Without a plan, it’s much easier to meander; without a plan, we can head down unexpected routes. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we want—an unstructured day or morning or meeting.

But when we don’t consciously choose it, a lack of direction can also cost us. We can waste time on random distractions, instead of focusing on our most important tasks. We can spend time on whatever captures our attention instead of what’s most essential. And all because we didn’t have some kind of plan.

Unstructured and unplanned times have a place in the rhythms of our lives. But intentionally choosing to spend our time this way is one thing. Simply failing to plan ahead is another.