planning framework — Nr. 116
Issue 116: If we don't plan, we plan to fail. But a rigid plan won't work for this unpredictable life.
Life is unpredictable. Want to make a rigid plan? It won't work. We can't predict the future. But having no plan doesn't make sense either.
I've faced this dilemma before. For instance, should I build my own business or join a big tech company like Meta or Google?
That's where ABZ planning comes in. I learned about it from Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn. The framework involves three plans: Plan A, B, and Z.
Plan A: This is your primary bet. Maybe you want to go to school or open a restaurant. Plan A is what you're optimizing for at the moment. For example, my Plan A is to become an entrepreneur. I will invest my time in working on Plan A.
You want to optimize your time for Plan A. Plan A is the most viable option. However, nothing in life works as expected. This is why you need a Plan B.
Plan B: If Plan A doesn't work out, you can pivot to Plan B, which ideally should be somewhat related to Plan A. For instance, if my goal to become an entrepreneur fails, I will consider joining a company for a stable income.
If you're doing well with your Plan A, exploring new topics or areas as Plan B is often a good idea to give you more options in life. This is because Plan B may present bigger opportunities.
Plan Z: If entrepreneurship fails and I cannot find a job, my worst-case scenario is finding freelance work or helping my wife with her work, although that's not ideal. However, at the very least, you won't be homeless. This is Plan Z. It's a plan to ensure you're not suffering even in the worst-case scenario.
Prompt for you:
What’s your plan A, B, and Z? Take a piece of paper, write it down.
Tell yourself a story.
Well, that’s it for this week!
One quote to ponder
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin
PS You’ve made it down here! I’m going to tell you about this Cat.
PPS On my last trip to Kyoto, I heard about a famous cat in the park. So I go to the park, and I found the cat. I’m unsure if this is the cat people are talking about. But here’s a cat I found in the park:
Books I’m reading:
Anything you want — Derek Sivers
$100M offers — Alex Hormozi