A day in the life : Day 441

This week, I had to deal with a small but annoying disruption — a delayed delivery that threw off my plans for two days. I’d scheduled work around it, moved a few things, and then got the message that it wouldn’t arrive on time after all. Nothing serious, but enough to create unnecessary reshuffling. Around the same time, I kept seeing posts about the trend of building “buffer time” into schedules, instead of planning days back-to-back.

I realized I rarely do that. I plan as if everything will go exactly right, even though it almost never does. So I tried adding small gaps between tasks — not breaks, just empty space with no expectations attached. The first day felt strange, like I was wasting time. But when the delivery got delayed again, it didn’t wreck the whole day. The buffer absorbed the problem.

There was still one slip-up. I assumed the delay wouldn’t affect a later task and didn’t inform someone in advance. That caused a bit of confusion. Lesson learned — buffer time helps, but communication still matters. Space in your schedule doesn’t replace clarity with people.

The weather’s been warmer during the afternoons, which usually lowers my patience. I’ve adjusted by eating lighter lunches and avoiding heavy food during the day. That small change helped me stay calmer when plans shifted. When the body feels less sluggish, flexibility comes easier.

By the end of the week, I noticed something important. I wasn’t less busy, but I felt less rushed. Delays didn’t feel personal anymore. They were just part of the day.

This trend isn’t about doing less. It’s about planning with reality in mind. Things go wrong, timings shift, people change plans. When you leave room for that, you don’t spend the whole day recovering from surprises. Sometimes the smartest planning move is accepting that not everything will run on time — and making peace with that upfront.