 |
| Anticipate |
Anticipate
Knowledge of specific situations and the expectations, skills, and limitations of yourself and others often allows you to manage events in order to reduce the potential for encountering related problems.
Anticipate social needs
If you know that a person is liable to be cranky on Monday morning, why not arrange for low demand activities on Monday and wait until Tuesday to announce a new project? If you can predict that a teenager will ask to use the family car on the weekend, why not ask him/her to take it in for a tune-up and a safety check earlier in the week? That way you have some assurance that the car is in good working order, and the teenager has a vested interest in keeping it that way. If your spouse likes to go out for dinner on special occasions and an anniversary is approaching, why not make reservations at a favourite restaurant?
Anticipate physical requirements
The last time you went for a hike you ended up with feet that were wet and sore; why not shop for better hiking boots and socks before you venture forth again? There is always a possibility that your computer will crash with the loss of important computer files; why not get into the habit of creating back-up files? The last time the power went out you had difficulty finding a working flashlight, why not purchase a handcranked flashlight and store it in a convenient location in your home?
In engineering, it is standard practice to calculate the required strength of elements in a structure and then to build components with double or quadruple those strengths. The extra strength provides a ‘factor of safety’ to allow for unexpected stress and loading. Most major systems on the American space shuttle are built in triplicate so that the ship can continue to function even if a main system and its first backup have failed.
Anticipate the reactions of others
Driving a car provides lots of opportunities to avoid problems through clear thinking. Even though other drivers are supposed to follow the rules of the road and make reasonable decisions, they often do not. They may be forgetful, distracted, unskilled, or simply discourteous – but in many situations, after observing the behaviour of the drivers around you for a few seconds, you can predict that they are going to change lanes, turn, stop, or make some unusual manoeuvre. This type of anticipation and planning can help you avoid problems on the road before they occur.
Knowledge of specific situations and the expectations, skills, and limitations of yourself and others often allows you to manage events in order to reduce the potential for encountering related problems.
Anticipate social needs
If you know that a person is liable to be cranky on Monday morning, why not arrange for low demand activities on Monday and wait until Tuesday to announce a new project? If you can predict that a teenager will ask to use the family car on the weekend, why not ask him/her to take it in for a tune-up and a safety check earlier in the week? That way you have some assurance that the car is in good working order, and the teenager has a vested interest in keeping it that way. If your spouse likes to go out for dinner on special occasions and an anniversary is approaching, why not make reservations at a favourite restaurant?
Anticipate physical requirements
The last time you went for a hike you ended up with feet that were wet and sore; why not shop for better hiking boots and socks before you venture forth again? There is always a possibility that your computer will crash with the loss of important computer files; why not get into the habit of creating back-up files? The last time the power went out you had difficulty finding a working flashlight, why not purchase a handcranked flashlight and store it in a convenient location in your home?
In engineering, it is standard practice to calculate the required strength of elements in a structure and then to build components with double or quadruple those strengths. The extra strength provides a ‘factor of safety’ to allow for unexpected stress and loading. Most major systems on the American space shuttle are built in triplicate so that the ship can continue to function even if a main system and its first backup have failed.
Anticipate the reactions of others
Driving a car provides lots of opportunities to avoid problems through clear thinking. Even though other drivers are supposed to follow the rules of the road and make reasonable decisions, they often do not. They may be forgetful, distracted, unskilled, or simply discourteous – but in many situations, after observing the behaviour of the drivers around you for a few seconds, you can predict that they are going to change lanes, turn, stop, or make some unusual manoeuvre. This type of anticipation and planning can help you avoid problems on the road before they occur.
