Sometimes no plans are the best plans
Our lives are made up of choices.
In certain Indian cultures, babies are presented with a platter of different objects. What they choose determines what their lives will consist of.
For instance, choosing a dollar bill means they will grow up to be rich. Choosing a pen means they will be educated.
If only it were really that easy.
Fast forward 17 years, and unfortunately, mindlessly choosing something no longer cuts it.
This is also the time in which students are supposed to select their future vocations, along with a potential school they will have to live at for the majority of the next four years of their lives. No pressure.
When they finally do choose a school, they must continue to plan. These plans are made day-to-day, usually through a planner or an agenda.
Without extensive planning, how else are students supposed to balance getting perfect grades, volunteering, working a part-time job, participating in extra-curricular activities and having a social life, which may or may not include a significant other?
It’s definitely not for the weak and especially not for the ill-prepared.
After getting settled into school, planning for the next section of life starts to come up: post-college life. The “real-world” that teachers have been taunting students about since elementary school is slowly creeping up and to not have a plan would be stupid, right? Wrong.
As a college student, planning is definitely a part of my life.
Some would even go as far to call me a Type A obsessive planner. I’m the kind of person who needs to have things mapped out in order to survive.
But when it comes to future plans, I’m stumped.
Despite this, for once in my life, I am completely okay with the unknown.
Getting caught up in future planning can be poisonous.
We make Pinterest folders of our future weddings, pick out the names of our future children, plan the breeds of our future dogs, plan the color swatches of our future houses…Where is the line drawn between planning and living?
By planning out our lives to the point that there are no surprises left, we take all the fun out of growing up. If all you can think about when hanging out with your friends is how great they’ll look as your bridesmaids/groomsmen, you have probably already gone too far.
So, what’s the solution?
First, realize that planning should stick to work and school related things. An organized mindset can be great, but letting that bleed too much into everyday life can cause things to become mundane.
Second, try living life more spontaneously. Go places without calling ahead or making reservations. Try foods without researching them extensively on the internet.
If you have to plan, try making your bucket list. There’s no set time limit, and that way you can still get the satisfaction of crossing things off of a list.
Finally, learn to go with the flow.
It’s confusing being told for eight years of your life that everything needs to be figured out ahead of time. But after receiving that diploma, you will be in charge of what happens next, no planner necessary.