Most people schedule their days too tightly. Meeting to meeting, task to task, with no space between. This creates constant rushing and prevents proper transitions. Your mind needs time to shift from one thing to the next.
Add buffer time between your commitments. If a meeting ends at two, do not schedule the next thing until two-thirty. If a task should take an hour, block an hour and fifteen minutes. This buffer is not wasted time. It is transition time.
The buffer allows for things to run over without derailing your entire day. It gives you time to finish your current thought, close what you are working on, and mentally prepare for what comes next. This prevents the feeling of being constantly behind.
When you have buffer time, you can also handle unexpected things without stress. An urgent message, a quick question, a small task that needs attention—these can fit into the buffer without throwing off your schedule. The buffer creates flexibility.
Try it this week. Add fifteen minutes between meetings. Add buffer time to your task estimates. Notice how much calmer your days become when you are not constantly rushing from one thing to the next. Buffer time is not inefficiency. It is respect for your attention and your pace.