Events are triggers for action.
They are related to deadlines and milestones.
We are event-driven programs.
Events force us to define a specific outcome. When tasks are tied to an event, they tend to have greater importance.
Example:
I need to go for a long ride tomorrow. 2-3 hours ideally. Will I go? Perhaps. How long will I ride? Probably less than 2-3 hours. But when I sign up for a 65 bike ride a month from today, that 2-3 hour ride has more importance. Because the event is something I have committed to do with others, I also have the support of others to hold me more accountable. They need to ride as well, so we make plans to ride together. I get out on my bike much earlier, and don't let other less important tasks get in the way.
Depending on the requirements, events can force us to stretch ourselves. There's a phrase 'throw your hat over the fence.' It's a euphemism for committing ourselves to a task. You throw your hat over the fence, now you have to climb the fence and go get it. Often events can be that hat.
Like programs, events become a trigger to take a specific action.
Before the event can occur, you need to identify and react to certain situations (either good or bad) as they occur.
A big project will have many components. It can quickly become overwhelming until we begin scheduling milestones. In a coordinated effort, multiple resources can be arrange in sequence to ensure completion by the deadline.
If an earlier deadline is missed, the final deadline is in danger of being missed. This is why you can't wait until the day before your taxes are due to begin working on them.
Sn event-driven approach can gives us the ability begin with the end in mind.
Cron is a Linux utility which schedules a command or script on your server to run automatically at a specified time and date.
A cron job is the scheduled task itself. Cron jobs are used to automate repetitive tasks.
I write every Wednesday. It's my cron job. It's also blocked out on my calendar so other events don't take priority.
I market every Monday. It's a recurring appointment on my calendar - and also a cron job.
Every Friday I reconcile my books.
I do Yoga on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
I have a cron job to meditate daily at 4:20. This one is harder to keep consistently, but I am much better when I do. It's important to give the system a rest.
Cron jobs are great, because they don't take a lot of energy to plan - they just happen.
A batch job is a subroutine that runs with minimal interaction. Examples of batch jobs are:
Your coffee maker you goes off at 6AM
The timer your reading light goes off at 9AM
The cleaner comes every Tuesday
$500 from your paycheck is transferred to your savings Batch jobs run in the background. Once they are set, they require little interaction.