Dumb Kewstion #43 - Planning vs. Spontaneity

Dang, I haven't done one of these "Dumb Kwestions" threads since June!  That's pretty much half of the year folks.  I remember when I started these threads they were supposed to be weekly (I actually called it the "Dumb Kwestion of the Weak".....or something like that).

Well I've been digging around in my little brain for a good "dumb kwestion" and....I haven't been able to find one.  You have to go with this lame dumb kwestion instead. 

Do you like to plan things out in detail or be spontaneous?

This one has plagued me for years as my wife and I are complete opposites when it comes to this....well for most things anyway.  On occasion it can cause a little strife in our marriage.

I am truthfully a little of both.  Most of the time I am spontaneous, random, and scatter-brained.  But, when I travel, I at least like to have a plan so that I have a place to stay guaranteed.  Most of the time, though, life just happens for me.  It's worked for nearly 50 years that way.  My wife has gotten used to it.  It used to drive her crazy until I was diagnosed with A.D.D.  I keep a date book and put things into my calendar on my phone as well to ensure that appointments get met.

I'm so tired all the time that I've turned into the, plan everything guy. I don't really like it though, I feel like I lack something that way.

I plan on being spontaneous one of these days.

Black Rider wrote:

I'm so tired all the time that I've turned into the, plan everything guy. I don't really like it though, I feel like I lack something that way.

Except for buying parts, I don't even plan out my guitars that I make.  I just start putting pieces together and see where they end up.

That might be too spontaneous. 

I'm a little of both. I like to have things scheduled and planned out to a degree. But I don't go to minutiae. And I like some spontaneity as well.

My wife and I are almost complete opposites in this department.  I tend to over plan almost everything, I have a ton of lists, and tend to take too long to commit to do/purchase stuff....except for music.
My wife on the other hand is very spontaneous, almost to the point where it causes me anxiety.

The big difference is vacations.  She will plan a vacation down to the minute.  She has location, time, travel and sleeping accommodations all planned out in advance (pretty much everything but budget).  She does such a good job that I don't even think about any of our vacations until I am practically in the vacation.

My whole life I've been a planner, like you, in detail. I don't like spontaneity. Never have.
But that said, I found that having kids have made "planning in detail" VERY difficult. Then having a quickly declining disability, planning at all became very difficult. And finally, having grandkids have completely abolished the ability to make plans at all. Basically PLANS are made FOR me 

Guilty/Forgiven wrote:

My whole life I've been a planner, like you, in detail. I don't like spontaneity. Never have.
But that said, I found that having kids have made "planning in detail" VERY difficult. Then having a quickly declining disability, planning at all became very difficult. And finally, having grandkids have completely abolished the ability to make plans at all. Basically PLANS are made FOR me 

I would be so stressed out having everything planned out.  I can follow a daily time schedule for work, but most of my life just happens.  For example, we are going to Florida this week.  We don't know if we are leaving today or tomorrow.  I have a condo rented in Okaloosa Island, but I have no further plans than that.

When I record, I have rhythm guitar tracks written--most of the time.  Sometimes I make it up right before I start recording.  I have usually never sang the lyrics before I begin tracking vocals.

Even with church, I plan some things like what my sermon will be that week.  Other than that, ministry just sort of happens.  I visit when my deacon is free to go with me.  We go see whoever we have noticed is out or is sick in the hospital or at home.  We don't have a specific list until we have visitors so we can follow up with them.

I always tell people to just stay flexible.  It makes like much less stressful as you just learn to roll with it, baby.

For me, it depends. I like planning things out, sometimes in too much detail, but I also enjoy carefree spontaneity on some occasions. Of course, that doesn't sit well with everyone. When I'm making plans with someone, I typically have a specific plan in mind, but I also want to be sensitive to different and changing interests, so plans often change in real time, like going for a walk only to find out the pathway's closed and we're both tired and hungry anyway so we might as well go for shawarma. None of that is particularly clear, but I guess it just depends on the context

I don't think I have ever eaten shawarma.  What is it, anyway?

Driven wrote:

For me, it depends. I like planning things out, sometimes in too much detail, but I also enjoy carefree spontaneity on some occasions. Of course, that doesn't sit well with everyone. When I'm making plans with someone, I typically have a specific plan in mind, but I also want to be sensitive to different and changing interests, so plans often change in real time, like going for a walk only to find out the pathway's closed and we're both tired and hungry anyway so we might as well go for shawarma. None of that is particularly clear, but I guess it just depends on the context

SHAWARMA!!! 

