I love systems. And office supplies. I have never met a planning system with color coding that I didn’t think I could use to transform my life. And yet, here I am, mostly untransformed.
The thing about systems is that they want things to fit. Tasks need to be categorized. Hours need to be accounted for. Nothing must be wasted.
Life, on the other hand, doesn’t care if stuff fits. (This is why lycra was invented.) No matter how carefully we write our workout on the calendar in the correct color of pen, life can still say, “Hey, but the car is going to break down right then and actually we’re going to spend the day talking to tow people and insurance agents and repair guys.” We can plan the perfect workout that uses every single muscle group the optimum amount and life can hand us food poisoning instead.
I am not saying that we shouldn’t plan. I’m just saying that we need to understand that life is bigger than our plans. The world is not going to end if we miss one workout, or even if we write it on the chart in the wrong color. If we end up getting in our steps pacing the hospital corridors while we wait to hear about a loved one’s test results, that still counts. If someone offers us a spontaneous hike to see waterfalls, we don’t need to say no because we were planning on lifting weights right then.
The system is not important. We are important. When the system doesn’t serve us, we need to ignore it.
Go play.
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