Why Your Calendar Always Feels Too Full
(and How to Fix It)
As a mum running a business, you probably know the feeling of looking at your calendar and wondering how on earth you’re meant to fit it all in. Between client work, school runs, appointments, house jobs, and everything else, your week is full before it even begins.
It’s not that you’re bad at planning; it’s that most of us fill our calendars without leaving room for what I call “life overflow.” And that’s why your days feel suffocating.
Mistake: Treating your calendar like a jigsaw puzzle
When you try to slot every task and appointment into every available gap, you leave no room for real life. Things always take longer than planned, kids get sick, dinners burn, and the school calls. If your calendar has zero slack, even the smallest hiccup throws your whole week off.
And as someone who is obsessed with jigsaws (I’ve currently got three on the go at once 🙈), let me tell you, your week is not meant to fit together like a perfect puzzle. Real life doesn’t work like that.
Shift: Create white space on purpose
Try blocking 20–30% of your calendar as intentional buffer time. You don’t need to label it or make it look “productive.” That time is your safety net. It’s what gives you breathing room to handle the things you can’t predict.
When you stop treating your calendar like a puzzle and start treating it like a flexible framework, you’ll feel less pressure and actually finish more.
Simple ways to build white space
- Add “catch-up blocks.” Leave an empty hour every afternoon or at least once a day.
- Bundle errands. Instead of scattering tasks everywhere, group them together and protect the rest of your time.
- Leave transition time. Don’t book calls or meetings back-to-back, give yourself 15 minutes to breathe.
- Plan less. If you think you can do 10 things in a day, plan for 6.
I used to pack my calendar so tightly it looked like a rainbow jigsaw puzzle. Every hour accounted for, every task highlighted. It felt organised, until life happened. A sick child, an unexpected client request, or a simple task that took longer than planned would knock the whole week off balance.
The change came when I started building in white space on purpose. Now my weeks feel calmer, and I’m not constantly playing catch-up.
If your calendar feels like a trap instead of a tool, you don’t need more colour coding — you need more space.
That’s exactly what I’ll help you create in my Mini Audit. You fill in a simple form about what’s feeling messy right now, and I’ll record a personalised video with feedback, strategies, and your next steps.
Looking for a better work/life balance?
Download my ‘Quick Wins’ Guide and create more space in your life and business starting today!
