Hi Bailey,
You sound like my husband! He is obsessed about hitting the
Advance Dining Reservations at 180 days no matter when we go. Personally, we have been to so many restaurants, I do not mind if we have to try something new.
In general, we make a schedule of the days we would like to go to each park. From there, we build our dining and make reservations around that schedule. When the park hours come out, we adjust accordingly. We make it flexible enough that we are not backed into no options.
There are very few restaurants you need to be at the 180 day mark. The popular ones are Be Our Guest, Cinderella's Royal Table and some of the
celebrity and newer restaurants in Disney Springs. In addition, while October is popular, it is not Christmas week so you have flex.
Wishing you a magical vacation!
Beth