Stop planning your day to the limit

A plan with no spare capacity can fail at the first change

If you fill every minute in your calendar, you’re assuming nothing will take longer than expected and no one will interrupt you. The day may look perfect on paper, but it usually leaves no room for everyday uncertainty, moving between tasks or unexpected requests.

When estimating time, look at a similar task you’ve done before. Include preparation, review and handover, not just the work itself. If you don’t have experience, acknowledge the uncertainty and give a range or a preliminary estimate that you can refine after the first step.

Leaving room in your plan isn’t permission to work slowly. It gives you space for everyday uncertainty. How much you need depends on the type of work. Some tasks are familiar; others involve more unknown dependencies.

Imagine preparing a major proposal. The calculation itself will take two hours, but you still need to confirm the delivery cost and wait for approval. If you don’t account for that, your promised deadline won’t be reliable. Separate the work you can do yourself from the time spent waiting for external input.

When the plan changes, don’t automatically try to catch up in the evening. Review deadlines and tell anyone who depends on you about the impact. An early, accurate estimate is better than a late apology.

Try it in practice: For your next major task, write down your estimate, unknown dependencies and a contingency buffer. Once it’s done, compare the plan with what actually happened and identify what you overlooked.