If you’re like me, you’re a planner. I like things to be organized. I like lists. I organize my lists. I plan my time to make my lists. It’s a vicious cycle. But, it’s a necessary step for me. Lists keep me on task and provide a sense of accomplishment when I cross things off the list. I like to cross things off the list.
Having a list provides a sense of control and I feel prepared. If I’m running errands, I make my list so when I get in the car, I know where I’m going first, second, third, etc. It saves me time and keeps me on task. No backtracking all over town. No messing about when I get to my next destination. Just park, do my business and proceed to the next item on the list.
I’m the vacation planner in my house. I don’t always want to be, but that responsibility always falls to me. Always. Even when I ask for input and suggestions, no plan ever materializes unless I take the initiative and do it. Otherwise, vacation at my house looks something like this:
Me: “What would you like to do today?”
Traveling companion: “I don’t care. What do you have planned?”
Me: “I don’t have anything planned today. I want you to decide.”
Traveling companion: “I don’t care what we do. Just pick something.”
Me: “Well, I don’t have anything planned so we could do, X, Y or Z. Do any of those things sound interesting or like they might be fun?”
Traveling companion: “Whatever you want to do is fine.”
It’s so frustrating. My traveling companion will NOT make a decision. Ever. So, to save me the hassle of having that conversation – every – single – day, I make plans. I don’t ask what my companion wants to do, I just say, “Today we’re off to . . . .” and away we go. Easy peasy. No messing around.
Now, I’m not so hung-up on my plans that if something goes awry, I’m completely lost. I can wing it. I can ditch the list, or the plan, and just make stuff up as I go, but I find that we spend so much time talking about what to do, we never actually DO anything.
Me: “What do you want to do?”
Companion: “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
Me: “I want you to choose something.”
Companion: “I don’t know. What is there to do?”
And on and on, ad nauseum. You see? If there’s no plan, there’s chaos.
I can, I admit, get a bit carried away with my plans. That has happened on occasion. I often overpack because I want to be prepared for – you know – whatever. Everything. Sometimes I bring too much stuff, but I hardly ever forget anything. Unlike my traveling companion who throws a few things in a bag an hour before leaving the house and always forgets something. There’s where my overpacking comes in handy. In some instances, I feel a little like Mary Poppins with my magic carpetbag full of all kinds of things that we might potentially need while away from home. That’s because I make a list. Or two. Or three. And I’m prepared. I’ve packed. Everything.
Things at the inn have been a bet skewed lately for a number of reasons. My planning has not gone according to – well – plan. My lists are haphazardly thrown together at the last minute simply as a means of reminding myself not to forget to do something instead of a conscientious decision to make something happen that day. At the start of this new chapter in our lives I had a great plan to plan out my new temporary plan. However, time got away from me and my plan to make the plan didn’t happen and so now, three weeks into the new chapter, I find myself without a plan. Oh well, just a few more weeks and things will smooth out again, but I feel so lost without my plan.
Now I’m planless, drowning in lists of things that I hope and pray get done in time and nothing gets forgotten. There’s no pre-planning anything these days, just get up and charge ahead and hope for the best. Nothing gets crossed off a list. Rather, things get added to the list. Life without a plan is weird.
Are you guys planners? Do you work more efficiently with a list? Do you let your spouse/significant other plan the family vacations? Are you the Mary Poppins in your family and carry the magic carpet bag full of anything that might be forgotten?
Word of the Day: Telpher
Fun fact about me: I actually don’t mind planning vacations. I probably should have been a travel agent.
