Plan But Don't Plan

I’m writing this as I decided to spend another day in LA. So this post will be short and raw (i.e., full of grammatical errors), but I value experiences over keyboard jockeying…so you get what you get.

Unfortunate Truth: I love planning, but the best experiences I’ve had when traveling were spur-of-the-moment choices.

Example:

William: "I love helicopters, and I’ve always wanted to do a helicopter tour. Are you interested in doing one in LA?"

Me: "I love flying. I’m down." (I just threw away a day full of plans.)

Thanks William and Jason! I had a blast!

How do I link the incongruence?

I’m able to spot opportunities because of my rigid planning. If something better than my plan comes up, I go with the flow. With planning, I can quickly filter out value from noise.

Another Example:

As I’m writing this, I’m at a bar (Good Times at Davey Wayne’s) chilling out by the dance floor. In 5 minutes, I got asked to dance, got a friendly punch in the chest, and met a cool group of people. If I had just followed my plan and left after checking out the bar, I would’ve missed out on an experience like that.

How is punching someone in the chest a way of connecting with them?...What happened to hello??? (It was a serious punch too.) I think I’m a little too close to opportunity, so I will take a step back...

TLDR: Definitely plan but don’t be afraid to throw them away if something better comes along.