How To Intentionally Plan Vs. Trying To Fit Things In

How often do you tell yourself, “I’ll just fit it in when I have time”? Whether it’s work projects, hobbies, or even rest, it’s easy to assume we’ll find space somewhere in our day. But if you’re anything like me, that time rarely—if ever—appears. Instead, we get to the end of the day wondering where the hours went and why the things we care about didn’t make the cut.

That’s exactly what we’re talking about in this episode of the I’m Busy Being Awesome podcast: the shift from squeezing things in to intentionally making a plan for what truly matters.

When we rely on hope and last-minute gaps in our schedule, we’re setting ourselves up for frustration. But when we take a simple, flexible approach to planning—without over-scheduling or rigid time blocks—we create space for what we actually want in our lives.

So, if you’ve been feeling stuck in the cycle of unfinished plans and unmet priorities, this episode is for you. Let’s dive in and talk about how small shifts in intention can make a huge difference.

Listen to the episode above or stream it on your favorite podcasting app. Prefer to read? No problem! Keep scrolling for a summary of the key takeaways.

In Episode 294 You Will Discover:

• The hidden reasons we keep thinking, “I’ll just fit it in”
• A flexible planning method that actually works for ADHD brains
• How to stop waiting for the “right moment” and start making space

Episode 294: How To Intentionally Plan Vs. trying To Fit Things In

Today, we’re talking about the idea of trying to fit things in versus intentionally creating space for our priorities, and this topic was inspired by a group coaching call I had just the other day.

One of my clients mentioned how impactful this shift from squeezing things in to intentionally carving out time for a few specific things has been for her, and I couldn’t agree more. 

So many of us fall into the trap of believing we can just “squeeze things in” at some point throughout the day. While this might be true at times, by and large, I’ve found that we usually get to the end of the day feeling exhausted, wondering where the time went and why the things we care about never quite made the cut.

So, why does this happen? Why do we keep convincing ourselves that we’ll “fit it in,” only to realize… we didn’t? And—most importantly—how can we shift toward intentionally making space for those things that truly matter to us this season?  

Let’s talk about it.

Why We Default to Fitting Things In (and Why It Makes Sense!)

Let’s begin by exploring that first question.

Why do we keep telling ourselves we can fit things in, even though experience shows us it doesn’t usually happen that way?

Let’s look at this through the lens of curiosity—as always, there is no judgment allowed as we build awareness.

It’s NOT because of some personal failing. It’s not because we’re lazy or undisciplined. In fact, it actually makes a lot of sense when we consider how many ADHD brains operate.

1) Flexibility

Many of us have a complicated relationship with structure. We want it… but we also resist it. For many, too much structure can feel restrictive, and when we’re up against it, our resistance kicks in hard when we feel like we’re boxing ourselves into a rigid plan.

So, instead of deciding ahead of time when we want to do something – because we think that we’re trapped or we’ll be stuck if plans change- we think, “I’ll just do it when the time feels right.” Which… usually means it never quite happens because more urgent things fall into place instead.

2) Time Blindness

ADHD and time blindness go hand in hand. We tend to assume there will be open space somewhere in the day where we can just drop in that thing we want to do.

But here’s the reality—free time doesn’t just appear. It gets taken up by whatever is right in front of us—scrolling, emails, last-minute requests, auto-advance on Netflix, jumping to the next episode. And suddenly, the day is gone.

3) Prioritize Urgency

Related to both our desire for flexibility and timblindness, we have our prioritization of urgent things. If something isn’t urgent for an ADHD brain, it’s way too easy for it to get bumped.

The things we want to do—hobbies, rest, personal projects—usually aren’t screaming for our attention. So they get pushed aside for whatever feels most pressing in the moment.

4) Flexibility Seems More Comfortable

Let’s be honest—picking a specific time to do something can leave us feeling pressure because we think we have to stick to this no matter what.

It’s a commitment, and sometimes our brains rebel against that.

So instead, we soothe ourselves by saying, “I’ll do it when I can” or “I’ll circle back on choosing the date later, once I know what’s going on.”

This feels like relief in the moment…(and can be perfectly reasonable in certain situations), however, when it’s our go-to response, it can also keep us stuck in the same cycle of never making time for the things we want to prioritize.