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, July 2021. Images by Google and giphy.com
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jansenschmidt 
I start with the BIG IDEA – the what is it we want to do and go from there. Then the tasks take me to the BIG IDEA. Sometimes, I’ll research and sometimes I’ll just let it flow. A co up pile of weeks ago, we went on a day trip with friends… I planned to get up early, drive, visit the the two places on our list, and drive back – that was the plan. But things went askew when 3 of the 4 travelers woke up late. We did go and had a blast. Our plan was to visit to the shipwreck museum on Lake Superior and then drive to the Tahquenomon Falls State Park but we spent so much time on the beach looking for rocks, we skipped the museum. It was a good time and we got home after midnight. I guess the thing I learned (or it reinforced a lifetime of doing) is that you should start with an idea and then sort of roll with it. Things here have been a bit cool and wet, a nice change, but all I want to do is lay around read a book and avoid some of my ‘big rocks.’ Keep your cool and plan what to do, sounds like your traveling companion is go with the flow guy. Let it flow. Peace.
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I’ve had those “plans” as well, where you are totally relying on the plan so long as everyone else involved follows the plan. If not . . . no plan. Oh well, life is more interesting that way sometimes. As long as you’re flexible, it’s all good.
And, reading for days on end sounds heavenly to me!!! I’d say, that’s something I need to plan.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great rest of the week, hopefully it’ll be dry and sunny.
Patricia
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I would be lost without my list! I am also the vacation planner – if I don’t plan it, it doesn’t happen. And, I have been too busy to plan anything, so here I sit. Funny thing is, my husband has no problem planning a trip with his friends…
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Oh, another lover of lists . . . you my kind of people. I don’t really mind planning the vacation so much but sometimes I’d like to plan for MY vacation and the heck with my my hubby wants to do. He’s so particular about where we go and what we do, but he won’t help plan it. He just says, let’s go here (usually the same places) and then it’s up to me to plan it. I’d rather go some place new and different and see and do different things, but that NEVER happens.
It’s a vicious cycle.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you get to plan a getaway pretty soon. Perhaps when your hubby executes his plans with his friends, you should execute your plans for yours. Just a suggestion.
Have a great rest of the week.
Patricia
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I love lists, especially when crossing things off. It’s such a sense of accomplishment when that list is done! Although, there’s always another list and another…and another. I’ve had to plan vacations before, but the older I get, the more I’m okay with winging it. Unless it’s somewhere I’ve never been before with a zillion things to see and only a limited time to take in as much as possible. Then, I’m definitely creating a plan and sticking to it!
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Ahh – another list person. I love you!! I don’t know how anybody gets anything done (or remembered) without writing it down. And crossing things off the list is such a sense of accomplishment.
I agree with winging it sometimes, but it seems like I at least have to know where I’m going for the day otherwise so much time is spent with the whole, what do you want to do, circle of conversation. And, since my husband is a total creature of habit, we rarely go anywhere new. Gah.
Thanks for joining the conversation. Have a wonderful rest of the week. Stay cool up there.
Patricia
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Patty and I have found common ground (sound familiar?) regarding travel. When we first met, I was a card carrying, charter member of the “Let’s Just Wing It” travel club. Her intervention saved many a holiday for us. Now when we travel, I’m in charge of logistics (plane tickets, hotel reservations, etc.) and she plans most of the tours, extra activities and such.
As regards the lists, yes, I am a list person. When I see that list lying there the guilt kicks in. Self- motivation is a beautiful thing, n’est ce pas?
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I definitely know that over-planning isn’t the best way to travel because stuff happens. You definitely have to be flexible. But, you at least need to have some overall goal for each day, like where are we going, what would we like to see, etc. If you travel to Paris you should assume that there is going to be something you’d like to see each day so you should at least have a plan to see the Eiffel Tower one day, museums another, etc. You don’t need to have an exact agenda, like let’s see the Eiffel Tower from 8-9 and then have breakfast until 11:30 and then go here, blah, blah, blah. But to get up each morning and just say, “what would you like to do today?” and have someone say, “I don’t know,” every single day, is frustrating.
I’m glad you have a traveling companion who works with you and together you accomplish stuff. That’s fantastic!! Keep doing that my friend.
Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful plan-free week.
Patricia
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