How Can We Assess Risks to Solve Both Today's and Tomorrow's Problems?

This is Johanna Rothman’s June 2026 Create an Adaptable Life Newsletter. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this newsletter.

We have no end of problems to solve or manage these days. Some problems are “today” problems, where we have an immediate need to solve that problem. In the Eisenhower Matrix above, that’s the “Do It!” box.

Some problems are “tomorrow” problems, where we know we need to do something before they become “today” problems. We often think we have more time to solve these problems, so we schedule them. (That’s the upper right quadrant.)

Then, there are the Not Important problems, that bottom row. I can almost guarantee that too many of you spend your working lives in that row, and not the upper row. (Let me know if I should address that in a future newsletter.)

But that upper right quadrant, where we want to schedule how we manage our risks? Too often, we think we have more time to solve those problems than we really do. I suspect that’s because many of us feel consumed by our “today” problems.

Simple Problems Offer Relatively Easy Solutions to “Today” Problems

For simple problems, we often have multiple options to manage the “today” problems. Here are some examples:

I use a rollator to manage my risk of falling. If I didn’t, I would not just have a “today” problem, I might cause myself serious injury. That’s a “tomorrow” problem.
We have a well-stocked pantry and freezer, so we can make healthy meals without thinking too hard. That’s how we manage the “today dinner” problem without having to plan too much in advance. That helps us manage our “tomorrow” potential health problems.
We monitor the gas/electric levels in our cars, so we always know we have sufficient energy to get to where we need to go.

Assuming we have the means, all of us solve our simple “today” problems without needing too many options. But complex problems often need different framing in terms of constraints and seeing into the future.

Complex Problems Create Constraints on “Today” and “Tomorrow” Problems

Here’s a complex example: how to fund updates to the physical plant for town schools and when.

My town’s tax dollars fund the schools. So when the school committee decides it needs a tax override to update the schools, there’s plenty of reaction, both for and against.

But, here were the facts:

Some school buildings had not been updated in about 40 years. The teachers say that they teach differently and need different kinds of classroom space because the students need to learn differently. (That’s a “tomorrow” problem because that problem does not cost us, the current taxpayers, any kind of penalty. It’s a penalty on the current students that they will have to overcome.)
The problems are not limited to space. One of the big issues is that the schools have ancient HVAC systems. Those systems are a “today” problem, because the ongoing costs are high.
Worse, most of the old schools did not have air conditioning. That has implications for how long the students have to stay in school in June. (My town starts school after Labor Day. If we have a bunch of snow days, the schools often need to stay open until the last week of June to get the required number of instruction days.) This is both a “today” and a “tomorrow” problem. If the students are too hot, does it make sense to make them go to school? What about the teachers? Do we lose our accreditation if the schools do not stay open?

Then, there are the various risks and constraints around capital and operational money. Add in the timing issue of when the state will match or give a specific town more funds, and the constraints seem to define the problem for “today” and “tomorrow.”

The Future “Tomorrow” Problems Create Uncertainty

But we have more constraints: How far can we see into the future to manage the risks of solving the “tomorrow” problem we see today?

We know about the “today” and relatively close “tomorrow” problems—maybe for the next five years. But we cannot tell much about population decline and people moving in/out of the town. That’s why “tomorrow” problems that require buildings are so difficult to solve. Will we need the same solutions in five or ten years that we do now?

That leads me to this question: Are we actually solving “today” problems, and not “tomorrow” problems? Are there other ways to manage the risks?

We tend to build school buildings as if they will last for decades. Can we break that constraint? Sure, we have to build the outside so it will stand for decades. But is there a way to manage the interior of the building so it has more flexibility? What would that mean for the HVAC systems, windows, and the various classroom capabilities? (I have no idea. But I do know this: what worked for me—or for my children—during our school years is definitely not adequate for today’s students.)

We should have started solving these “tomorrow” problems a few years ago. But sometimes, change feels slow. We don’t recognize we need to change until Something Happens. That’s when we realize the “tomorrow” problem has arrived and needs to be solved “today.”

How long should we solve “tomorrow” problems for? Even a decade from now is just too uncertain for specific planning. We don’t know enough. Big “tomorrow” problems are big bets.

The Bigger the Bet, the More We Need to Measure

Unfortunately, school upgrades are a big bet. We have too few measurement options that make sense for that big bet. We have to commit too early to solve those problems, and we measure too late.

But we can ask questions as we proceed, so we don’t arrive at that future with a great “today” plan, but a totally inadequate “tomorrow” plan.

Here are some things we might measure:

The yearly town census helps us see the relative ages of people and when/where people move. That might offer information about student population.
Instead of big-bang “let’s do all the schools now” planning, create an ongoing plan to update the schools more often, especially on the inside.
Consider ways to reduce risks by moving some of the “tomorrow” planning to shorter, smaller “today” plans. (I have no idea how to do that yet.)

We feel the urgency of “today” problems. Our big challenge in our lives is to make sure the “tomorrow” problems do not become “today” problems before we are ready to solve them.

What should we measure to know when the “tomorrow” problem becomes a “today” problem? How can we make more continuous, smaller, and shorter plans so we can readjust as we proceed? That’s a huge problem for buildings. Not as big a problem for our lives. And that’s good news. Because we can solve our personal “tomorrow” problems much more easily than my town can solve its school problems.

Announcements…

I am happy to report that Effective Public Speaking: How to Use Content Marketing With Stories to Show Your Value is available on my store in ebook and audio. (The audio will only be available on my store.) I have also distributed the ebook and print books to all the usual stores. Pick up your copy today!

Simple Problems Offer Relatively Easy Solutions to “Today” Problems

Complex Problems Create Constraints on “Today” and “Tomorrow” Problems

The Future “Tomorrow” Problems Create Uncertainty

The Bigger the Bet, the More We Need to Measure

Announcements…

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