Leave some space in your day

In May 2023, I wrote a blog post from the backyard on the last day of two weeks' annual leave. I'd planned to walk more than I actually had.

The time off had still mattered. Getting some distance from work gave me room to think about interests and ambitions I'd missed.

That's one experience of having space. Yours doesn't have to produce a new idea, a useful insight, or anything you can put in a progress update.

Leave something unfilled

A day can become a sequence of things to complete, including all the things intended to make life better. Training, messages, tracking, planning tomorrow. Even the pleasant bits can end up rushed.

Try leaving a small gap somewhere. Sit outside after a walk. Make a cup of tea before the next task. Leave the phone in your pocket for a while.

You don't have to empty your mind or sit perfectly still. Quiet company, gentle movement, or a familiar simple task may suit you better. The idea is to remove a demand for a moment.

Count the time around a session

A half-hour walk takes more than half an hour if you need to get ready, travel, change, and get home. A run squeezed between appointments can leave you feeling late before you even start.

Where you can, leave some room on either side. Being able to arrive home and have a drink without immediately rushing out again may make the whole arrangement more pleasant.

If there isn't room, that may be information about the session or the day. A shorter walk or another time might fit better.

Let a pause be a pause

You may feel calmer. You may feel restless, bored, or much the same. There's no result you need to achieve for the gap to count.

Some circumstances leave very little spare time. Take what space is possible without turning the lack of it into another personal failing.

A pause also isn't treatment for ongoing distress, low mood, anxiety, or sleep difficulties. Get appropriate support if those are part of what you're dealing with.

Look at one transition tomorrow and decide whether you can leave a little room before the next thing. You can decide afterwards whether it helped. There is no need to optimise the cup of tea.