Perhaps it’s working in insurance that’s done it to me, but whenever I read these sorts of articles I find it completely bizarre that this isn’t how everyone thinks! We call it “risk management”, and personally I think the more people apply those principles to everyday life, the better-off they’ll be. The process is applicable to almost any event with a probability of happening or not, including in the future. (Incidentally, my favourite example of this sort of thing not being used most people is their bizarre and irrational fear of their child being abducted.)
In a nutshell, you a) identify the bad thing that might happen and what harm it might cause; b) identify the methods by which it can be prevented or its harm reduced; and c) implement those things that you consider to be cost-effective. People do parts of this process all the time, but they rarely string it all together in a way that makes any sense.
I often get called level-headed, but I don’t sleep soundly because I’m a denier - it’s because I know I’ve taken all the actions I could come up with to benefit the situation, and everything else is up to the universe.
