It happens every year shortly after the UK’s Daylight Savings Time kicks in.
I’ll be out on a walk after 6pm and realise it isn’t dark anymore. I’ll notice there are flowers in bloom among the trees. Spring is arriving!
I’ll then make a beeline to the pharmacy to pick up hay fever tablets.
I spent enough years thinking “I’ll wait until the allergies arrive” to know that my body and spring don’t get on. And with some simple preventative steps, I can avoid weeks of discomfort.
Although the example may feel trivial, the lesson is plain to see because of the direct cause and effect relationship between pollen and allergies.
Being a few steps ahead makes a big difference. Especially when the problem space is complex, nebulous, and where a direct relationship between variables hasn’t been established.
By proactively getting ahead of the problem, we can avoid headaches down the line.