Going With the Flow Can Result in the Best Decisions Made

Posted on March 16, 2015 Updated on March 18, 2015

I recently found myself consumed with tasks that take up a good portion of my mental and physical energy, hence the lag in updating this blog. I had been meaning to post one or more articles daily, or at the very least, on a weekly basis. It’s amazing that, when push comes to shove, some things must really be put on the back burner while life takes priority. Everyone will tell you until it almost becomes an exhausted cliché, that “Oh, just write down a list of what your priorities are and what aren’t.”

But often it’s true the best way to decide what needs to be tackled is to just make it brutally simple for yourself and tackle what needs to be done right this second and let the rest wait until later. But, what if all the tasks on your list hold equal importance in your eyes? I think it’s important to understand the way our minds work in these instances.

Some of us are like walking computers; we’ve redefined the definition of logical, and technical isn’t even sufficient enough to describe how we think. Let’s just say computer genius extraordinaire is a better title for us. And heck, talk about organized. Our entire lives are practically alphabetized and filed away, including the food in our kitchen. We see tasks like soldiers. Each holds a position, title and rank. Then life becomes simple because our tasks march in line, file neatly by rank from highest to lowest. We start from the top, then work our way down.

On the other hand, some of us prefer a more organic approach as we rely on inspiration. But free-flowing isn’t always conducive to making decisions as to what needs our full, immediate attention and what can wait. But, not so fast. Although the computer-minded individual might seem to have the best, logical way of alphabetizing, filing and deciphering what’s should be on our priority list and in what order. Something called life, just simply happens. We need to understand that while it’s great to plan, it’s also important to understand that we can’t control every little thing in our lives. Not everything should be tasked, ranked, filed and categorized. An organizational system definitely helps, trust me, I love visiting The Container Store and enjoy organizing stuff away in neat little containers, but not everything fits in a plastic rectangle.

 The Bottom Line:

Sometimes the best approach is to go with your gut and let that guide your decisions. This is without trying to rank every little task, write exhaustive lists and try too hard to make everything make sense. What is important to you right now might not make any sense, but for your peace of mind it might be just what you need. And no one else can determine what’s important to you but you. I am not advocating procrastination and slothful behavior. But, I do think that your body, mind and soul will work together to come to a consensus. What will eventually merge and form is a final decision as to which thing needs to be done right now and what can simply wait. I do think lists hold value. I also think structure, order and logic totally helps most of us get through our days.

But, I also think there’s a time when you need to just throw the list out and be in the flow. I truly think that sometimes we overthink things and it can actually become difficult deciding on what goal or task needs our attention. I know some logical, computer-minded folk might think that the rest of us are sort of dumb and lacking in common sense. But, it’s really not always super easy figuring out what needs to be taken care of right away. Because we might have a mountain of stuff to tackle, it might feel overwhelming. Where do we start? If we’re torn, then we simply need to take a step back. When you’re in the flow, you’re more relaxed and can finally meditate with a clear mind. The answers will come and sometimes it happens without effort, without too much thought, and without our need to control everything.