Anticipatory Thinking: Why You Need to Ask, “What’s Next?”

Like most Canadian kids who grew up in the “Great White North”, not only did I say “eh” and “aboot” a lot but I also idolized Wayne Gretzky.  Gretzky, nicknamed, “The Great One” has been called by many “the best hockey player who ever lived.” What’s remarkable about Gretzky was that he wasn’t blessed with any of the physical attributes that you would expect from one of the greatest player ever. He wasn’t the fastest, strongest, or most physically skilled, but what he did have was incredible intelligence and proficiency at anticipatory thinking that was second to none!  You see Gretzky was always anticipating where the puck was going to be which meant he was always at least a step ahead of everyone else.

More on “The Great One” in a bit, but seeing as how this blog post is about anticipatory thinking, I’m anticipating that you would probably like a proper definition of anticipatory thinking, so before we go any further…

A Definition of Anticipatory Thinking

According to Michael Kallet, author of Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills:

“Anticipatory thinking is a way to stimulate thinking about consequences and related tasks that you may not have initially contemplated. Basically, it entails asking what’s next. What’s after that? What will happen if I do this? What might happen if I do this or say this” ¹

You can think of it like this, how many times have you said to someone, “if you say that, then I am heading for the hills because you will get you’re a** handed to you!” or “if you do that, so-and-so won’t be happy”.  The idea is that rather than issuing those warnings in the first place, to instead ask “what is going to happen if you do/say that?”.  That way it will cause the person to do a little critical thinking regarding the consequences of their impending action.

Hmmm, I’m anticipating that you would probably like some real-life examples of anticipatory thinking, which brings us to the next section…

Some Real-Life Examples of Anticipatory Thinking

To better explain the concept of anticipatory thinking let’s take a look at some examples of how it is used successfully in real-life situations.

Architects

One profession who is constantly using anticipatory thinking is architects. Thinking about what you may want down the road can save a lot of pain and heartache later. For example, if you may want to put a pool on the roof in a few years, you will likely need to add more support for the structure now.

Boy Scouts

Talk about using anticipatory thinking, if an organization whose motto is “Be Prepared” doesn’t use it, I don’t know who does!  When those dudes go camping you know they are looking ahead to the weather, so they make sure to bring the appropriate clothing.

Driving

When we are in our cars, “most of us” do a great job at anticipatory thinking and answering, “what’s next?” real-time. I say “most of us” because I live in Miami and there are some really awful drivers here that I would call reactionary rather than anticipatory.  Anyway, Kallet does a good job of demonstrating how driving is a great example of anticipatory thinking when he says:

“But think about all the anticipatory thinking you do when driving your car. You’re looking ahead at people in a crosswalk, at the possibility the traffic light might change to yellow or red; and at the cars to your left and right, in back and in front of you, and at the intersection, anticipating the possibility that someone might do something stupid. When you do this, you’re thinking—even in your automatic mode—about all the things that might happen next.” ¹

This shows that many of us are good at anticipatory thinking, we just need to do it more throughout our lives by asking the question…” what’s next?”

Speaking of what’s next, I’m anticipating that you are curious about some places that you can use anticipatory thinking in your life…

Where to Use Anticipatory Thinking in Our Lives

Here are some suggestions for where we can use anticipatory thinking in our lives:

(1)  When a new task or assignment is given to you

It is much easier to perform a task if you know what is expected and what may follow. For example, if you are a computer programmer you need to use a specific format or syntax. Knowing that ahead of time can save a lot of time rather than realizing it after the fact and going back and reformatting everything.

(2)  When adding a new responsibility or task to your plate

Oftentimes things are added to our plates without giving thought to how they will affect our current workload. Or when you start a new job, asking “what’s next?” can help you prepare yourself mentally for what’s to come.

(3)  When interacting with customers

Whether you are in sales, project management or any other type of business role, you always want to keep the ball moving forward. Figuring out what the next step will be is a great way to do this so that everyone is clear on roles and responsibilities.