So what can this look like?

A Few Examples of Trying To Fit Things In

Newsletter Writing

One of my clients — he runs a business — wanted to send out a weekly newsletter to his list. He cared about it. He wanted to do it. But every week, he told himself, “I’ll just fit it in when I have a moment.” “There’s always downtime between appointments. I know I can find the time.”

And—as we’ve all experienced—those moments just never came.

It wasn’t until he started setting aside one dedicated block on Monday mornings that things finally shifted. And the best part? Once he created that space, it actually felt easier to write. Since he wasn’t squeezing it in between appointments and admin tasks, he wasn’t scrambling at the last minute.

He gave his brain a clear time to focus—and the container gave them the space to create.

Reading

For me, this pattern showed up with reading, which I’ve mentioned a few times recently since this was my good better best goal for the first quarter this year.

I love reading, but for the longest time, I kept assuming I would just find time for it. Maybe before bed? Maybe on the weekends? Maybe when I had a random open pocket of time after work?

What actually happened? I’d get to the end of the day, exhausted, and realize… I never read a single page.

It wasn’t until I set my good-better-best goal of 5, 15, or 30 minutes of reading and pairing that with going to bed—that I actually started making it a habit.

As I’ve built up the habit, I’ve even noticed an unexpected bonus: I find it’s easier to go to bed because I want the full 30 minutes to read. And again, the key was intentionally identifying this as apriority and then creating the space for it instead of relying on the false hope that I’d just fit it in somewhere.

The Impact: What Happens When We Keep Trying To Fit Things In?

Alright, so we’ve talked about why it makes sense that we default to “I’ll just fit it in.” But let’s take a minute to look at the impact. What actually happens when we rely on this approach?

And again—this isn’t about shame. It’s not about beating ourselves up. It’s just about noticing these familiar patterns so we can decide whether they’re working for us.

1. The Mental Weight of Unfinished Plans

You know that feeling? That subtle (or not-so-subtle) weight in the back of your mind reminding you of all the things you meant to do? For myself, it was the book sitting on my nightstand—never opened. The workout you wanted to fit in. The self-care routine you wanted to practice. 

It’s exhausting to carry that open loop around all the time. Even if we don’t consciously think about these things all day, they still take up space in our minds. They’re like extra books in our backpacks that we don’t actually need, and every time we remember them, we get hit with that familiar pang of “Ugh, I still haven’t done that.”

And honestly? That mental weight is often heavier than just doing the thing itself.

2. The Frustration of “Where Did My Time Go?”

Then there’s the end-of-the-day realization—the moment when we finally sit down, glance at the clock, and think, “Wait… where did today go?”

We had the best intentions. We wanted to do the thing. We thought we’d have time. But somehow, the day filled up with everything except what we actually cared about.

And when that keeps happening, day after day? It’s easy to feel frustrated as we tell ourselves it shouldn’t be this hard. Why can’t I just make this work? I’m so sick of constantly playing catch-up.

3. Feeling Disconnected from the Things That Bring Us Joy

And this one might be the hardest—when we don’t intentionally create space for the things that light us up, we slowly start to feel disconnected from them.

This might be the work projects that fall in the important but not urgent category. Those key things we want to do, but never seem to find the time. 

Or – perhaps more commonly in this category, it’s hobbies, creative outlets, relationships, or rest and downtime. These are often the first things to get sacrificed when we assume we’ll find time later.

And sure, we might technically be “resting” here and there—scrolling on our phones, collapsing on the couch at the end of the day—but when we’re “resting” in that way, it’s often reactive. We crash on the couch at the end of the night, or we scroll our phones between meetings to checkout because that’s what we can easily fit in the cracks. 

By intentionally setting aside time for those important activities, we start truly enjoying them and experiencing the benefits—rather than making them just another checklist item on the list we think we have to do. 

So what can we do? If you’re hearing this and recognizing a few areas you might want to intentionally plan in your days, how can we do this without dropping into fantasy plans and time-blocking every moment of the day?

The Solution: using Quarters & Fifths To Intentionally Plan

This is where planning in quarters or fifths can be really impactful.

Instead of relying on the hope that we’ll find time later, we build it into our days. We give it a designated space—without over-scheduling ourselves or feeling rigid about it.

