What hurts, more?

If getting things done involves more than one person, invariably it involves asking questions, seeking responses and responding. The greatest training I sense, we need, is for responding.

I've been not been the greatest responder born. Sometimes I've hated myself for the clumsiness I've displayed in responding. For a long time I never realized 'not responding' really really hurts. Even when, concurrently, I bore the brunt of non-responders.

But whatever I've observed, when I've responded well, I've gotten better at getting things done. Sure it isn't all perfect, and as responders all need to improve, I've had better luck with work when I've responded promptly and more decisively.

For politically motivated or game theoretically charged people, it's a different game. But even to understand that aspect of people and getting things from them, we need to respond in earnestness and monitor ourselves and their responses and then make our moves.

COCKPIT for regimentation?

A friend mentioned in a conversation that it's (Cockpit Planner) a regimented reckoner. And that it could kill the spontaneity and fun that comes out of anomalies or when things go wrong.

Early days for COCKPIT PLANNER, so am compelled to delineate what COCKPIT is/could be and what COCKPIT definitely isn't. And it would be clear to anyone who uses it for a few days.

So the lens here is regimented. This is what dictionary.com says about the word:

• to manage or treat in a rigid, uniform manner; subject to strict discipline.
• to form into a regiment or regiments.
• to assign to a regiment or group.
• to form into an organized group, usually for the purpose of rigid or complete control.

If there's anything that an enterprising individual, who's started small, needs, it is the ability to accomplish a lot of stuff every day. Surely more stuff than he was extracting out of himself while working for others' ideas. There's a lot of risk and he/she had better get things done before losing sanity.

COCKPIT PLANNER is based on certain universal activities. Activities that everyone, whether in a job or independent, has to do in a day's time unless relaxing in a resort. To that extent there's nothing new. However, in spite there being nothing new, I wonder, why do things don't happen? Why do people not respond? Why do ideas languish in a void for eternity? Why do goof-ups happen when finally there's some action? Why do ideas get mashed up into game-theoretical situations? Why do two guys don't respond to each other? What exactly do we think when we choose not to respect and respond and act? Why do we 'fail', if I just sweep everything under that one word? Can we easily observe that after having a great idea, on most occasions we don't sort of muster the intensity with which it should typically be chased into reality? 

I reckon regimentation isn't a negative word/concept. There's a positive side of regimentation. But let me here explore the negative side of it. Regimentation is more to do with how one is bound to a certain place for a given amount of time. If there's anything that's close to regimentation, it's the time-boundedness. COCKPIT doesn't strictly bound you in time. That is for the person using COCKPIT and those that he/she is interacting with have to figure out. 

COCKPIT simply reminds you to do the things that you have to do in a day's time and thereby ensure that the wheels of any idea(s) are moving towards the desired destination. Glance at COCKPIT once and you might get a trigger to do something little and important which otherwise would easily have skipped your mind.

There are too many things we are after. Amidst all the grandiose, this list of simple actions will just make sure that the day accounts for some progress towards the dream you cherish.

As regarding spontaneity, I have harbored extreme fears that I might end up being painstakingly deliberate. But every time, I've organized better and, as a result, felt more in charge and in flow with things happening around, I've been at my spontaneous best. How has it been for you?

Besides, there are guys who largely seem unorganized and have zilch of spontaneity or fun of any kind. Guess, planning and organization have very little to do with lack of spontaneity and fun. A better relation would be with sensitivity and curiosity. If one is sensitive and curious, with or without planning, one will discover innumerable little moments when one's spontaneity comes to one's aid and makes everything/every action richer.

Any thoughts?

P.S.: COCKPIT PLANNER design makes use of the grid pattern. GRID often = REGIMENTATION. But here grid is only to facilitate hand-writing. There's a DOODLE version too which does away with the grid but does the same function. That is, aid in reminding us of the important actions/interactions that we need to finish in a day's time. The sooner we finish, the more time we have to spend in the swimming pool.

Besides, 'grid' is one of the most interesting and vital philosophical concepts. Some other time. :) Thanks for the patience.

COCKPIT PLANNER Doodle Version

There are friends whose personalities don't quite match the grid-style design. And they doodle more than they plan :). For such people, here's the Cockpit Planner Doodle Version. As you see, it offers more creative freedom to use the A4 space.

If you think this version is more like you, just send me (sidsoni at gmail) an email with the subject 'Send me the Cockpit Planner Doodle Version' and I'll email the file right away. You can take prints for as many days as you like. And the same as I said earlier, the third page is the one you'd need the most.



Get into the Cockpit. Fly.

Faces first

This isn't rocket-sciencical. But looks like everything hasn't been discovered yet. Or at least doesn't come to mind until concretely seen so. Or doesn't come into practice until prompted/forced into that shape.

We always had the telephone book to look up people. And we always had the regular planner to note down the tasks basis time and date. And yet the two proved inadequate for me.

I realized I remember faces and names far more easily than I remember the tasks. To put it in another way, I've found directly trying to recall tasks to be tougher than recalling faces to recall tasks.

If you look at right hand-side half of the 3rd page of the planner format, it prompts you to recall the person you are going to interact with. Contact 'someone', Follow up with 'someone', Respond to 'someone', Discuss with 'someone', Meet 'someone'. The natural extension of those words is a 'face' or a 'person'.

Let me know if you concur.

Launching COCKPIT PLANNER

Long time back, on one of the professional networking sites (not sure if it's still working right now), I wrote in my profile description something to the effect, "Someday I would create something that would thrill every person on the face of this earth." That's hyperbolic, I know. But I really have something wonderful to share. Something that I have created and used for my own purposes, and that has helped me a great deal in executing things day after day. Something that will aid anyone bristling with ideas but needs a better grasp over things that one wishes to execute.

Here it is. The COCKPIT PLANNER. Have a look at the file. If you would like to try and use it to see whether it really aids you or not, go ahead. It's free. All you need to do is write to me at sidsoni at gmail.com with the subject 'Send me the Cockpit Planner'.

I will mail the file and you can take a print for as many days as you like. As you see below, the first page is the cover page. The second page has 'constants', things that you would constantly need to keep reminding yourself of and keep working upon. The third page is the one that will aid you day after day after day. You need to keep it to page-a-day and then take prints for as many days as you like. And suitably bind the pages preferably with a spiral or 'wiral'.

Hope it's self-explanatory. And hope you never lose sight of your dreams.



If you don't want to take the trouble of printing and binding, you can share your address with me and I'll ship the WIRAL BOUND COCKPIT PLANNER. The one that I ship will last you 90 days. You can inquire about the charges by writing to me or by calling me on 08140002228.

Mind you, there's no charge to use this planner if you can print and bind. I am in a hurry to help the enterprising individuals and all I thought while sharing this here is that you should start experiencing the benefits as soon as possible.

You would have a question: Why am I sharing such an important (at least it is for me) tool for free? It's simple. Even if I try to, I can't protect it from those who want to copy. It's a format. A very useful one but not necessarily something that can be protected in my name through copyrights or patents. While I am applying for the rights, it's virtually impossible to control a format. Also, I don't have the financial muscle to distribute. And like I said, I am in a hurry. I don't want to wait for the time when I can create channels of distribution for this product.

I want the enterprising individual to benefit. The sooner, the better.

Stay tuned. While this is an A4-sized Portrait aligned version, will introduce smaller versions too for those who want to slide such a planner in a small bag.

Get into the Cockpit. Fly.