"Days Should Be Rigorously Planned, And Nights Left Open To Chance"

I found this unattributed quote during my senior year of college and have tried to live it throughout my 20s.

The people I respect the most in this world have a seemingly contradictory approach to their days. On the one hand, they are rigidly structured in their routines; extremely productive, reliable, and organized. They Get Things Done. On the other hand, once the work day is over, they relax their routines, spend time aimlessly hanging out with friends and family, and are okay with being adventurous and spontaneous.

We all know people who carry their obsessive compulsive disorder from work to weekends and vacation. And we all know people who bring their carefree attitude to work on Monday morning and can’t seem to move the ball forward reliably. I’m much more prone to the former but I keep this quote in mind whenever my instinct to overly plan my nights, weekends or vacations kicks in. I remind myself that I have a choice of when to rigorously plan and when to go with the flow. I’ve always found that my best days happen when I rigorously plan, and my best nights happen when I leave them open to chance...