--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unplanned work is what prevents you from…" description: "\"“Unplanned work is what prevents you from doing it. Like matter and antimatter, in the presence of unplanned work, all planned work ignites with incand..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/gene-kim-2268_unplanned_unplanned-work-is-what-prevents-you-from_2286619.jpg" --- # Unplanned work is what prevents you from doing it. Like… ![“Unplanned work is what prevents you from doing it. Like matter and antimatter, in the presence of unplanned work, all planned work ignites with incandescent fury, incinerating everything around it. Like Phoenix.” quote by Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/gene-kim-2268_unplanned_unplanned-work-is-what-prevents-you-from_2286619.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/gene-kim-2268_unplanned_unplanned-work-is-what-prevents-you-from_2286619.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6da/gene-kim-2268_unplanned_unplanned-work-is-what-prevents-you-from_2286619.jpg) > ““Unplanned work is what prevents you from doing it. Like matter and antimatter, in the presence of unplanned work, all planned work ignites with incandescent fury, incinerating everything around it. Like Phoenix.”” [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unplanned work disrupts planned work, causing chaos like a phoenix rebirth. **In simple terms:** Unexpected tasks destroy planned tasks. Key Takeaway Control unplanned work. Themes project management disruption chaos Mood analytical pragmatic Type technical motivational When to use this quote - software development - IT operations - process improvement Key Concepts systems thinking risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can you reduce unplanned work? - What safeguards prevent chaos? A Different Perspective May exaggerate metaphor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Planned Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planned-work-5357513/) [Presence Unplanned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence-unplanned-5357514/) [Unplanned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unplanned/) [Unplanned Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unplanned-work-5357511/) [Work Prevents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-prevents-5357512/) ## Related quotes > [My songs emerge from my life, or wherever they do, unbidden and unplanned and completely on a schedule of their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/my-songs-emerge-from-my-life-or-wherever-they-do-unbidden-and/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [Through the career, planned or unplanned - usually unplanned - we've taken different turns. And it's culminated in a worldwide following that's pretty substantial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusty-hill/through-the-career-planned-or-unplanned-usually-unplanned-we-ve-taken/) [Dusty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusty-hill/) > [Unplanned moments are always better than the planned ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unplanned-moments-are-always-better-than-the-planned-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Unplanned moments are always better then the planned ones!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/unplanned-moments-are-always-better-then-the-planned-ones/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [Unplanned pregnancy is an equal-opportunity affliction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-mclane-kuster/unplanned-pregnancy-is-an-equal-opportunity-affliction/) [Ann McLane Kuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-mclane-kuster/) > [“awareness. “Yeah, but I can’t wait to get you up there. Besides, unplanned, spontaneous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-dallas/awareness-yeah-but-i-can-t-wait-to-get-you-up-there-besides-unplanned/) [Kirsty Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-dallas/) > [That epic moment when you and your friend had an unplanned night out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shennon-fabiano/that-epic-moment-when-you-and-your-friend-had-an-unplanned-night-out/) [Shennon Fabiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shennon-fabiano/) > [All my birthdays have been kind of interesting; and very unplanned and spontaneous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-desai/all-my-birthdays-have-been-kind-of-interesting-and-very-unplanned-and/) [Prachi Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-desai/) > [“sometimes the best things in life are unplanned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-aston/sometimes-the-best-things-in-life-are-unplanned/) [Jana Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-aston/) > [The best kind of kiss is the un-expected; unplanned ones that come naturally. Like, in the middle of a sentence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-kind-of-kiss-is-the-un-expected-unplanned-ones-that-come/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is an involuntary gift that manifests unplanned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riaz-ahmed-gohar-shahi/love-is-an-involuntary-gift-that-manifests-unplanned/) [Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riaz-ahmed-gohar-shahi/) > [An important part of my story is that I didn't walk out of Planned Parenthood immediately after witnessing the ultrasound-guided abortion. It is made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/an-important-part-of-my-story-is-that-i-didn-t-walk-out-of-planned/) [Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/) > [“An unplanned day invites both distraction and destruction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/an-unplanned-day-invites-both-distraction-and-destruction/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/) > [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Do not rely on unplanned music; it comes out as though it were planned, but planned by someone you cross the street to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/do-not-rely-on-unplanned-music-it-comes-out-as-though-it-were-planned/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) ## More by Gene Kim > [“for those organizations that provided a stock ticker symbol, we found that high performers had 50% higher market capitalization growth over three years. