Your Schedule Needs a Buffer
“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date!”
Most of us have heard this refrain from The White Rabbit in the Disney adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. And unfortunately, plenty of us understand his angst all too well. We’ve all had to rush to a meeting, class or event with the sense that a pocket watch is ticking away in our ear. Once we’ve reached said meeting, we’re flustered and out-of-breath — even if we got there on time.
To be at our best, we need to avoid this kind of time-crunch anxiety. Planning can be a huge help, but even planning alone may not be enough.
We need one more element — something I like to call buffer time.
What is Buffer Time?
The majority of people are fairly good at organizing their schedules when they take time to plan ahead. We know about how long meetings should take or how much travel time we’ll need to get somewhere.
But that’s under ideal circumstances.
The moment something unexpected pops up (i.e. a meeting runs over by a half hour or there’s a wreck on the expressway), our schedule is shot. Not to mention it takes 23 minutes for the average person to refocus on a task after an interruption. Thus, if the unexpected something interrupts intense focus, you’re going…
