Triage

Measure thrice, cut once

Planning doesn't have to be some big drawn out meeting, I plan aspects of my life all the time almost subconsciously, it just kinda runs in the background. But developing this skill will give you the ability to jump on an opportunity when one appears.

Emergency medical professionals arriving on scene have to push down their emotions and prioritize the the most important things in saving peoples lives. Yes, it’s painful to have a broken limb, but when the person next to you isn’t breathing, that takes priority. In short this is Triage.

Financially it’s no different, remove the emotion from the equation and prioritize the most important thing for that day, week, month, quarter and year. Triage is so important as a skill for leaving the rat race that this isn’t just going to be a post about it. This is the start of a Triage unit.

Today you’re simply going to see an excerpt of my life and how I would triage a single day of many things happening. So here’s the breakdown of have to do vs want to do:

Yeah, quite a lot going on in a single day, but just seeing them on screen doesn’t really explain why and how I would rank these without some more context. So I’ll explain that now. The have to’s are well have to. But that alone doesn’t move them to the top of my list. In fact most of them have some time dependency built in. The recital is a set time, receiving the couch is a set time, irrigation is a variable time, but due to the other set time activities in the schedule I’m forcing it to be a set time at the end of the day, or just skipping it altogether, because it’s kind of a freebie. But the main thing to remember is they are have to’s because of time, not money. It’s also noteworthy that have to’s are going to happen whether you plan for them or not. So Triage is really just plugging them in and working around them. I actually don’t consider have to’s a part of triage planning because they’re happening either way. It’s just a baseline to setup the rest of your day.

Now the easiest thing on the list, also time slotted, and a have to was help mother-in-law. It’s low hanging fruit and also had to be done, so I knocked that one off the list first thing, 7:30 - 8am

After that is where the real matter of planning comes in and the real secret to Triage. The have to list is even a little bit flexible but almost all of the have to’s are a time suck and not necessarily a money one. Once i’ve established the timeline of the have to’s:

Recital at 1pm, Couch at 2pm those are the only hard wired scheduled things left. Irrigation is variable as is micro greens, but since the micro greens are here at the house and not everyone is up and doing stuff, I do those when everyone else is getting ready, eating breakfast, etc. so about 8:30 - 9am

So now I can weave in everything else around them. Life is full of time related tasks that tend to rule your life. Now im going to mention something here. I’ve learned with experience that several of these will be right on time and some will not, the recital will in fact happen at 1 that’s not up for much wiggle room. The couch delivery will almost undoubtedly be later than what was advertised, it always is. The irrigation is also later than when they tell me, every single time. So I keep other people’s flaws in scheduling in mind.

This day is unusual for how many “have to’s“ there were scheduled and that’s why I included it. Most days have just 1 or 2 real have to’s. The real point is that I don’t love having a day of have to’s, so when I can schedule a lot of them together I do. I scheduled the couch delivery for the same day as the recital, the irrigation just kind of popped up as a bonus. I should also mention I have left out all of the daily chores like laundry, housekeeping, bill paying, etc. I expect most people can fit those in or worst case scenario handle them tomorrow.

Now on a daily basis my first thing after the have to’s are handled is where the real Triage happens. There’s various good intentioned things on the list, but only one that has an immediate ROI, and that is sell the dog house. It’s the only cashflow positive thing on the list that I have control over today. And really I shouldn’t say sell the dog house but “list the dog house”. I kind of loath Facebook marketplace for the insanity that it is, but I can’t deny that it gives me the greatest chance of making cash income TODAY.

The dog house was my parents, before my dad was killed in an accident and my mom got ALS, so I got the dog house as a decluttering gift. It’s actually a better than average dog house. And it retails quite high. Also a funny note, but the dog never really used the house. He got in a few times, but it just wasn’t for him, so the thing is practically new. I see it regularly listed over $225 all the way to $450, but being lightly used Im good to take as low as $150 for it, I had a slew of people already try to buy it as obscenely low prices. One offered $60, and it would be absolutely stupid to sell at that price.

I will list for $175 and I’ll likely get that $150. Now here’s the reason to spend so much time covering the dog house. As it is fairly close to “free money” as one can get, I will not use it for mad money or anything else. It’s going into a special fund for purchasing cash flowing opportunities. Every chance I get on a daily basis I want to put income towards cash flowing opportunities. Im not crazy about perpetuating the soda or candy craze, but there is a local coke vending machine for sale for $600. I’ve seen it and it is in great working condition. I just have to decide if I want to do that morally. I drink soda too and that’s actually the part that I don’t sweat as much. It’s more the fact that I know that on top of people’s free will to consume things that aren’t great for them ( I do it too) I know they are paying horrible retail for it. At least if you’re going to do something unhealthy, don’t pay through the nose for it. Still debating, but that’s just one option.

Back to the list, and this is where Triage, changes natural behavior to modified. I know that building my portfolio takes time but it also gives me a better chance at a higher paying role. ( I should quickly clarify that I usually don’t need a full time job, as I have some streams of income but more importantly almost no bills, so life is kind of on auto pilot to an extent. But the conundrum comes in the form of home loans. My wife and I are ready to build the dream house on our farm that has been a very long time coming. But getting a home loan, even with substantial cash in the bank and some constant income, is not as easy and secure as having a full time job that does the heavy lifting. I wish it were different, but it’s not so I am returning to the job market for a little while). However, applying for new roles, which also takes time is a quicker path with a more immediate chance of returns. So for today, even though I would rather build my portfolio, I’ll do the tedious work of applications and resume building instead, because that’s what triage tells me is the better odds.

Not everything on the list will get done, but I will attempt to get the most important ones done. Now of all the things left I look at them and say what puts money or time back into my pocket by completing them and I do those first, that’s what triage is. The most important things give time or money back to me and that’s what determines what I do.

This is just the high level overview but it’s a good introduction and hopefully it helps you to better organize the day. I also factor in weather, events, chores and what is most likely to be accomplished. Sometimes I have tasks that I can do but aren’t critical. If I can hire those out I usually will. I attempted to do that with the fencing on the property. I need to get 5 acres all wired up and im short on time. I hired some high school kids who did the first part well but completely failed on the second part. So now it’s either do it myself or find better help. Experience tells me that good help is in very short supply, so I will likely do it myself. Complete money saver and time waster. But sometimes that’s the only good choice left.

I’ll do a small follow up just to explain how this planned day turned out tomorrow.

April 27th, 2025