Do I / Should I need more structure / routine?

[Cimarron]

Type-related joking aside, over the past few years I've voluntarily given up a lot of routine and physical structure in my daily life, and enjoyed it. However, letting this kind of free-flow happen means I always feel that there's not enough time to finish what I want to do...which means structures and routines are often pushed out of the way, which means those things that need doing are harder to coordinate and get done.

I don't know where I should go with this thread. How do you know when to strike a good balance? Are you kind of worried that if you put up "normal" schedules for your self, for daily stuff, you might feel as if you have no time to just enjoy things and have fun? (Because I kind of feel that last one)

Thanks for your thoughts...

 

[RaptorWizard]

Life is all about routine for me. It increases efficiency and makes for less X factors. For 'boring' people like me, that works, but for someone trying to be fun and full of diversity, it would be a big wall. Really though, I think pushing ourselves to master stuff (which routines can perfect) is the way to transcendence!

 

[Lark]

I rated the thread as excellent and subscribed to it because it relates to a lot of what I experience too, not that I've ever abandoned structure but I've over structured and over planned a lot of the time and then been unable to stick to plans, its been a boom and bust thing in terms of the planning, cyclical too.

 

[miss fortune]

I suppose that the question to ask here is "is my lack of routine negatively impacting my life? and if so, will imposing a routine bring more positives or negatives?"

he he... I changed to impacting life because I couldn't be bothered to decide whether the correct word was affect or effect

life on my work days is quite structured, to the point where I've already done my prep work for dinner ahead of time. I work in 10 hour stretches and the structure provides me with a lot more free time in the evening without having to sacrifice dinner.

Days off are another story

 

[gromit]

I like the bare minimum of routine I can get by with in order to get stuff done. Too much routine/structure sucks the life out of life. But too much chaos does too, in an opposite way.

 

[Glycerine]

Structure/routine for big-picture things but relax on minor things. Or be structured but flexible. Being too structured/routinized can make life hell for you and the others around you in the long haul. The big question is how much undue stress is the amount of routine (or lack thereof) causing you? Is there something you really want to work on? What compromises are you willing to make? Or are you happy with the current setup?

I know with my dad (ESFJ) and most of his family (EXXJs), they pretty much have their day planned to every last detail and minute (even on weekends) so if someone screws it up by 30 minutes (or even just by 10), they get stressed out for the whole day.