I come from a lifetime of planners. When I was little my parents let us try out any activity we wanted which meant that the entire week was jam-packed with soccer games, baseball practice, swim meets, and girl scouts. Even when I got older and could drive myself I scheduled in activities like baby-sitting, refereeing and HS clubs that required me to be places at set times. When I arrived at UD I became friends with a lot of folks in the marching band who had their time plotted around practices and football games and then SAI- activities that I, and consequently my free time, got swallowed up in too. Upon graduation I went into sales- a career centered around appointments and multi-tasking that requires high-levels of organization to make the best use of my 40 hours a week. Today my friends recognize that to spend time with me we need to schedule it, sometimes weeks in advance, because my married life is as full as my single life and I’m just not available for impromptu events.
I’m a planning freak.
I had dinner with Tom and Brian last night and we discussed this “illness” (ok, maybe that’s an over-exaggeration of their feelings) that I have with scheduling my time. I thought about it then and since and see that I’m not the only one- my friends are planning freaks for the most part too. Viki, even back in college, lives by her pocket calendar (palm pilot now?). Karen keeps her daily planner with her at all times in her purse. My parents still have a calendar up that they keep track of their bridge nights and family get-togethers. My clients, and now husband, are reliant on the fact that I send them email notifications of our meetings and conference calls.
I will admit though that I’m to the point in my planning obsession that if we do have a free night I feel like I’m wasting time – if I don’t have an event scheduled I wish I did so I could be out with friends. I’m very grateful for those who live spontaneous lifestyles that are often available last minute in these situations, ala Dale, because it means we can see them more often than we would otherwise when these free nights come up.
Tom challenged me to live 1 week spontaneously. I honestly don’t think I can do it. To begin with, I’d have to SCHEDULE a week to do it and then PLAN to not do things that week by turning things and people down when they ask in advance. Further, I fear that I’d be rude declining invitations – wouldn’t that sound like I was waiting for a better offer if I was non-committal? That’s how I’d take it I think… Maybe I’m being rude right now because people feel like they have to reserve my time and I’m not always assessable like Tom seems to be.
Overall though, I can’t imagine a complete lifestyle change… even for 1 week…