Spontaneity versus Structure!
Structure is where we like to see fixed patterns in our life. For instance a structure at work where you know your job duties, office timing and the job benefits you receive.
Another example of structure is in relationships where you know your role and your spouse’s role too. When that structure changes for whatever reason, we crumble and complain.
Going to spontaneity, that is a whole different senario. It is where you live life, do work, interact with your friends or talk with your spouse knowing that life is full of surprises and events and you are willing to embrace them whole heartedly with curiosity.
This post is not to favour spontaneity or structure and it is not to convince you which one is better. It seeks to clarify the two terms and show where and when in life they are used.
We are human creatures. We have got our emotions, thoughts and imaginations. We keep changing and evolving all the time.
When it comes to the daily living, we have got our unique preferences and lifestyles. Some prefer to live by structure all the time while others long for surprises and spontaneity.
From my personal experience, it depends on the situation, the person you interact with and the task you handle in that moment. For example if we talk about work, structure to me is terribly boring. It dulls me to follow what exactly I need to do at work. It removes the surprise element we grieve for sometimes.
But when it comes to home activities and the caring for kids, I prefer the structure type where I know exactly what is happening at home, whether the laundry was sorted out and whether the kids have done their homework. In that context, I hate surprises because to me it means messiness and incomplete tasks.
Its good to use both structure and spontaneity to add flavour and spice to our daily living. Just imagine living your life daily doing the same thing forever? How boring and soul crushing that is!
One of my favourite time when I like to get out of the road and go different direction is in the early morning before the sun rise. That is where I believe the mind is fresh and sparks of creativity can pop up.
I remember this common phrase many like to say about spontaneity: It is sometimes better to do something unplanned. That is where you see things coming to the right places and people attracted to the unplanned idea. Sometimes when you plan a lot and break your head sorting out and perfecting things, you still sense something is missing.
Not to forget, structure is required too to help us stay focused on doing a task at a time. It shows us the time available and the tasks needed to be done. Without a structure, you can easily lose track and not know where you are going or what you need to do at the moment.
At the end, having a balance between structure and spontaneity can be helpful to fulfil our emotional and mental needs. When you come back from work daily, ask yourself: What can I do to break the routine and do something different? Or when you are juggling between many responsibilities and scattered everywhere, come back to your senses and ask: What structure do I need here? What matters to me at the moment? What specific tasks I can add to my calendar to accomplish them?