Stop postponing your plans, waiting for things to “calm down” or expecting your diary to magically clear after a certain date. That horizon you envision is elusive – no matter how close you get, it will always fill up with new commitments. We often have an overly optimistic view of how much time our future selves will have, but this is rarely accurate.

Take some time to review your calendar from the past year or so. Identify recurring themes and activities and reflect on how long these tasks actually took in reality, not just how long you think they took now that time has passed. Consider examples such as:

• The average time spent writing papers and proposals.
• The typical duration of meetings and preparation.
• The time dedicated to managing emails and your inbox.
• The average hours spent mentoring students and engaging with your team(s).

Using these insights, pre-populate your diary for the next two years with realistic estimates of these generic activities. Your diary will soon fill. If, in the end, some of these commitments don’t materialise, you’ll find yourself with bonus free time to enjoy or reallocate.