How Pro-Retro Planning is saving me from going crazy during Coronavirus

And keeping me productive, somehow

Reflection is a vital part of Pro-Retro Planning. Photo by Andre Mouton on Unsplash

It’s been three weeks since I’ve been locked down in the French capital.

The first week, I was up the creek without a paddle: everything I’d ever done seemed meaningless, now that the world was crashing down on me.

But then something strange happened: I started planning.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always been an extremely structured person. In pre-Corona times, I used to plan every minute of my life. And I stuck to my plans. Sure, sometimes unforeseen stuff got in the way — but still I was disciplined enough to keep to around 90 percent of my plans.

I don’t know why I’m so in love with plans. Maybe it’s because I’m on the autistic spectrum. Maybe it’s because my brain is so messy that I need to balance it with ultra-structured surroundings. Maybe I’m a robot trying to disguise as a human. Honestly, I don’t know.

But in the first week of quarantine, I fell out of my usual pattern. I didn’t plan. I didn’t do anything. I spent most of the days binge-watching brainless stuff and binge-eating food that I shouldn’t have eaten. Miraculously, I managed to write a few Medium stories. But that was all.