Plans are for the dictators, the politicians and the administrators. Plans put humans in boxes and dole out experiences in manageable chunks. Plans limit our humanity and crush ingenuity and spontaneity. Say no to plans and say yes to life, ‘cos without plans we can be free range humans once again:
1. Not knowing keeps us human.
Knowing what is coming around the corner and planning for it may sound prudent, sensible, and even mature, but eliminating surprise is detrimental to your experience. It limits the thrill of the new, it removes the excitement of the unknown, and it makes you less flexible. Humans are still wild animals. Sometimes, we forget this.
2. Routine is for the middle-aged.
When you’re 40-something with a couple of sproglets and a second mortgage, I can imagine that having a routine might make existence a whole lot easier. One hour to get ready, one hour of commuting, eight hours of staring at a screen while having an existential crisis. Sticking it all into easily compartmentalized segments is your way of staving off insanity. But while we’re young, we should blur the lines and play jazz with the intricacies of life. This might be your only chance to create your masterpiece, so don’t be scared to color outside the lines.
3. I don’t want to know where I’ll be in a year.
In 12 months, I could be backpacking along the Appalachian, snowboarding the mountains of Vermont, or catching a train to see some friends in London. Then again, I might not do any of that.
I don’t know what I’ll be doing in a year and I don’t want to know. Standing still leads to a stagnant life, move where the flow of life takes you and let new experiences enrich you.
4. Career goals limit your potential.
You may have a five-year plan, a ten-year plan, or you could have the whole thing mapped out until death. This is all well and good, but no strategy – no matter how intricate – will ever be able to account for the curve balls life throws at you. By sticking to a regimented blueprint, you ignore the opportunities, adventures, and shortcuts that open up.
By letting these pass you by, you limit your potential to what you were able to imagine when you first concocted your design. Take a risk, stray off the path. You never know, that could be your destiny.
5. Variety is the spice of life.
Doing the same old thing, seeing the same old people, walking the same old streets – it’s monotonous, dull, and uninspiring. You become a herd creature, eating the grass, going to sleep, shuffling towards the abattoir, living but not experiencing. We are curious creatures. We live to make mischief and play. Satisfy your curiosity, mix it up, do something different and watch as your mind comes to life, it’s crying out for some new colors to paint with.
6. Plans = disappointment.
How many times in life have you expected something great, only to be let down. By agonising, measuring, and bean counting in attempt to ensure that everything is in its right place, by leaving nothing to chance, you eliminate the excitement of the result, you become the master of your own disappointment. Let the chips fall where they may, let the result surprise you, expect nothing, and be glad for anything.