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Well the short answer to the title of this post is ‘it depends’ but what is an interesting scenario to look at more deeply is ‘what happens when everything goes according to plan?’

And I don’t mean at a task or project level but at a long-term personal goal level. Say in recent history you’ve obtained your university degree, landed a fairly decent job at a reputable company, built up a portfolio of some sort and are on your way to securing what ever awaits for you at the finish line – a new home, marriage and/or promotion. It’s a rather rosy picture and I believe it is one that many would like to or have painted. And I can only imagine the feelings at the end: relief, pride, happiness.

But I ask you to think back at some of your most memorable and cherished memories. Were they planned occurrences? Was there a sense of excitement? For a brief passage of time where the variables are just right you can experience something very special. But they don’t need to be confined to just moments. The winds of passion can set you on course to discoveries about yourself you may never have experienced if you did things ‘according to plan’.

So while ‘it depends’ on whether to plan or not, just remember about the alternative. It’s not all that scary.

If there is ever a phrase that irks me it’s “I’m going to spend time with/doing <blah>”

‘Spend’ time? Since when has time been equivalent of a currency? Not only has consumerism have us obsessed with wanting more stuff it also has warped our concept of time – as if it were a commodity we knew we were going to run out of.

And now there seems to be some underlying necessity to cram our lives as a sequence of events, scheduled to maximise our return on investment – cashing in time in calculated increments in the hope to make us feel ‘balanced’.

My theory on being ‘balanced’ – it’s pedestrian. All you really end up doing is juggling one part of your life with another. Hardly anything extraordinary comes out of a juggling act. Unless you are juggling flaming chainsaws with puppies.

So don’t be afraid to take your work/family/friends/leisure ‘balance’ and change it up a bit – go with the flow; do what comes naturally; focus on something extraordinary or turn something ordinary into something extraordinary. And don’t worry about any downtime – daydreaming is good for you. After all there is no hurry.

With the sheer amount of information and relationships we have to deal with I’d say ‘hyperactive’ be a very appropriate word to describe our generation. And with hyperactivity comes a great deal to juggle in our life – so how to handle it?

By redefining the word “multitasking”. Instead of doing multiple tasks at once, do multiple tasks sequentially. Think about it this way:

We have two eyes to focus on an object;

We have two ears to place a voice;

We have two feet to take one step forward;

And We have two hands to hold our child.

Just because we like to think we can do more things at once in reality it’s not in our nature.

So next time you feel overwhelmed remember only one thing is ever at the top of a list of priorities. Others will remember a job well done long after the wait.