26 May 2017 What a 90-Year-Old House Can Teach Planners
Just three weeks away from moving into our new office here in Raleigh, we’ve learned a lot of lessons about planning in a very hands-on sort of way. The hand-drawn timeline that we started with (thanks to our wonderful general contractor) appears almost laughable in hindsight, and yet if we hadn’t begun there, it’s likely that we would be three months away from move-in rather than three weeks.
Lesson 1: Making a start, no matter how imperfect, will always beat waiting around for “perfect.”
Start. Just start.
Several things that were not on the initial plan got added during the renovation process. For instance, we were initially going to keep the original windows, and yet after watching the progress for some time, we realized that we would rather give up something else so we could prioritize having new, working windows put in in case we wanted to open one for some reason (perhaps to enjoy a breeze or for emergency egress?).
Lesson 2: Like renovating an old house, planning for your life is always active, requiring you to pay attention to your values and priorities as they evolve, and make decisions on the fly to capture opportunities.
We re-prioritized so we could get all new windows.
As we close in on our move, the sense of excitement seems to increase on a daily basis here in the office as we hear from clients and neighbors about their excitement. Getting to watch the progress over the last few months has been a treat, despite the moments of angst that pepper any renovation. And somehow having gotten to see the change happen over time will make the final product that much more fulfilling.
Lesson 3: The idea of planning is not simply to get you to some destination on time, whether it’s retirement, or the beach house, or starting a new business. Instead, it’s the process of making incremental adjustments to the present, here and now, that will accumulate and build up to that destination such that when you get there you will have not simply arrived, but lived along the way.
Plan to stay present. Remember who matters.
We can’t wait to keep doing what we do best in our new digs, helping people worry less about money so they can live more fully in each day, with the people and experiences they love most. We’ll keep you posted about logistics and any parties we throw, but we must stress at the outset that you are always welcome. Whenever you’re in the neighborhood, make 1633 Glenwood one of your stops.
