Whenever I’m teaching I encourage students to stay in the moment, be present with their partner, and don’t worry about where the story is going.
But…honestly…that’s hard. I think it’s very human to want to figure things out. We love a good plan and sometimes that leads to overthinking. Don’t be frustrated with yourself if you catch yourself planning…it’s a great instinct…but improv is different. It’s not about preparing for the future, because the scene rarely matches our expectations.
And, that’s a good lesson I had to remind myself today. My expectations and ruminations are not reality.
This week I have to get the floors in my home replaced. ALL the floors throughout the house. Long story short, moisture barrier problem, and the floors are ruined. The flooring company said it would be a 5-day process and they could move the big furniture, but I am responsible for the small items throughout the house.
Well, this is where my planning, forecasting, and expectations went wild. I bought 2 dozen boxes to pack everything. I cleared out my garage to have space for the furniture in case it rained, and extra storage. I spent the weekend sorting, lifting, and moving hundreds of books, games, and cables into the garage. I had a hard time sleeping because the desk in my office is wider than the door, so I worried I’d have to dissemble it… when would I have the time???
Well, turns out…I don’t need to worry about finding the time.. The flooring team showed up today and said, “oh we’ll just slide your furniture over 5 feet, replace the floor, and then slide it back.“
Simple. Easy. Logical. They knew what they were doing because they were the experts. They didn’t need to use the garage, and they weren’t annoyed about the desk, and they didn’t need me packing up everything I ever owned and getting it off the ground.
In my mind, in my plans, in my fear, I made it complicated, daunting, and stressful. My expectations of what WOULD happen consumed me for the last few days. The unknown stressed me out, and I opted to expect the worst.
It was far from the reality.
So….before this gets any longer…let me add a quick little TLDR: every improviser, regardless of experience can begin overthinking. Just take a second to note you’re trying to plan, don’t judge yourself and get back to being present with your scene partner. That’s more fun, and improv can be so much fun.
Have a great day!