The Courage to Leave Space

Our calendars are monuments to optimism.

We stack meetings edge to edge, fill every minute with tasks, and pride ourselves on "maximizing productivity." The modern professional's schedule resembles an overpacked suitcase—everything technically fits, but only if nothing unexpected comes up.

And something unexpected always comes up.

The resistance to buffer time isn't about efficiency—it's about fear. Fear that space invites waste. Fear that silence invites doubt. Fear that if we're not visibly busy, we're not valuable.

Buffer time isn't just breathing room—it's armor against the inevitable. It's what separates the rushed apology from the calm delivery. The emergency pivot from the graceful adjustment.

When everything must go perfectly for you to succeed, you've already set yourself up for failure.

Buffer time isn't an indulgence. It's insurance.