Best-Case Scenario Productivity vs. Reality: The Missing Margin

You know that feeling when you start the week thinking, “This time, I’ve got it! I’m going to crush this to-do list,” by Friday, you’re left wondering: What the hell happened? *Where did all my time go?*

You had a plan. You were ready. But reality? It had other ideas!

That’s the trap of “best-case scenario” planning. We all do it—mapping out our week as if nothing’s going to go wrong and forgetting to leave any room for… life.

Spoiler: reality always shows up, and if you’ve got zero margin in your schedule, it’ll knock you off course every time.

In today’s episode, we’re exploring how to ditch best-case planning and create real space for the unexpected so you can stop scrambling to control your time.

Let me ask you something: do you ever look at your to-do list at the start of the week and think, “Yep, I’ve got this. I’m going to get everything done!” only to wonder where the time went on Friday?

You had a plan, you were optimistic, but somehow, things didn’t go as expected, and now you’re left feeling behind and frustrated. Sound familiar?

That’s because so many of us fall into the “best-case scenario productivity” trap—where we plan as if everything will go perfectly. But, spoiler alert, it never does!

In today’s episode, we’re going to dive into why this mindset sets you up for failure and why it’s essential to build margin into your schedule so you don’t lose your shit when a curveball is thrown your way. If you’re tired of feeling overcommitted and constantly running out of time, this episode is for you.

The Myth of Best-Case Scenario Productivity

What exactly is “best-case scenario productivity”?

It’s when you plan your day or your week as if everything will go perfectly—as if you’ll have uninterrupted time to work, nothing will take longer than expected, and you’ll be at your most focused, productive self the whole time.

And I get it—it all seems so doable when you’re making your plan. But the reality? It’s rarely like that.

Life gets in the way. You get unexpected client requests, your internet goes down, or you have less energy than you need. (This is particularly true if you’re disabled or neurodivergent, as you never entirely know how things may be on any given day.)

Next thing you know, suddenly, the perfectly crafted schedule you created for yourself crumbles. What’s worse, this sets you up for failure. Because when you plan for everything to go right, you don’t leave room for the inevitable interruptions and delays.

You feel overextended and unproductive, and that your to-do list is a joke. And that, my friend, is a fast track to burnout.

Why You Need Margin in Your Schedule

Enter margin—what most of us don’t build into our schedules but desperately need.

Margin is the extra space in your day or week that allows for the unexpected. The buffer time lets you handle last-minute requests, personal emergencies, or tasks that take longer than you thought without throwing your entire week off track.

Think of margin like an insurance policy for your schedule. It gives you room to breathe, reduces stress, and keeps you from scrambling when things inevitably go wrong.

And here’s the real secret: building margin into your week makes you more productive, not less. Why? Because you’re no longer packing every minute of your day with tasks you hope to complete. Instead, you’re planning for what’s realistic, not ideal.

With that buffer time, you can handle unexpected things without feeling overwhelmed or like a failure. It’s about working with your reality, not against it.

Your reality is that you’re a solo service business owner, and you’ve got more than one “job” in your business. On any given day, you work on client deliverables, handle invoices, respond to client inquiries, and do marketing. And in between all that, you’re trying to squeeze in some focused work time.

That’s why it’s so important to build margin into your schedule. It protects your time and energy from being stretched too thin. You’re one person, and you cannot (and should not) do it all at once all the damn time. 

I want to take a second to note that we’re all doing our best to untether from the cult of productivity—to break free from the idea that our worth is tied to how much we get done in a day.

Challenging that mindset is liberating, but here’s the reality: we still have work to do. We still have clients to serve, deadlines to meet, and businesses to run.

Untethering doesn’t mean dropping everything; it means finding balance. It’s about working smarter, focusing on what matters, and creating space without feeling guilty.

Yes, we’ve got work to do, but we don’t have to fill our days with it so that even the tiniest thing will turn our perfect plans into a dumpster fire.

Practical Strategies for Building Margin into Your Schedule

I know what you’re thinking: “All this talk about margin and avoiding burnout sounds great, but how do I make it happen when I’ve got a million things on my plate?”

I get it. Acknowledging that you need more space in your schedule is one thing, but making it a reality when the to-do list is never-ending and the client demands keep coming is another.

