All people can be characterized either as clear investigators of the plan or as those who prefer spontaneity. There is an opinion that spontaneous people are happier than planners due to the possibility of experiencing everything life has to offer and achieving greater fulfillment. By comparing the characteristics and behaviors of planners and spontaneous people, individuals can gain insight into the importance of spontaneity in a person’s life.
People who are called planners make daily plans the basis of their lives. Britt (N.D.) emphasizes that these “people do not care about the process, they like results” (para. 7). This circumstance causes them to decide long-term goals that they often hyper-focus on. The negative consequence is the separation from real life and enjoyment. Planners are characterized by the speed of decision-making, which deprives them of the opportunity to understand and assess the problem. Barry (n.d.) gives an example based on the fact that women, as planners, are more likely to pay attention to dust that needs to be washed immediately, even if it seems that everything is clean (para. 2). Those who constantly adhere to the plan cannot go with the flow. These individuals are also heavily dependent on deadlines, which characterizes them as workaholics incapable of fun.
Some people honor spontaneity and freedom in life. Instead of following the plan, they prefer new experiences and different ways to live life to the fullest. They cannot be bothered by changes in order or plan, counting on possible options. They “carry in their mind’s eye a heavenly vision, that is so stupendous, it cannot be achieved in this world or the next” (Britt, N.D., para. 2). Spontaneous people hold off on making judgments, which makes them more open-minded to problem-solving. For example, they can find a way out of a problem when they are not interested in the situation in which they find themselves (Barry, N.D.). The dark side is that they have problems with procrastinating and managing their time, which makes them more creative when the time approaches the deadline.
It can be concluded that spontaneous people are happier and less bitter than planners. This is because they live life to the fullest and get to experience everything that it has to offer. Due to the constant following of the plan, planners do not have this opportunity, which can make them uninteresting or boring, which deprives them of the opportunity to enjoy what is happening around.
References
Barry, D. (n.d.). Batting clean-up and striking out. Eng101. Web.
Britt, S. (n.d.). Neat people vs. sloppy people. Eng101. Web.