Buffer Time Planning for Wellbeing Template: Build Flexibility Into Your Schedule
Create Strategic Spaciousness That Protects Your Capacity During Uncertainty
When to Use This Template
- When unexpected events regularly derail your entire schedule
- When you're constantly behind and feeling overwhelmed
- When you have competing demands that need flexible accommodation
- When rigid scheduling creates more stress than structure
- When you need resilience against life's inevitable disruptions
The Five Essential Buffer Practices
Practice 1: The Daily Buffer Block Practice - Handling same-day unexpected events without schedule collapse
Practice 2: The Weekly Unscheduled Time Practice - Creating spaciousness for larger unexpected needs
Practice 3: The Task Duration Buffer Practice - Accounting for realistic completion time rather than optimistic estimates
Practice 4: The Transition Buffer Practice - Allowing mental and physical movement between activities
Practice 5: The Emergency Capacity Practice - Maintaining reserve energy for genuine crises
These five practices help you build strategic flexibility into your schedule that absorbs disruption without destroying your wellbeing or effectiveness
This resource stands alone as a practical tool, with deeper exploration available in School of WorkLife’s Take Care of Your Wellbeing: Both In and Out of the Workplace