Run more parity checks

In computing, a parity check is “ the process that ensures accurate data transmission between nodes during communication “. In other words, it’s a simple test that will help make sure that the data being sent is the same as the data being received and that nothing was lost along the way. They’re imperfect checks, but they’ll catch (and help to fix) many potential errors.

We need more parity checks in our lives too.

The week ahead…

I’ve talked a good bit in the past about my process of running a “weekly preview” every Friday. It’s where I look at what’s coming up and try to catch any scheduling issues before they become a big problem.

In recent months, though, I’ve added one small thing to it. After I’ve looked at the week I send two simple emails — one to my wife and one to my business partner — with a quick outline of what’s coming up. Here’s an example:

The main benefit of those emails is simply to make sure we’re aligned on everything approaching next week, and 90% of the time all is smooth. However, on a few occasions they’ll write back and point out a conflict that I might have missed, such as “ Why is that meeting on Thursday? We have that other thing on Thursday. “ Discovering that a week ahead of time is much better than scrambling to solve it on Thursday morning.