And you call yourselves Nintendo fans... *tsk tsk tsk*

[Private Hudson]

Especially given how they kept the day timer, which means that you've still definitely got a sense of urgency. Just not one where you must not waste a day or the whole game is doomed.

A day and the game is doomed? Perhaps the problem was that you felt like that. But all it means is that you have to plan ahead with what you were going to do on each day. When I first finished the game, I had all 30 parts and it was only 24 days (IIRC, may have been slightly less days), and some of those days were certainly wasted exploring, and growing pikmin, and figuring out what I would do the next. Hell, before I went for the final piece (which had the hardest boss in the game) I spent a whole day growing and upgrading Pikmin so I could use as many as I damn will please against the boss!

Perhaps the reason that you did feel like that restricted your levels of enjoyment. But even if you didn't get all 30 pieces you would still finish the game with a good ending. And even if you were a complete loser and didn't get the absolute bare minimum required to complete the game with a good ending, you would simply get a bad ending. Besides that, the game isn't so horribly long, and the gameplay isn't so horrendously boring that playing through the game a second time would completely ruin your entire life.