Would You Rather Stick With The Plan Or Go With The Flow

I always had this very idyllic idea in my head. Not quite a retirement plan, but more of a thought process, a dream or a visualisation of how I pictured my ideal life.

Writing has always been an unfulfilled passion. Life and circumstances never seemed to lead along that path, I did however always imagine some how, some time there would be that moment when all the stars would line up and I would find that place to share my ramblings with others.

My vision was of this beautiful cottage right on the ocean. My day would be relaxed, no rush to do anything, breakfast on the deck, a walk along the beach to inspire me and the remainder of my morning spent penning my many thoughts and ideas, allowing my day to simply envelope me and carry me along just as the waves are carried back and forth with the changing tides.

Somehow my fantasy life left out the need for chores, cooking and taking care of family commitments, perhaps the magical leprechauns come and do that while I nap in the midday sun.

Freedom from the 9-5 grind, a place in the sun to watch life go by , perfect right ? Well this weekend I have revisited that dream and to be perfectly honest , no. At least not yet.

A bank holiday weekend, no 9-5 to speak of , no real family commitments but somehow I felt overwhelmed. By the time Tuesday came around, it suddenly occurred to me that I had accomplished nothing. I had a lovely weekend, I relaxed, I read my book but I did nothing else or at least that is how I felt.

That led me down the rabbit hole of - what just happened? How could I have permitted a whole weekend to pass me by and have achieved so little. Yes, that little voice in my head permitted me to accept that I deserved to have a break from my busy life.

However it also made me question my fantasy life. Could I ever work from home? How could I possibly contemplate my life away from the 9-5 that keeps me so focused and grounded? I feel like I am a creature of routine and once that routine is broken I suddenly become this lazy neanderthal that has no energy or ambition to do anything.

I love the idea of going with the flow, having a life outside of my to do list. A life where one project begins, flows and ends before I commence the next, but I am not motivated sufficiently to do that, my to do list has her own to do list, if it's not written down I never get around to it. However on reflection it suddenly occurred to me that the reason I need such a regimented planned life is the fact that I have so much to do.

Most of the items on my to do list are never completed because the list is ever growing. I have grouped items, I have delegated, I have prioritised, I have time blocked, I have bought numerous planners, note books and journals and yes I have tried basically every app known to wo(man) kind thinking that just might be a better idea. Obviously none of this has been my perfect resolution.

So the question returns, how do we manage our day to day lives, how do we fit everything in, is it even possible, do we go with the flow or is planning the only way that we can complete all of our tasks and feel that sense of accomplishment?

The answer to this conundrum can only have one solution. Find the right balance for you. We all have our own way of life, so our life plan should be no different. We must stop leaning so heavily on social media to dictate what is right or wrong, expectations to live a certain way do nothing but add to our already fast paced overwhelmed life.

The list of Pro's and con's for each method are never ending. We could discuss them for another week and still never be sure of what is the best plan of action for the balanced life that we all desire.

The main questions that we should ask ourselves though -

• What am I trying to achieve?

• Why do I need to achieve it?

• What action steps should I take to achieve this ?

Once those simple questions are addressed, our to do list, plan and flow become so much easier. We must be clear and focused on the importance of the task ahead of us, so often we become consumed by lists and projects, tasks and appointments and very often it is busy work not productive work. Being busy and being productive are very different.

Personally I feel that a planned life is the only way that I can maintain focus and create the life that I want to lead. I have great admiration for those who can go with the flow, who are motivated enough to continue one task after another without distraction. I unfortunately am not that person.

xx Lei

THERE ARE DREAMERS AND THERE ARE PLANNERS, THE PLANNERS MAKE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE - Anon