This is a constant debate that I find around me—to plan or not to plan? And what does it change? Does planning stop you from truly living in the moment?

Or does it make you more prepared to make the most of your time? Does living really mean experiencing the chaos of an unplanned day?

Well, with me being someone who loves to plan, I think I cracked the code and the answer I have has put an end to every debate and argument I have come across.

Why Planning Is Great

Planning is a good thing. That is something that we all have to accept. There’s several reason why planning is great and all of them, I’ve seen apply in my own life.

1.Focus and Clarity

When you have planned out your tasks, responsibilities and the time you have to achieve things, you have a much clear view of things that are expected of you. Additionally, the clear view allows you to be focused on everything that you need to get done, in turn increasing your efficiency as you work.

Knowing what to do, when you can do it makes us efficient. You can be accountable and on top of things going around you. As as student, it helps you keep up with deadlines and help avoid burnout.

For example, in the case of a school project, if you know that you have ten days till the deadline, you can split up your work in even chunks throughout in order to finish the project on time. This gives you smaller clearer goals to focus on, and since you have already planned all the tasks required, you do not worry about the bigger picture of completing the whole project and just take it day by day.

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2.Reduces Stress

Planning when to do things and how takes the burden of having to do things in the first place off your mind. If you know that you are taking steps everyday to finish the essay by the deadline, you are not worrying about the possibility to finishing the essay or when to work on it.

Since you are so clear about what to do and when due to your time management skills, you are much less likely to be concerned at all.

For me for example, I am neve concerned for not finishing an assignment on time because I know that I have been consistently working on it up till the deadline and even if I haven’t, I know the amount of time it takes me to effectively do different kinds of tasks and I can nevertheless efficiently cram.

3.Promotes Prioritisation

When you get to planning, you realise that there are almost always more things to do and less time to do all of them. This forces you to pick—which task is more important, and that is prioritisation. You weigh the importance and speed at which a task needs to be placed. So, maybe research for an essay due next month is lower on your to-do list than editing the essay that is due tomorrow.

When you prioritise, you are not only better at planning but you learn what things are more important to you and which are not. Are you prioritising watching the new season of a TV show above revising for your upcoming exams? Are you prioritising going to the gym above sleeping for one more hour? These decisions will help you clearly see your choices and help you change or improve you habits.

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When Planning Backfires

However, what about when you plan too much?

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This is what my calendar looked like a few days ago. I had a break coming up and lots of things to do, so instead of prioritising a much needed break, I overwhelmed myself. I didn’t leave out any time to hang out with family or friends. I planned a whole routine for what I should do at precisely what time to get everything I had to do done.

But this can’t necessarily be healthy right.

This is about the time that planning backfires and you see the problems with it.

Being tied to a schedule this tight brings rigidity in your life—you are unable to give time to other things in your life and become singleminded. Along with that, for a lot of people, going against a schedule to reduce this rigidity can also have impacts, for example, feeling failure or unaccomplished if you move things around or do not accomplish everything you had set out to do an in extreme cases cause panic and anxiety.

Additionally, haven’t you ever hit a roadblock after which your brain stops comprehending things and you just need a break. But if you stick to a schedule anyway, you end up pushing yourself too hard and may reach burnout. Yeah, the thing that planning helps avoid, well if you plan too much, you get there too.

The Perfect Balance

So, what is the perfect balance then? How do you plan in such a way that your life is easier but you are also not over planning to the extent to working yourself to a burnout?

Well, I said that I had figured out the perfect balance right. But the thing is, everyone has their own balance which you need to figure out. I know some people who can just make a bullet point to do list and keep track of their tasks.

I know some who do plan every minute on their calendars and it works for them. I know some who just keep it all in their heads. And while not all of these would sound good to everyone, if it works for you it does.

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For me, I always have a running to-do list of school assignments and test and personal tasks and everything I need to keep track of. But I also use my calendar and other tools to schedule tasks and make sure that I am making time to achieve all the things I need to. However, I keep my schedule open to changes, add and remove events and task up to my motivation that day and any other external factors that matter to me. So, if I can’t do everything I planned to do that day, it is alright and that is the system that I have built.

Conclusion

So, yes, excessive planning can stop you from experiencing life and living in the moment, but the important aspect to understand is that planning exists to help you not dictate your life. The balance between planning and execution is up to you. It is up to you to decide what level of planning you need depending on the extent to which it helps your life.