Plan Is Not a 4-Letter Word. Not Really.
by Lydia Floren
Everyone plans. But not everyone sees themselves as a “planner.” Usually, we think of “planners” as OC perfectionist types. (This is a little like me, at least the former me. I am a perfectionist-in-recovery, in case you forgot.) But whether we realize it or not, we are all planners. We all make plans. We just have different ways of doing it.
For example, there are the Perfectionist Planners. These people (OK, we) often construct elaborate, detailed moment-by-moment plans for their (our) lives. And, often do so for those around us as well. (Sorry, guys.) We have extensive to-do lists and specific timetables. And high expectations. (Again, sorry)
The Minimalist Planners plan for survival. They do what they have to do to keep things going. They are focused on paying the bills, getting the schoolwork done, finishing the project. A Minimalist Planner might have a life plan as simple as this:
Monday thru Friday: Get up. Take a shower. Get dressed. Go to work. Come home. Eat. Go to sleep.
Saturday and Sunday: Catch up from what you didn’t get done Monday through Friday. Maybe go to church. Take a nap.
Finally there are the No-Plan Planners. No-Plan Planners try to live life as it comes. They never set their alarm. Heck, they probably don’t even own an alarm clock. They get up when they wake up, and do whatever strikes their fancy. But what No-Plan Planners don’t realize is that choosing not to plan is, in fact, a plan. Not a very sustainable one (unless someone is paying all your bills), but a plan nevertheless.
Most of us are Nomadic Planners. By that I mean that we shift from one planning approach to another, depending on the situation. For example, in my medical practice, I tend to be a Perfectionist Planner. The rest of the time I am more of a Minimalist. But when I go on vacation, I am a No-Plan Planner.
No judgment here. There is no right or wrong way to plan. Everyone approaches life from a unique perspective, and so we all will have our own unique way of planning. And even though we have our usual way of approaching planning, that might change based on what we are doing, or where we are in our time of life.
But, I will say this: I sure hope if I need a brain surgeon, he or she is an OC Perfectionist Planner, at least in the O.R.!
Everyone makes plans.
Planning is a necessary, integral part of life.
No matter what our approach to planning, just understand: plan is not a 4-sletter word. Not really.
For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Luke 14:28
What kind of planner are you?
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