Creating an Exit Strategy

How to Fight Procrastination By Preparing for the Worst (& the Best)

The journey to prosperity can be quite a long one. And it’s the same as any other trip we take. There’s a lot of planning that needs to be done beforehand, and it’s most likely that we’ll want to be prepared for everything, including the worst. An exit strategy is the business equivalent of an emergency fund. It helps us manage our risks, have peace of mind, and gives us something to fall back on in case things don’t turn out exactly as we wanted them to.

One of the main reasons I recommend developing a good exit strategy is because I know how important it can be at ensuring confidence in facing uncertainty.

Do you want to change jobs or careers? Are you thinking about moving? Are you considering a change to your relationship status? All of these transitions can be big and scary, but they’re completely manageable if we’ve done our homework.

When thinking about changing jobs or careers, having a plan is crucial.

Of course, we can’t be prepared for absolutely everything. If we approached life that way, we’d never get anything started. But, it’s also important to consider the fact that change often comes with fear and anxiety.

The negative scenarios we think up in our heads can easily be events that are likely to happen. Often, they stem from a, more or less, rational analysis of the situation we’re in. But regardless of whether they may happen, it’s important to face them instead of giving up before even trying.

When heading to a new destination, you’ll need to consult a map.

When taking a journey from point A to point B, we need to think it over, outlining each of the steps and obstacles we need to get through. The main advantage of creating an exit strategy is that it actually gets us going. An efficient plan will prevent us from stalling in our current familiar (but not right) state.

Leaving a comfort zone is quite a challenge. But, it shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as we’re ready to pay the price. This cost can be anything – from financial funds to time, to loss of relations, learning, or anything else.

So how do we prepare for changing career paths?

If you’ve made the decision that you want to change your place of work for one that’s more in line with your values, or if you’ve decided to change careers altogether and dedicate your time to something that will feel more fulfilling, you’ll need to cover the following questions in your exit strategy.

What will I do if I stop working at my current job?
How will I earn money?
How much do I need in order to cover my existential needs?
What should I do to ensure I have this?
What are the problems I might run into?
How do I react when I’m in a jam? How would I like to react instead?
What can I do to prepare for better reacting to unforeseen circumstances?
What’s my end goal? What is the effect of my exit strategy? What’s its purpose?
How much time do I need to enact my plan?

You can use these or similar questions in other life situations as well. They’ll work for leaving a relationship, finding a new employer, changing the type of services or products you offer, or any other form of change. The whole point of an exit strategy is to control the events we fear may happen (in case they do).

In addition to this, when embarking on a journey, it’s not a bad idea to ask yourself how you’ve prepared for all the good things that are about to happen to you. Some people tend to focus so much on the bad that they don’t know how to react to good outcomes. This is why I suggest that you complete your exit strategy with the following questions: