Reactor vs. Anticipator

I noticed a pattern in my life that gets at one of my fundamental algorithms. I pounce on opportunities as they present themselves. I don't expend much effort on trying to stay a few steps ahead of the situation. I react when the situation demands it. This approach has its advantages. I spend most of my time working on things that have a good chance of turning out well. On the other side, my propensity to react rather than anticipating may come off as passive and uninterested. I need to force myself to take the initiative.

My wait and see approach is particularly irksome to somebody who has the opposite tendency. While I tend to watch things evolve and react accordingly, my wife is always working hard to stay one step ahead of the game. Her mind is always racing ahead to figure out what needs to happen next. She'll make preparations and then proceed. I will proceed and figure out how to make everything work later. 

This situation has the potential to create some serious misunderstandings. My time horizon is pretty short. Long term planning is not my bag. This can be very irksome when your spouse wants to know what's going on well in advance so she can anticipate and plan. She wants to be aware of something as soon as possible so she can plan around it. 

I may do things that are considered hasty in her estimation. She's usually flabbergasted when I confess that I haven't thought something through all the way before I take action. I prefer to improvise rather than plot and plan. Admittedly, this is not always the best way to go about things when you have a family and other responsibilities, but it's a big challenge to shift how you approach and think about the world.