Last Updated on May 25, 2022 by Jen
You can be addicted to anything in life, including planning. If you are addicted to planning, you are called a plannerholic. It’s often used as an endearing term to describe someone who loves planning, but being a plannerholic can also interfere with your life in negative ways. Do you think you might be addicted to planning? Here are 15 signs that you might be a plannerholic.
1. You Spend More Time Planning Than You Do Executing
Planners love to plan… that’s a popular saying among plannerholics. But there needs to be a balance between planning and executing.
Planning is an essential part of any project, but it’s only useful if it leads to action. Spending too much time planning can actually be detrimental, leading to information overload and analysis paralysis.
When you’re planning, you’re only focused on the potential outcomes of your actions. But when you’re executing, you’re also dealing with the reality of the situation, which helps get things moving along.
You have to be adaptable and able to adjust your plans on the fly. Otherwise, you’ll never get anything done.
So don’t get bogged down in planning; focus on executing, and trust that your planning will help you along the way.
2. You Have More Planners Than You Need
The process of planning can be therapeutic and even cathartic. It can help to ease anxiety and provide a sense of control over our lives.
However, like anything else, it is possible to take the planning process too far. If you find yourself stockpiling planners that you never use, then it might be time to reassess your relationship with planning.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the process of planning, but when it starts to interfere with your budget or ability to buy other things, you might be a plannerholic.
3. You Love Buying New Planner Supplies
If you love planning, there’s nothing wrong with stocking up on planning supplies. In fact, it can be a lot of fun to browse through your favorite office supply store or stationery shop, looking for new pens, paper, and other goodies to help you get organized.
However, there can be such a thing as too much of a good thing. If you find yourself buying more planner supplies than you need, or if you’re spending more money on planner supplies than you do on actual events and activities, then it might be time to admit that you are a plannerholic and should step back a bit.
4. You Feel Lost Without A Plan
When you can’t live without a plan in place, it’s a sign that you are a plannerholic.
This addiction can lead to rigidity and a lack of flexibility, which can ultimately undermine your chances of success with anything you take on.
If you find yourself always needing to have a plan, try to take some time each day to just go with the flow. See what happens when you let go of the need to control everything. You might be surprised at how liberating it feels and how much more successful you become as a result.
5. You Are Constantly Making To-Do Lists That Don’t Work Out
If you find that you’re constantly making lists and, worse, never actually getting anything done, it might be time to reconsider your priorities.
Try to focus on what’s most important and make sure that your to-do lists are realistic. Otherwise, you’ll just end up feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
6. You Plan In Your Free Time As Well As Your Work Time
Some people live by their planners, others fly by the seat of their pants. But what if your love for planning starts to infringe on your free time? Does that make you a plannerholic? Yes, and if it’s becoming a problem, you need to admit it.
Too much planning can become a problem. Just like anything else, moderation is key. If you find yourself eagerly anticipating your next chance to plan or feeling anxious when you can’t sit down and plan, it might be time to take a step back.
Part of the appeal of planning is the feeling of control it can give us. In a world where so much feels out of our control, having a say in how our time is spent can be incredibly gratifying. However, when planning starts to take over, it can start to feel more like a burden than a pleasure. If you find yourself worrying about your plans more than enjoying them, it might be time to cut back.
Remember, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a little bit of planning. It can help us make the most of our time and avoid stressful surprises. But when it starts to feel like too much, it might be time to scale back and enjoy your free time as just that… free time to do whatever you want.
7. You Never Leave Anything To Chance
If you are always trying to plan for every possible outcome, you may miss out on spontaneous opportunities.
Sometimes in life, it can be good to leave things to chance. This is because chance encounters and experiences can lead to some of the most memorable moments in our lives.
For instance, you might meet your future spouse at a party that you never would have attended if a friend hadn’t dragged you along. Or you might sample a new food that becomes your new favorite. If we always lived life according to a plan, we would miss out on many of the special moments that make life worth living.
So next time something comes up that is outside of your plans, step out of your comfort zone and see what opportunities arise. You may just be surprised at what you find.
8. You Have Trouble Starting Anything Without A Plan
When you’re addicted to planning, everything has to be mapped out in advance in order for you to feel comfortable starting it. This can become a problem because not everything in life can be planned for.
Sometimes, you just have to dive in and see what happens. If you’re too tied to your plans, you may miss out on some of the best opportunities that come your way.
It’s important to be flexible and open-minded, or else you will never find a path outside of your plans that will work for you. So, if you find yourself always needing a plan before taking any action, try loosening up a bit and see what happens.
9. You Make Plans For The Sake Of Making Them
If you need to make a plan just for the sake of making it, you are a plannerholic.
Not everything needs to be planned down to the last detail.
Sometimes the best opportunities arise when we’re open to spontaneity. Embracing change and going with the flow can lead to new experiences, connections, and insights that we never would have found if we had stuck to our original plan. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with making plans. But it’s also important to leave room for surprises. After all, life is full of them.
10. Your Friends And Family Know You Can’t Do Anything Spontaneously So They Don’t Reach Out On Short Notice
If your friends and family know not to make plans with you spontaneously because you always need time to plan ahead, it may be a cause for concern.
A planning addiction can lead to feeling anxious or stressed when plans are made on short notice, even if it is for the best. It can also lead to feeling like you have no control over your life if things do not go according to plan.
11. You Are Always Early For Appointments
If you find yourself obsessively planning your day and always being early for appointments, it could be a sign that you’re a plannerholic and addicted to planning.
This is especially true if you end up being on time or a few minutes late and experience anxiety about it. If the anxiety of not making it there in time is getting to you, then you may be too rigid with your schedule and how you view it.
12. You Get Stressed Out When Things Don’t Go According To Plan
There’s nothing wrong with being a little bit OCD when it comes to your plans. In fact, it can actually be helpful to have things mapped out ahead of time. But if you find yourself getting stressed out when things don’t go according to plan, it might be time to reassess your relationship with planning.
Just because you have everything planned out doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen exactly the way you want it to. And that’s okay! Part of life is learning to roll with the punches and go with the flow.
So if you’re finding yourself getting too stressed out about your plans, take a step back and relax. Make room in your life for the unexpected.
13. You Use More Than One Planner
If you have more than one planner, it’s a good sign that you’re addicted to planning.
Having multiple planners can help you stay organized and on top of your schedule, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. If you find yourself constantly flipping between planners or feel like you’re never really sure what’s coming up next because there are too many planners to look into, it might be time to cut back.
One way to simplify your life is to choose one primary planner and then use it to track all of your appointments, deadlines, and events. You can still keep a backup planner for reference, but by streamlining your scheduling process you can reduce your stress levels and free up some valuable time.
14. You Are Extremely Detailed With Your Plans
If you find yourself making detailed plans for every aspect of your life, from what you’re going to wear tomorrow to what you’ll do in retirement, it might be time to take a step back. Too much planning can lead to rigidity and inflexibility, and it can cause you to lose joy in the mystery and unexpected in life.
15. You Have More Lists And Plans Than You Need
If you have more lists and plans than you need, it’s a sign that you’re a plannerholic!
Try scaling it back and having lists and plans for the most important things while allowing yourself freedom in less important things.
If you can relate to most of these signs, then it’s safe to say you might be addicted to planning! But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Being a plannerholic can actually be quite helpful in many aspects of life. Just be sure to enjoy the moment every once in a while, leave room for spontaneity, and enjoy planning rather than stress out over it. When planning starts to interfere with your time, energy, or happiness, then it’s time to step back and find some help because you are a plannerholic.