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/for-those-organizations-that-provided-a-stock-ticker-symbol-we-found/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“A critical part of the Second Way is making wait times visible, so you know when your work spends days sitting in someone’s queue—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/a-critical-part-of-the-second-way-is-making-wait-times-visible-so-you/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“when something does go wrong, we conduct blameless post-mortems, not to punish anyone, but to better understand what caused the accident and how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-something-does-go-wrong-we-conduct-blameless-post-mortems-not-to/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Bill Baker, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, quipped that we used to treat servers like pets: “You name them and when they get sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/bill-baker-a-distinguished-engineer-at-microsoft-quipped-that-we-used/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“To even get feedback from our integration process would require twenty-four to thirty-six hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/to-even-get-feedback-from-our-integration-process-would-require/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“work can bounce between teams endlessly due to incomplete information, or work can be passed onto downstream work centers with problems that remain completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/work-can-bounce-between-teams-endlessly-due-to-incomplete-information/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“practicing five minutes daily is better than practicing once a week for three hours. And if you want to create a genuine culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/practicing-five-minutes-daily-is-better-than-practicing-once-a-week/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“habits are what enable mastery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/habits-are-what-enable-mastery/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“20% on detailed planning (Their poor throughput and high lead times were misattributed to faulty estimation, and so, hoping to get a better answer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/20-on-detailed-planning-their-poor-throughput-and-high-lead-times/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Features are always a gamble. If you’re lucky, ten percent will get the desired benefits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/features-are-always-a-gamble-if-you-re-lucky-ten-percent-will-get-the/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“I listen to Wes and Patty brainstorm ideas to reduce yet another dependency on Brent when something starts to bother me. Erik called WIP,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/i-listen-to-wes-and-patty-brainstorm-ideas-to-reduce-yet-another/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [The status quo (of development) pre-ordains failure from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/the-status-quo-of-development-pre-ordains-failure-from-the-very/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“high performers were twice as likely to exceed profitability, market share, and productivity goals. And,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/high-performers-were-twice-as-likely-to-exceed-profitability-market/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“we value improvement of our daily work more than daily work itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/we-value-improvement-of-our-daily-work-more-than-daily-work-itself/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Alert fatigue is the single biggest problem we have right now…We need to be more intelligent about our alerts or we’ll all go insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/alert-fatigue-is-the-single-biggest-problem-we-have-right-now-we-need/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) [Explore all 175 Gene Kim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## More Unplanned quotes > [My songs emerge from my life, or wherever they do, unbidden and unplanned and completely on a schedule of their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/my-songs-emerge-from-my-life-or-wherever-they-do-unbidden-and/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“An unplanned day invites both distraction and destruction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/an-unplanned-day-invites-both-distraction-and-destruction/) [Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrith-vanlon-smith-jr-ceo-of-mayflower-plymouth/) > [An important part of my story is that I didn't walk out of Planned Parenthood immediately after witnessing the ultrasound-guided abortion. It is made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/an-important-part-of-my-story-is-that-i-didn-t-walk-out-of-planned/) [Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/) > [Love is an involuntary gift that manifests unplanned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riaz-ahmed-gohar-shahi/love-is-an-involuntary-gift-that-manifests-unplanned/) [Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riaz-ahmed-gohar-shahi/) > [The best kind of kiss is the un-expected; unplanned ones that come naturally. Like, in the middle of a sentence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-kind-of-kiss-is-the-un-expected-unplanned-ones-that-come/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“sometimes the best things in life are unplanned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-aston/sometimes-the-best-things-in-life-are-unplanned/) [Jana Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-aston/) > [All my birthdays have been kind of interesting; and very unplanned and spontaneous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prachi-desai/all-my-birthdays-have-been-kind-of-interesting-and-very-unplanned-and/) [Prachi Desai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prachi-desai/) > [That epic moment when you and your friend had an unplanned night out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shennon-fabiano/that-epic-moment-when-you-and-your-friend-had-an-unplanned-night-out/) [Shennon Fabiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shennon-fabiano/) > [“awareness. “Yeah, but I can’t wait to get you up there. Besides, unplanned, spontaneous”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-dallas/awareness-yeah-but-i-can-t-wait-to-get-you-up-there-besides-unplanned/) [Kirsty Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-dallas/) > [Unplanned pregnancy is an equal-opportunity affliction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-mclane-kuster/unplanned-pregnancy-is-an-equal-opportunity-affliction/) [Ann McLane Kuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-mclane-kuster/) > [Unplanned moments are always better then the planned ones!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/unplanned-moments-are-always-better-then-the-planned-ones/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [Unplanned moments are always better than the planned ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/unplanned-moments-are-always-better-than-the-planned-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Through the career, planned or unplanned - usually unplanned - we've taken different turns. And it's culminated in a worldwide following that's pretty substantial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusty-hill/through-the-career-planned-or-unplanned-usually-unplanned-we-ve-taken/) [Dusty Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusty-hill/) > [Do not rely on unplanned music; it comes out as though it were planned, but planned by someone you cross the street to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/do-not-rely-on-unplanned-music-it-comes-out-as-though-it-were-planned/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) [Browse all 44 Unplanned quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unplanned/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Unplanned work is what prevents you from doing it. Like matter and antimatter, in the presence of unplanned work, all planned work ignites with incandescent fury, incinerating everything around it. 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