{"id":48150,"date":"2017-03-28T20:34:33","date_gmt":"2017-03-29T04:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=48150"},"modified":"2017-05-27T08:45:46","modified_gmt":"2017-05-27T16:45:46","slug":"balance-freedom-structure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/balance-freedom-structure\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Balance Freedom and Structure"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Structure is something many of us absolutely love.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a calendar, mobile app, fitness tracker – you most likely use different tools to plan, track, and organise your life.<\/p>\n

These tools enable you to live more intentionally. But when overused, despite all their incredible benefits, they can also stifle you. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

– You get overwhelmed by the huge number of Apps you have to open each day
\n– You Stress out when your Smartwatch\/Phone Battery dies
\n– You Feel burdened by the responsibility of keeping your Calendar up to date<\/p>\n

For every tool you use, there\u2019s a cognitive cost that you have to factor in.<\/p>\n

Why you should Lower your Expectations of Perfection<\/strong><\/p>\n

However much I think I\u2019m in control, life has a funny way of taking charge on its accord. I\u2019ve noticed that when I\u2019m too attached to my plans and tools when something wrong happens, I experience a higher level of stress than needed.<\/p>\n

There are have been various instances in my life where i didn\u2019t fill out my Calendar for the Week; I failed to accomplish my work by the end of the day; and I forgot to track my habits<\/p>\n

Every time those situations would come up I would beat myself up for not being perfect<\/em>. There was so much structure in my life (and not enough freedom) that when things deviated from the way I expected them to go, whether in my life or through relationships, I fell into a hole of disappointment. In that sense, the structures and tools in my life were imprisoning me rather than freeing me.<\/p>\n

Life never goes 100{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} according to plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So I decided to change my tune and eliminate some of the tools I used and changed my philosophy. I started regularly thinking about how I\u2019m managing both the freedom and structure in my life. Slowly, I learned to dance with the unexpected news, small failures, and \u201cHappy\u201d surprises. I came to realize that not having things not go to plan all the time, would help me grow as a human being.<\/p>\n

Life never turns out exactly the way you want it to. Holding that truth in advance makes you less likely to act emotionally or irrationally when imperfections arise.<\/p>\n

The value in this story is that you must learn to dance with not having control all the time, choosing instead to co-create with life – as opposed to doing things all on your accord. We need a balance between structure and freedom, uncertainty and productivity. That\u2019s why when we use our tools, we want to use them with a slight leeway for imperfection. We also need to eliminate the tools that don’t serve us.<\/p>\n

What happens to the man who is too attached to his tools? He becomes just as rigid as his pieces of software, lacking in the soft touch and light-heartedness that’s inbuilt into his nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is partly about not knowing, having to change, taking a moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity\u201d – Gilda Radner<\/em><\/p>\n

Get the Perfect Balance<\/strong><\/p>\n

We do need some degree of control in our lives, but we also can benefit from more freedom. Maybe we do this by not wearing our watch one day per week, taking a day of the computer once per week, or visiting a new town one day per week.<\/p>\n

We need to produce a system within our systems that enables us to break away from our mindset of control and productivity.<\/p>\n

Balance the freedom and structure in your life, and you\u2019ll experience more peace, calm, and emotional stability.<\/p>\n

My Last Words<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a creative and interested in learning how to upgrade the way you live your week, read my free guide<\/a>\u00a0on Spiritual Productivity<\/em>.<\/p>\n