I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. – Elwyn Brooks White
I can relate to this statement. It is always a challenge for me to balance enjoying life, acting in the here-and-now, with imagining what could be, taking action to improve my situation in the future. Because I also tend to underestimate how long things take and overestimate how much I can get done, planning my days is even more challenging.
Orienting yourself to time and goal setting
How do you orient yourself to time and goal setting? Are you focused mainly on today, making short-term practical, immediate decisions about what to do next? Or are you future focused, imagining what could be, making decisions, and taking actions to maximize your future options? Are you work-driven, finding it hard to relax and take time off? Or do you tend to enjoy yourself and your days, perhaps to the extent where you struggle to accomplish tasks?
As with most things in life, there is no right way to be or simple answers on how to best spend your time or plan your activities. It depends on your preferences, your situation, and on what you want your life and your brand to be like. The key is balance.
What is work?
How we define and create a space for work and play in our life is complex. Some people clearly delineate work and play and are definite about which is which. They may feel it is important to get work done before they play or may carefully plan play time into their schedule. Others don’t have a clear distinction between work and play. They interpret work as play or approach work in a playful way. When there are no clear boundaries between work and play, it is sometimes hard to recognize a need to change activities or re-energize yourself. If you love what you do, are you working or playing? Is it work to clean the house while listening to good music? What activities, for you, are energizing and what activities are relaxing?
For example, I have learned that what energizes (and relaxes) me is a day with no structure. This likely relates to my ENFP personality preferences for flexibility and spontaneity. A day off is less enjoyable if I have any activity planned, even if the activity is interesting and exciting. I need time to just do what I feel like in the moment. On the other hand, I have friends who find an unplanned day stressful. For them, having an activity planned is more energizing. Our play looks very different. Needless to say, we don’t vacation together.
How do you define work and play? How do you create a space for both in your life? Is there enough of each in your life to motivate and energize you? Are you enjoying your day? Are you in danger of working too hard and not living in the moment?
Different goals for different souls
As for setting and accomplishing goals, do you have a short or long-term focus? Short term planning works very well when fine-tuning and improving things incrementally. For example, if you are trying to add more exercise into your daily routine, going for a walk today or taking a fitness class for the next few weeks can get you started. Then you can see what works and adjust accordingly. These incremental steps can have positive, long-term implications and consequences if you continue to focus and build on them. Taking immediate, positive actions can improve your situation. However, if we only look to the present or immediate future when planning tasks and setting goals, it is quite difficult to make dramatic changes.
By taking a long-term approach it is easier to imagine what could be and create a vision that leads to change. Dramatic changes can result in new perspectives on ideas and situations and lead to significant improvements. For many people, a long-term or strategic goal provides a focus for their day-to-day actions. For example, many people need to create a vision of a new future to help them work through an extensive educational program or start out in a new line of work. However, if we focus too much on the future, we may miss the everyday delights that life can bring.
Are you focused on making immediate goals and taking short-term actions? Are you deferring your gratification to ensure work gets done or are you more likely to stop and enjoy the moment? Do you strategically plan or do you react to what happens next? Once you know your approach decide how to function well and enjoy your life and your brand now as well as in the future.
Author:
Donna Dunning, PhD, is a psychologist, certified teacher, member of the MBTI ® International Training Faculty, and director of Dunning Consulting Inc. She is the author of more than a dozen publications, including her two newest books, 10 Career Essentials and What’s Your Type of Career? 2nd edition. Donna’s guiding principle is: Know yourself, respect differences, learn and grow. Follow Donna on Twitter and Facebook and visit her website.