(4)  At the end of meetings

Many meetings end without action items or follow up meaning that things may slip through the cracks. To prevent that from happening be the one who asks, “what’s next and who is accountable for what?”

(5)  During prioritization

When you are using any of the prioritization tools that we have discussed previously in this blog, it is definitely important to do things in the right order by asking “what’s next?”

Wait, I have a sneaking suspicion that you are anticipating that I give you some specific exercises that you can use to make anticipatory thinking actionable in your life…

Some Exercises to Start Using Anticipatory Thinking

No worries, I got your back! Here are a few quick exercises that will help you do a little anticipating:

(1)  Be That Person in Your Next Meeting

At the end of your next meeting be the one who says, “What’s next?”

(2)  Email Anticipation

Before you hit send on your emails, think about whether there will be a “What’s next?” email after that one.  Then ask yourself, “Can I combine them into 1 message?”

(3)  When You Get to Work

As you create your to-do list for the day, arrange it in order of importance, this will necessitate your using anticipatory thinking in the process.

(4)  When Someone Asks You to Do Something in Your Everyday Life

Whether it’s at home or at work, make sure to ask, “what’s next” to help make sure you are doing the right things in the right order.

Before we go, you are probably anticipating that I will close the loop on the Wayne Gretzky story from the intro…well, you would be correct and…

If You Are Ever Lucky Enough to Meet Wayne Gretzky…

…do not try to tell him that anticipatory thinking cannot be taught!

In his autobiography, which of course I have read numerous times, Gretzky credited his ability for being able to anticipate so well to his father’s coaching abilities:

“Some say I have a “sixth sense” … Baloney. I’ve just learned to guess what’s going to happen next. It’s anticipation. It’s not God-given, it’s Wally-given. He used to stand on the blue line and say to me, “Watch, this is how everybody else does it.” Then he’d shoot a puck along the boards and into the corner and then go chasing after it. Then he’d come back and say, “Now, this is how the smart player does it.” He’d shoot it into the corner again, only this time he cut across to the other side and picked it up over there. Who says anticipation can’t be taught?” ²

Which leads me to one of my favorite quotes of all time, I hope you are anticipating a “great one” because it is just that.

It comes from Gretzky’s aforementioned father, Walter, who instructed his son to:

“Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”

So, I ask you:

“Are you skating to where the puck is going or to where it’s been?”

While I don’t know for sure how you will answer, I do anticipate that from now on you will be skating to where the puck is going as you will get in the habit of asking, “what’s next?”

Until next time, keep using anticipatory thinking, skate to where the puck is going and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Wanna know more? Check out the entire book.

Use it or Lose It

A few things we can do to use anticipatory thinking in your life are:

(1)  Be That Person in Your Next Meeting – who says, “What’s next?”

(2)  Email Anticipation – before you hit send on your emails, think about whether there will be a “What’s next?” email after that one.  Then ask yourself, “Can I combine them into 1 message?”

(3)  When You Get to Work – arrange your to-do list in order of importance, this will necessitate your using anticipatory thinking in the process.

(4)  When Someone Asks You to Do Something in Your Everyday Life –  ask, “what’s next” to help make sure you are doing the right things in the right order.

When to Use It

Use anticipatory thinking when it makes sense in your life.

What Do You Think?

Do you use anticipatory thinking in your life? Do you think you will use it more after reading this blog post? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, it would mean the world to us if you shared it with people you care about via any of the social media platforms below!

Popular Previous Posts:

So, How Are You Spending your 1440 Minutes Today?
This is Why Life Balance is a Myth!
Why It’s Important to Learn from Others and How to Do It
This is Why It’s Important to Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable!

References

¹ Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills by Michael Kallet

² Gretzky, Wayne; Reilly, Rick (1990). Gretzky: An Autobiography. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-016339-6.