How To Do Stuff Well

15. How to Extemporise Well

Extemporising (composing or performing something such as music or a speech without preparation) is not just for writing chapters like this, late at night, when I should be getting ready for bed. No, it's for all of life. Some people prefer to plan things out in advance but people like me want to make life up as they go along. And I'm going to tell you how to do it too. It's good to have options, right?

So, extemporising is a really great skill to have. The world is full of those moments when the future leaps out at you without any warning. In fact, when you think about it, that's all that life is! I mean, not one of us has a working crystal ball and so it's impossible for anyone to know the future. Even those people who try to plan for every eventuality are going to mess up one day and miss out on preparing for the thing that actually happens. And when that does happen, they have to make up a response on the fly.

Many mistakes are the result of a lack of planning, but even more mistakes come about from things unexpectedly jumping up and biting your nose. When that happens, you have a choice: either change or fail. Some say that making mistakes leads to growth, but I say 'hang that!'. The only real way to grow is to develop the ability to deal with things on the hoof. Without that skill, you're just walking into situations with a kit bag full of things that you already have, whereas when you have the skill of extemporising, you automatically add a new skill to your bag every single time you come across anything new. Growth means adding to your stock of skills and abilities.

I could carry on belabouring the point, but I think that you get it. But just in case you didn't - here's one final example: I wrote this erudite post by extemporising. When I sat down here, with a blank screen in front of me, I had no idea what I was going to write. I literally made it up as I typed. And look how well that came out! Convinced? Well, you should be.

So, hope you have a lovely rest of your day, but if, for some reason, something or someone tries to get between you and your fun - just extemporise yourself a bridge over that there troubled water. Go on - build yourself a rainbow. Make me proud.