“Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” – Socrates

 

Too often we feel like we’re rushing from one meeting to another.

 

Or we feel like we’re drowning in more that needs adding to our already overworked To Do lists that never get to done.

 

Or our inbox is swamped with new emails that need our attention and inbox zero seems like an urban myth.

 

Is it any wonder many of us start feeling that the days are just not as long as they used to be?

 

The Truth

The truth of course is that our days have always had 24 hours in them. Our feelings of overwhelm have more to do with what we fill those 24 hours with. In short, we don’t really load the dice in our own favour.

 

The Power of Life Buffers

One way to put us back on a more even keel is to create buffers in our life.

 

Buffers allow us a little time to breathe. Time to reflect. Time to plan. Time to just be.

 

Buffers can take many forms.

 

A buffer can mean setting at least half an hour of protected/free time around meetings. It could mean you take no meetings at all some days.

 

A buffer could mean only having 3 things on your To Do list for any one day. It could even mean having one major thing on your To Do list instead.

 

A buffer could mean you check email less to stop inbox anxiety.

 

It could mean all of the above and more.

 

There are many options.

 

Buffers can be powerful tools in the fight against this modern curse of overwhelm many of us now face. Use them wisely and you’ll get your 24 hours back. You may even start to feel the days are longer than they used to be.

 

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