When Life Rewrites Your Calendar: Flexibility, Leadership, and the Year Ahead
This December did not start off as planned.
On paper, it looked beautiful. I had a color-coded calendar, end-of-year projects mapped out, and quiet space reserved for writing, reflection, and planning for 2026.
Then my husband’s shoulder surgery landed right in the middle of it.
It was “minor” surgery, the kind you reassure people about. In reality, it meant pre-op appointments, hospital time, caregiving, pharmacy runs, very choppy sleep, and the emotional weight that comes whenever someone you love is in pain.
My carefully shaped December suddenly looked like a puzzle with pieces scattered across the table. Some things had to move. Some had to be postponed. A few simply needed to be released.
In the middle of it, I remembered a quote often attributed to Dwight D. Eisenhower:
“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.”
For a few days, my beautiful plan felt almost worthless. The planning, however, is what allowed me to adapt instead of collapse.
When life “breaks” your plan
If you lead a team, a business, a project, or a family, you already know this truth: life does not ask your permission before it disrupts your schedule.
A sudden illness. A reorganization. A key person leaving. A family emergency.
The question is rarely, “Will something disrupt my plan?” The more useful question is, “How will I respond when it does?”
My husband’s surgery became an unexpected leadership lab. I had to:
Renegotiate commitments with clients and partners
Ask for help, which is easier to coach than to practice
Redefine success for the month, from “doing it all” to “doing what matters most and caring for my people”
The planner in me resisted. The human and the coach in me knew it was the right call.
Planning for 2026 with reality in mind
As you look toward 2026, you may already be sketching out goals and commitments for your work and your life. I hope you are dreaming boldly. I also hope you are planning with reality in mind.
A few questions that helped me reset this month:
What matters most, even if everything else shifts?
If your calendar is a room, what belongs in the center, not on the edges?Where can you build in “shock absorbers”?
Can you leave some white space around major deadlines or design a simple backup plan for key tasks, so one disruption does not knock everything over?How will you treat yourself when plans change?
Many leaders are kind to everyone except themselves. When my plans shifted, I heard the familiar inner voice, “You are behind.” I am practicing a different message: “You are adjusting. You are prioritizing. You are human.”
Designing for agility, not perfection
In leadership, agility is not the absence of structure. It is the ability to bend without breaking.
As you plan for 2026, you might experiment with:
Naming a few non-negotiables. What will you protect even when life gets complicated (for example, one weekly focus block, movement, sleep, or a key relationship)?
Creating “Plan B” before you need it. If one project or trip is delayed, what could move forward instead, so you still feel momentum?
Sharing the load. When your team, colleagues, or family understand your priorities, it is easier to re-prioritize together when something unexpected happens.
My husband’s shoulder is healing. My December looks different than I expected, but it is not ruined. Some projects have moved to January. Some will be woven into a more realistic and humane 2026.
As you look ahead, consider these final questions:
What are you excited about building in 2026?
How will you create space not only for progress, but also for the surprises and detours that will inevitably arrive?
When life rewrites your calendar, how do you want to show up as a leader for yourself and for others?
Our calendars are tools, not verdicts. Leadership is rarely about executing a perfect plan. It is about staying grounded in what matters, even when life hands you a very different script.