5 tips for adapting to changes in your schedule

They say there are only two certainties in life. Death and taxes. But I would argue in the modern world we should include a third. Change.

Whether you’re someone who thrives on change or a self professed ‘change phobic’ we need to face the fact that there will be changes to our schedule. This means we can set ourselves up for success so that when plans change we are able to adapt with the minimum of effort and stress.

Here are 5 tips for adapting to schedule change.

1. Anticipate the change.
Take it as a given that there will be change. Then try and gague how much volatility you need to accommodate on a regular basis. Over time you’ll notice patterns that will help you plan for the most common disruptions.

For example, in our house there are two things that commonly happen at the last minute. The most common is my Irishman having to travel at the last minute and he away for one or two nights.

The next most common occurrence is having last minute guests for dinner.

2. Build a backup plan for the most common changes.
Once you know the most common occurrences, you can think about backup plans that will allow you to adapt. This doesn’t need to be specific. Just a general idea of what you’ll do.

Back to my examples. Given my Irishman often needs to travel, I make sure at least one or two of my protein types each week have a long shelf life. So if he does go away, we can leave them for the next week. A couple of steaks in the freezer, some cryovacced meat in the fridge, dried lentils or unopened packages of halloumi or tofu. I do the same with veg. Some are short shelf life like bags of baby spinach and salad leaves. The others are long shelf life like carrots, cabbage and celery so if we don’t need them they will last until the following week.

In the case of unexpected visitors, I usually get at least 24 hours notice so I know there will be enough time for someone to drop by the supermarket or go to the butcher to get whatever we need. So it usually works out fine.

3. Don’t choose all perishable or short shelf life foods.
By including some produce which will last for longer than a week like cabbage, cauliflower, zucchini, cucumber, carrots, celery, broccoli etc it maximises your flexibility because it doesn’t matter if you leave them for the next week. Same goes for protein. Look out for cryovacced meat, tofu, halloumi, or frozen protein sources. Canned and dry legumes and lentils also add a comfortable margin of safety.

4. When unexpected changes do happen, perform a little ‘home food preservation’.
When your plans change, have a quick look in the fridge to see if there is anything that is going to go bad before you’ll have a chance to eat it. It only takes a few minutes but can make a massive difference to your waste levels.

We’ll cover the options for home ‘preservation’ in much more detail next week but for now think about whether you can freeze the ingredient for later. Or whether partially cooking it will help prolong its life.

5. Have some fun with it.
Sometimes the best cooking discoveries happen when you’re under pressure 🙂

Back to: Master Your Meal Plan Overview.