Act on the facts

When I got up this morning, I didn’t feel like going to the “Y” and
exercising; I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. I didn’t feel
like getting my annual physical this afternoon; I would rather do
anything than get pricked, probed, and pinched by people I barely know.
This evening I didn’t feel like writing this article; I wanted to curl
up with a great novel I’m reading and stop thinking about Y2K for a
while.

I could have done all those things, but I learned a long time ago
that acting on my feelings is not usually productive or prudent. So, I
walked hard for 40 minutes on the treadmill (while reading my novel),
got my annual physical and am sitting here writing.

Perhaps when it comes to Y2K, you don’t feel like preparing. Maybe
the novelty has worn off and you’re tired of the whole thing. (Man, can
I relate to that!) Maybe you’re having second thoughts because of all
the positive news in recent weeks and don’t feel that it will be a big
deal. Maybe you’re a little embarrassed about preparing because all your
friends think you’ve gone off the deep end.

My advice: forget your feelings. Do what you know is right. Act on
the facts. And the central fact you need to remember is this: While
agencies and companies are reporting good progress, very few are, in
fact, compliant. And if there’s one thing we know about programmers, it
is that they are overly optimistic — 73 percent of all corporate
software projects are late or are abandoned all together.

Until the vast majority of systems are reported compliant, tested,
and certified by an independent third-party, keep doing what is prudent
and responsible. How are you doing on your Y2K preparation checklist?
What areas still need attention? What can you do today to make sure that
you have your contingency plans in place?

Something is better than nothing

OK, so you’re convinced that Y2K will result in some level of
disruption to your lifestyle. You want to start preparing, but the task
seems so overwhelming. You want to do it right, and so it’s easy to put
off until you have more time or money. As a result, you may find
yourself procrastinating. If so, remember this: you may not be able to
do everything, but you can do something, and something is better than
nothing.

As you begin preparing, you need to keep three things in mind:

1. Begin immediately. There is a lot less time to prepare than
   you may think — at this writing, only 88 days. Moving from the
   “thinking about it” stage to real action is the most important aspect of
   any preparation plan. Therefore, like the Nike ad says, “Just do it.”

2. Work incrementally. Don’t worry about doing everything all
   at once. It will make the task seem too daunting and may cause you to
   get discouraged and quit. A little bit each day and each week is much
   more realistic and effective.

3. Prepare in community. Don’t go about it alone. Form a
   preparedness group
   and let the division of labor work for you. This way you don’t have to
   become an expert in everything. One person can be put in charge of
   researching food preparation, another water treatment, another
   alternative sources of heat and light, and so forth. Working with others
   will make the task seem less daunting and provide you with the
   opportunity to do more than if you try to prepare alone.