The Importance of a Backup
The Lean Creativity framework has a very specific way to approach everything. One of the problems with having a solution to everything is that if you fail at an attempted solution, you're sort of just left with nothing for a while. An example would be, that Lean Creativity suggests hiring someone to prepare your food for the week. It's along the lines of having a growth mindset, and that the time gained, will help you pass the threshold wherein it is no longer expensive. However, what happens when the person you employ leaves? You can either cook for yourself or find another person. The ideal within the framework is to find another person, so that is why a backup is important. So when the individual you are employing, or plan you are implementing fails, you have something to fill in, in it's stead.
The Backup rule of 1/4
The backup rule of 1/4, is that you have someone, or something that you offer the work to a 1/4 of a time. In the example of food, someone will cook 3 weeks out of a month, and your backup will cook 1 month out of the week. Let's say you are using a barber, make sure that the fourth time every time you use the same, different barber. This "different" barber will act as your backup.
It's a simple rule, yet incredibly effective.
In the absence of a Backup, or Main.
Sometimes a backup person or plan is not an option. In that scenario, you will have to roll up your sleeves and accomplish the task yourself. An example, going back to food, you might not be able to find a backup cook. Or, your main cook might have left, and now you are left without a backup cook. It is important to keep these scenarios in mind. Therefore, what you want to do, is have a contingency plan in place. What I do, is I have an incredibly simple meal plan in the event I can not find a main (e.g. cook) or a backup. It's something like chicken and broccoli, or chicken, and sweet potatoes. Or, I'll just order out. So it is important to keep in mind, that this will most definitely happen. and having a plan available ahead of time is the only viable option. If you use this framework and do not have a backup plan ahead of time. you will have a bad time trying to scramble.
Aggressively get back, always!
This is something I learned the hard way. Lean Creativity suggests never use a home office unless you absolutely have to. Well, long story short, I was no longer able to use a particular WeWork office space. So, instead of renting my own self-service office space, I decided to work from home for 2.5 months. While I was productive during this time, I did get into arguments with roommates around the house as I was trying to build a business. They were trying to relax and have fun, which is absolutely normal, but it seriously affected my productivity. Soon thereafter, I decided to aggressively get back into a self-service office. So lesson learned, "aggressively get back, always!".