The Domino Effect [Why Most Plans Break]

If you have ever played or watched dominoes, you already understand a powerful productivity lesson.

When the pieces are lined up perfectly, one gentle push creates a smooth chain reaction. Everything flows. It feels controlled, efficient, and deeply satisfying.

But there is another familiar scenario.

You are still setting up the domino line when one piece is accidentally nudged. The entire structure collapses before it is complete. The time feels wasted. The effort feels pointless. And the frustration often outweighs the actual loss.

This second experience mirrors a common productivity mistake: planning our days like a tightly stacked line of dominoes.

The Domino Effect in Daily Planning

Many professionals plan their days back to back. Meetings are stacked one after another and tasks are scheduled with no breathing room. On the surface, this looks efficient. In reality, it is fragile.

Productivity research refers to this as over-scheduling or tight coupling. When tasks are tightly linked, a delay in one creates a ripple effect across the entire day. Since uncertainty is inevitable, emails, emergencies, and overruns easily disrupt this structure.

What starts as a small interruption quickly turns into a ruined day. Not because the work is impossible, but because the plan had no resilience.

When a tightly packed schedule falls apart, the brain often interprets it as failure. Stress rises, focus drops, and decision making becomes harder.

Ironically, the desire to maximize time often leads to less meaningful output.

True productivity is not about perfect execution. It is about adaptive execution.

How High Performers Plan Differently

Experienced, high performing individuals do not aim for flawless days. They plan for realistic ones.

• They plan for flow but expect disruption

• They build buffers to counter the planning fallacy

• They respond to interruptions calmly rather than emotionally

• They reprioritise instead of rigidly sticking to a broken plan

• They focus on progress over completion

This approach aligns with proven frameworks such as agile planning and Getting Things Done. These systems are built around flexibility, regular review, and adjustment.

The next time your plan gets interrupted, pause before reacting.

Ask yourself:

• What still matters most today?

• What can move without real consequence?

• How can I adapt without frustration?

Productivity is not about controlling every variable.
It is about staying effective when variables change.

Plan less like dominoes and more like a system designed to bend without breaking.