If you don’t start building margin into your schedule now, you’ll continue running on empty—and that’s not sustainable.

The good news? There are practical ways to create that breathing room without sacrificing your business growth or driving yourself into the ground. It’s about being intentional with your time, focusing on what truly moves the needle, and letting go of the stuff that keeps you busy for the sake of being busy.

Here are a few strategies that have worked for me and my clients—simple, effective, and designed to help you stop overloading your plate and start creating that much-needed margin.

Prioritize Ruthlessly: Focus on the most critical tasks that will move your business forward. Only some things on your to-do list are critical. Let go of the tasks that don’t add value or can wait. Also, get rid of the bullshit busywork that’s sucking up your precious time and energy. Trust me, no one cares about most of that stuff that you think is important. 

Underestimate your Capacity: Here’s a big one—assume everything will take longer than you think. If you think a task will take two hours, block out three. That extra time will serve as a cushion for any unexpected delays. The same goes for your client load. If you think you can squeeze in one more client, consider whether you have that time.

Batch Similar Tasks: When you batch similar tasks together—like answering emails, creating social media posts, or working on client projects—you reduce the mental load of switching between tasks, which helps you stay focused and productive. It sounds obvious, but you’re constantly multitasking, wasting time. 

Block Out Buffer Time: This is a game-changer. Schedule specific blocks in your days and weeks as buffer time—time left unplanned for when things take longer than expected or when last-minute tasks pop up. Even an hour of buffer time a day can make a huge difference.

Say No More Often: Sometimes, you need to say no to things that don’t align with your priorities or that will stretch you too thin. Protect your margin by being realistic about what you can take on without compromising your well-being or the quality of your work.

Finally, stop being so damn optimistic when you plan! At the risk of sounding like a pessimist, learning to expect the unexpected has made my business and life much less stressful.

This may be a matter of recognizing what season you’re in, personally or professionally and planning accordingly. For example, what I can prepare for now with a kid away at university is very different than when he was in elementary school, and there was a revolving door of germs.

The key is creating plans that account for reality and your lowest possible capacity instead of the best-case scenario.

What It’s Like When You Have Margin (Yes, It’s Magic!)

Let’s discuss what happens when you start building margin into your schedule.

First, you’ll immediately feel more in control of your time. Instead of that constant scramble to keep up, you’ll have the flexibility to adjust when things don’t go as planned.

Whether a client throws a last-minute curveball or a project takes longer than expected, margin gives you the space to handle it without panic. You stop reacting to your schedule and start owning it.

Here’s something else—you’ll actually *feel* more productive.

Why? Because instead of staring at an endless to-do list that spills over from one week to the next, you’ll finish what you set out to do. 

That sense of completion?

No more half-done projects hanging over your head or unfinished tasks nagging at you.

That feeling of getting stuff done—crossing things off the list for real—is a powerful motivator that builds momentum. You’ll start each new day or week confident that you can manage what’s on your plate instead of constantly being overwhelmed.

But the most important benefit? When you’re not pushing yourself to the limit daily, something extraordinary happens—you enjoy your work.

You’ll find yourself approaching tasks with more creativity, focus, and enthusiasm simply because you’re not running on fumes. Margin allows you to do your best work without feeling drained.

The real benefit of margin is that it’s not just about getting through the week; it’s about sustainability.

You’re no longer sprinting through your days, burning yourself out trying to hit arbitrary deadlines. You’re pacing yourself for the marathon running a solo business, ensuring you have the stamina to keep going—not just for the next week, but for the long haul.

You’re setting yourself up for consistent, steady progress without the crash and burn from overcommitting and underestimating your capacity.

With margin, you can breathe, think clearly, and make better decisions for your business and overall well-being.

Where Can You Create Margin?

Here’s the big takeaway: planning for best-case scenario productivity is a trap. It sets you up for failure because it ignores the reality of life, especially as a solo business owner.

If you want to stay productive, avoid burnout, and enjoy running your business, you need to start building margin into your schedule. Give yourself the breathing room you need to handle the unexpected; you’ll get more done and feel better.

So, my challenge to you is to look at your schedule for next week and see where you can add some margin.

Start small—even just a little buffer time will make a difference.