Ah the planner, every friend group has one. They’re the person that always seems to have their shit together. If everyone is talking about some random event going on, they’ll offer to plan the group outing; and, they’re the ones always offering to do things at their house. As a proud planner, I would like to set a few things straight for all the lazy people that wait around for us to do stuff.
Fun Fact: we absolutely do not have our shit together. We may like everyone to think we do, but on the inside we’re an emotional breakdown waiting to happen. All we want to do is vent about how so and so is making our life a living hell, and as much as we don’t want to, we try our best to keep the peace. Then there are times when someone else tries to take your role as planner, and that can unleash a whole other world of problems. Oh man, if you’re that person you better watch your back or sleep with one eye open.
Being a planner is a one-man job. Even though we do sometimes have help, it’s usually all eyes on us when an answer is needed or a decision has to be made. While we planners do love the attention, we also get most of the heat and drama thrown our way. It’s hard to try and satisfy everyone, but that’s our main goal: to make everyone happy. From all the experience we’ve gathered from everything we have planned, it’s safe to say we are trained specialists when it comes to defusing a situation.
A planner wants everything hosted at their house because deep down they are too lazy to go to another person’s house. We also love the control and being able to say “my house, my rules” like an old-fashioned dad. And eventually, there comes a point where most people consider your house their house and expect that’s where everything is going on. Let me tell you, this is the greatest feeling in the world, because you know your home is the place to be.
Planners plan things because secretly… we’re really lonely *tear*. Yes, you heard it here first. Though we may seem like social beings because we always want to do something, it’s all an act because we’re afraid of being left out or alone. Like stated before, it’s all about the power of control. Being able to plan things makes us inevitably invited to everything.
What’s killing me, the most devoted planner, on the inside is the fact that being at college I haven’t had to plan anything. Usually everything is already planned and you just pick what you want to do. Being so close to going home for the holidays, I can’t wait to plan things like "Friendsgiving", secret Santa and ugly sweater parties.
In the end, all a planner wants is to be recognized. We try our best to make sure that when all of our friends come together, we can make memories that last. All we want is to know we did something right and that everyone is having a good time. So next time the planner of your friend group is in the middle of a huge project, offer some words of encouragement or say that you’re there to help if you need it. In our eyes, those words go a long way.