Most of us have been taught that being busy is a situation symbol. If your calendar is packed and spoken for every hour, you should be important, right? But what if the actual achievement does not come from adding more meetings or tasks, but is actually leaving a place on the purpose? Meta head of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, recently revealed that he prioritizes keeping the share of his calendar intentionally open. This idea, supported by science and supported by fellow leaders, challenges what many of us have believed about how to succeed.
What is 80% rule?
In a conversation with John Kolison from the strip, Zuckerberg said he avoids having a string of one meetings day by day. They believe that too much scheduling is disappointed and prevents you from focusing on large, more valuable projects. If there is no place for change, an emergency or creative work is pushed aside. Zuckerberg is not alone here. Many productivity experts now encourage everyone to leave the pocket of open time in your day. Their research shows that when you try to fill every slot, you get tired, resistant to new ideas and are unable to give anything the best.
This “80% rule” is not just an informal move. For example, Google also depends on it as a formal policy. Employees are encouraged to book only 80% of their work hours, so they have flexibility to respond to immediate cases or pursue side projects. Google’s productivity expert Laura M. Martin says this buffer is important because immediate task or unexpected issues may always appear. Having extra time means that you can easily accommodate instead of derailing.
Thinkers like Tom Demarco agree, the author of his book “Slack,” and Oliver Burkeman, “Four thousand weeks”. They warns against filling your schedule so tightly that innovation cannot breathe. Both Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein made a place in their routine to think, problems, or just to be eager, which are skills that extract some of their biggest successes. When you leave that last fifth of your calendar free, you allow yourself to go deep on projects, customize and really enjoy your work more.
So if the most busy, most high-profile leaders protect some parts of their day from continuous meetings, it is probably time for us to do so. The next time you feel guilty for an empty space in your diary, remember that some of the largest minds progressed at that place. Try to plan just 80% of your day, and see if it brings freedom to solve problems, detect new ideas, or simply handle the unexpected.
