Stop Overplanning Your Day
Kevin Shirley, Associate Broker (DC), GRI, e-PRO, ASP
Done well, routine planning rituals can help you live your life intentionally and peacefully. But many people spoil their day-to-day activities by overplanning.
There is no doubt that people who plan their lives well are likely to stay more organized. Plans give them a strategy to remain directed towards their goals in a meaningful manner. Sadly, the seduction of living a planned life compels many people to overplan. They try to run their routines more like a movie where every variable of life stays in their control, and there are no unknown situations. But real-life is much different than “reel” life. There is no script; rather, many things happen in entirely unpredictable ways. In such situations, if you try to maintain control on every minute of your day, you may fail to hold up your plans, and it may soon cause more emotional torture to you.
Experts advise planning your day to avoid the stress of neglecting important personal and professional goals. But planning should not preclude the joy that can be found in unexpected circumstances. Instead, try to develop an openness and acceptance towards everything in life while maintaining a streamlined approach to execute essential tasks.
Expert recommendations
Those experiencing stress and emotional disturbances due to overplanning in life are advised to follow expert advice to avoid such situations. Below are a few important tips and tricks to help you lead your life efficiently while doing only necessary planning:
Tip 1: Be concerned about your intention
You cannot book a seat on the plane without knowing your destination because you may end up heading in the wrong direction. This is the main reason why you should plan certain things in advance regarding where to start and where to end. List out things to be done over the course of the day. Instead of attempting to control every minute of your day, it is better to organize things around you and handle tasks on a priority basis. It may help you to avoid irrelevant things to achieve set goals with ease.
Tip 2: Redefine the 100% score
Perfectionists have a reputation for consistently completing every goal and task they put on their to-do list. They plan things in such a way that they get 100% out of every day. But this is very rare in real life. For most people, accomplishing 60 to 70% of the intended tasks in a day is a significant achievement. Even if you are more competent and aware of all your priorities, the unplanned circumstances in life can cause your plans to go sideways. Therefore, instead of trying to be perfect, it is better to concentrate on your genuine priorities.
Tip 3: Don’t be obsessed with your plans
No matter how hard you try, there is no perfect plan. Even if you plan something really well based on the current data, you never know what will pop up unexpectedly. It is not possible to guarantee the perfect execution of any plan. The main goal of planning must be to create clarity about the day to focus your attention in the right direction. People who get obsessed with their plans often experience emotional imbalances due to failures. Your plan must keep you open to the new opportunities that arise on the way.
Tip 4: Create a roadmap
Whether you plan for a year, week or day, create a roadmap and sense of direction for your life and routines. Your plan should also provide a high-level overview of all the paths that you are willing to take in this journey. But at the same time, it is important to have a backup plan (or two!) for situations likely to derail your progress. There should always be some option to reroute your journey without losing your patience and productivity levels. Be clear about your to-do list and create a plan that can work as a roadmap for what to do next.
Tip 5: Get ready for the unexpected
The greatest power of adequate planning is that it can give you the ability to respond to unexpected situations without causing undue stress. People who plan things accurately are likely to move through all their essential activities without worrying about deadlines. Overplanning tends to prevent you from handling unexpected changes in the routines; proper planning, conversely, leaves some margin to switch between tasks without any trouble. It can also give you flexibility for any unexpected interruption in the process.
Tip 6: Stay open to creativity
No matter how focused you remain on your routines and plans, it is always good to spare some time for creativity. Instead of being overdisciplined about your priorities, you should always find a way to try new things. Experts advise creating a balance between freedom and intention while leading your life in a planned way. Do not sweat on the details; it may hamper your confidence levels. You should take notes on everything that happens around you and look for opportunities to take action. It is better to follow a consistent approach to execute your plans without even getting obsessed with them.
The main goal is to understand your long-term and short-term objectives while building a strategy to achieve them. But make sure you keep the process simple without overwhelming yourself. The objectives should not get challenging; instead, they should be achievable. When you stay flexible with your plans and do not stress out about unexpected happenings, you can streamline your routines in a much better manner.
