Planning

Is anybody out there a planner? I'm a planner, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! I always thought it was kind of anal, but it can be a good thing. Now don't get me wrong....this planning only extends to certain parts of my life. Don't look at the organization and cleanliness of my house. TOTAL DISASTER! I'll give you a few examples of my planning.
When I plan a meal get together or a coffee hour at church, the first thing I do is decide upon a menu. Once I have the menu, I write up a grocery list. After that, I might write up a timeline. This timeline includes when certain food items need to be cooked, when the table needs to be set, things I might be able to do the night before, or the morning of...Sometimes, I might make a list of the other things I might need for the table--tablecloth, flowers, utensils I might need...I do this because I am usually short on time, and doing a little organizing ahead of time makes me more efficient. Since I became a baker, work and sleep have taken up a lot of my time. What little is left over has to be used wisely. I also do this because it helps me bring the whole meal together all at once. I am not very good at seeing the whole project, and to bring a meal together takes a little planning. Some things need more cooking, others need less. How to bring them together at the same time?
It used to be when I went to the grocery store, I organized my shopping lists into departments--like produce, bulk foods, dairy, meat, etc. That way, all I had to do was make one grand sweep around the grocery store, making forrays into the aisles as necessary. I read once that most of what you need is around the edges of the grocery store. I find this to be quite true.
Again, doing this makes the most efficient use of your time, and saves having to crisscross the store fighting the hordes of people several times. I don't always do this anymore, at least on the list. I am now able to see the items on my list and recognize what department they are in, though they may not be grouped together on the list. I still physically go around the store in a methodical way.
Often times, I organize my errands so that I start at the farthest point away from my house and I work my way back, doing errands along the way. This is why the library and bank are almost always linked together. Walgreens is almost always linked with the grocery store. Again, makes more efficient use of my time, and you don't spend all your time, energy, and gas, fighting traffic and people.
I also have a basic timeline at work. A guideline for when I have to do what to pull it all together. This timeline does change slightly depending on seasonal items that need to be added in, but my basic timeline is pretty much the same.
Could I be flexible enough to deal with something unplanned? Absolutely! But most of the time this planning just gives me a game plan, a shape to what I am doing so that I make the best use of my time. Anal? Maybe, but I find it practical. What do you think?