I try to make it a habit not to eat things I can't pronounce.

alldatndensum wrote:

I don't think I have ever eaten shawarma.  What is it, anyway?

Delicious meat cooked on a spit, wrapped with garlic sauce and different flavourful things to create one of the best sandwiches out there. Seriously, if you have a chance, try it. My understanding is that you live somewhere near a town named Lebanon; I'm sure they have some.

https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/gyro-vs-shawarma

Driven wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

I don't think I have ever eaten shawarma.  What is it, anyway?

Delicious meat cooked on a spit, wrapped with garlic sauce and different flavourful things to create one of the best sandwiches out there. Seriously, if you have a chance, try it. My understanding is that you live somewhere near a town named Lebanon; I'm sure they have some.

https://www.fromthegrapevine.com/israeli-kitchen/gyro-vs-shawarma

There are no shawarma places in Lebanon.  We have Mexican and Chinese places and a Thai place, but nothing that diverse.

Either way, in your travels, if you find something Greek or Lebanese or whatever, do make sure to try it. If you don't like it, I will be sad for you.

Some things I plan out into details, but in other things I am sponteanous.

I tend to be spontaneous for stuff that falls within my comfort zone, but I usually plan in detail when things fall outside of my comfort zone. Most trips are last minute because they're meant to be a holiday and I don't find schedules very relaxing. It's silly really because it means that the best spots have filled up by the time I book, but I don't like to be blocked in to something too far ahead because life throws things at me all the time and most stuff I plan in detail never actually turns out the way I planned.

Jen5 wrote:

I tend to be spontaneous for stuff that falls within my comfort zone, but I usually plan in detail when things fall outside of my comfort zone. Most trips are last minute because they're meant to be a holiday and I don't find schedules very relaxing. It's silly really because it means that the best spots have filled up by the time I book, but I don't like to be blocked in to something too far ahead because life throws things at me all the time and most stuff I plan in detail never actually turns out the way I planned.

I'm exactly like that with vacations.  I don't want to be locked into something, but if I wait too long to plan/book I end up with ridiculously high prices for everything (or stuff that just isn't available).

It's the price to pay   
(man that was lame)

Staybrite wrote:

Jen5 wrote:

I tend to be spontaneous for stuff that falls within my comfort zone, but I usually plan in detail when things fall outside of my comfort zone. Most trips are last minute because they're meant to be a holiday and I don't find schedules very relaxing. It's silly really because it means that the best spots have filled up by the time I book, but I don't like to be blocked in to something too far ahead because life throws things at me all the time and most stuff I plan in detail never actually turns out the way I planned.

I'm exactly like that with vacations.  I don't want to be locked into something, but if I wait too long to plan/book I end up with ridiculously high prices for everything (or stuff that just isn't available).

Vacations are the worst for the spontaneous/planner conflict between my wife and me.  When I'm on vacation, I like to just kick back, relax, and take things as they come.  My wife likes to have the daily plan laid out before we leave home.  He says a week before a trip to St. Louis...

Sounds like your wives should go on holiday together while you two sit pool-side sipping iced tea waiting for those free concert tickets that will magically appear in your hand because you kept your options open by not getting locked into a tour of the shopping district.

Jen5 wrote:

Sounds like your wives should go on holiday together while you two sit pool-side sipping iced tea waiting for those free concert tickets that will magically appear in your hand because you kept your options open by not getting locked into a tour of the shopping district.

Exactly!

Staybrite wrote:

Jen5 wrote:

Sounds like your wives should go on holiday together while you two sit pool-side sipping iced tea waiting for those free concert tickets that will magically appear in your hand because you kept your options open by not getting locked into a tour of the shopping district.

Exactly!

Can we add another?  Sounds like a cool vacation to me!

The only planning I really do for a vacation is when I hit Disneyworld.  We do plan out what we want and don't want to see at each park.  But, that is just a big picture plan and not a detailed plan.  We just want to see what we love, what is new, and skip the rest.

Plus, I was just able to properly use an Oxford comma for all of you punctuation snobs!