eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

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Background

The purpose of this research was to study how daily life is planned and coordinated. I concentrated on researching the daily life of 22-27 year old young single adults living somewhat hectic lives in the Helsinki city center. The theoretical background of this study leans on practice theory while the study will be conducted using ethnographic methods, more specifically videography.

Results

This research has produced three core findings. Firstly, routines form an immense part of our daily life. Furthermore the order of these routines can change, meaning that the content of our everyday life is often the same, but routines are executed in different orders. Secondly, the traditional split between work and non-work seems to be non-existent in modern time as we are constantly taking work home and bringing the non-work to work. Thirdly, and most importantly, I have discovered that much of our daily planning has to do with the efficient coordination of our routines and the fine tuning of our time tables. I have thus conceptualized ‘emergent coordination’ and ‘purposive planning’. Purposive planning sees us taking the time to plan, where as emergent coordination is the steering of daily life and the making of quick decisions.

Conclusions

Even though we find ourselves planning ahead, much is the outcome of emergent coordination and routines. Purposive plans can change in the spur of the moment when emergent coordination enters the equation. It seems like our daily life is often a chaotic outcome of what happens on the liminal of purposive planning and emergent coordination. As routines give our lives balance and structure, purposive planning gives us the feeling that we are in control of our lives.