517: How to Plan in 2020?

June 30, 2020·

Steli Efti,Heaton Shah

Read time

2 min

AI-Generated Summary

Published Dec 21, 2025

Key Takeaways

✓Crisis Planning Cycles: Shorten planning timelines from quarterly to weekly or daily during volatile periods to enable faster adaptation when new information emerges.
✓Decision Making Framework: Make decisions with imperfect data rather than waiting for certainty - execute quickly, measure results, then adjust based on actual outcomes.
✓Mental Flexibility Strategy: Embrace uncertainty by developing willingness to abandon plans mid-execution when circumstances change, treating adaptability as a core business skill.
✓Worry Management Technique: Channel energy into actionable tasks instead of worrying - if you can influence something, act; if not, accept and focus elsewhere.

What It Covers

Steli Efti and Heaton Shaw discuss how startup founders should adapt their planning strategies during 2020's unprecedented volatility and uncertainty.

Key Questions Answered

•Crisis Planning Cycles: Shorten planning timelines from quarterly to weekly or daily during volatile periods to enable faster adaptation when new information emerges.
•Decision Making Framework: Make decisions with imperfect data rather than waiting for certainty - execute quickly, measure results, then adjust based on actual outcomes.
•Mental Flexibility Strategy: Embrace uncertainty by developing willingness to abandon plans mid-execution when circumstances change, treating adaptability as a core business skill.
•Worry Management Technique: Channel energy into actionable tasks instead of worrying - if you can influence something, act; if not, accept and focus elsewhere.

Notable Moment

Shaw describes adjusting from hour-by-hour planning during early pandemic chaos to day-by-day during civil unrest, showing how crisis intensity dictates planning horizons.

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