If you haven’t heard me talk about this before, I do recommend popping back to episode 243 for a more in-depth exploration, but I’ll give just a quick version here. 

Instead of seeing the day as either one long stretch of time or dividing it into super small 30 or 60-minute blocks, we divide our day into four or five natural sections.

• If we’re thinking in quarters, this might be morning, midday, afternoon, evening.
• If we’re thinking in fifths, this looks like early morning, mid-morning, afternoon, late afternoon, and evening.

I really like the fifths approach and often think about it according to time:

• 6 am – 9 am
• 9 am -12 am
• 12 pm – 3 pm
• 3 pm – 6 pm
• 6 pm – 9 pm

This helps us see our time more clearly, reset throughout the day, and build a looser level of structure without trying to control our every minute.

So how do we use this to move from squeezing things in, to making space?

How To Use The 4 Quarters or Fifths Method to Make Time

Instead of hoping you’ll magically find time for reading, hobbies, rest, or deep work, assign them a quarter or a fifth.

Give them a home in your day.

You don’t have to do the task for that entire quarter or fifth, but give it a spot so your brain knows you want to do that thing during that block of time.

For example, I don’t read for an entire 3 hours, but I put reading in my evening block.

If you want to prioritize writing your newsletter, instead of telling yourself, “I’ll do it when I have time,” you decide: “Mid-morning is for writing. That’s when I do it.”

It’s not about being overly strict—it’s about making sure the things that matter actually have space reserved for them.

Decide Ahead of Time

One of the biggest shifts here is moving from “I’ll do it when I can” to “This is when I’ll do it.”

It takes the guesswork out of the moment. You don’t have to rely on willpower or hope that you’ll remember. You’ve already made the decision.

Here’s the key—there is flexibility here. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can absolutely move around your blocks if needed. It just helps ensure you have space in your day for those areas you want to prioritize this season.

Adjust for Energy Levels

When you use this block method, it’s also so much easier to honor your energy levels and capacity, too. When we try to squeeze things in, we’re not very likely to have them happen when we’re at our best. 

In fact, my client who inspired this episode shared how she had on her running to-do list to workout regularly.

She kept trying to “fit it in” throughout the day, but because she didn’t set a specific block, she repeatedly found herself cramming it at 11:30 at night because she said she would, but she didn’t find the time anywhere else in the day.

And since she’s not a night owl, she had nothing in the tank at that time of day. Plus, it threw off her sleep quality, and it just wasn’t working for her.

Instead of forcing herself into a schedule that didn’t match her reality, she first paused to see which block of day would be more supportive. When is her energy best for this kind of activity? And then she shifted the times so she could prioritize in a way that works for her.

So when you’re planning your 1-3 priorities throughout the day, I encourage you to ask yourself:

• When do I naturally have the energy for this?
• When does this feel easiest?

If we try to push through at a time that doesn’t work for our brain or body, we’re just setting ourselves up for frustration.

Final Thoughts

As a reminder, this isn’t about cramming our schedules full or forcing ourselves into rigid time blocks.

It’s not about scheduling every second of the day or turning life into a never-ending to-do list.

It’s simply about noticing where we’re constantly trying to “fit things in” and deciding, instead, to bring in some intention to create space for what we want to prioritize.

When we stop hoping time will magically appear and start intentionally making space, everything shifts.

The best part? It doesn’t have to be a massive overhaul. Small changes—like choosing one block in your week for writing, setting aside time in the evening for true rest, or giving your hobbies a specific spot in your schedule—can make a huge impact.

Next Steps

This week, I invite you to:

1. Think about one thing in your life that you’re always trying to fit in. It might be… reading, time with friends, or a creative project

2. Now ask yourself: What would happen if I intentionally planned space for it this week?

• Where would it naturally fit? When would it feel easiest?
• What small adjustment could help make it happen?

No pressure. No perfectionism. Just curiosity.

Then, give it a try and let me know how it goes. Let me know over on Instagram—I’m @imbusybeingawesome. You can leave a comment on a post for this episode or send me a DM! I can’t wait to hear about it. 

👉 Want to take these concepts further and apply them to your life? Learn more about how we can work together with my small group coaching program, “We’re Busy Being Awesome,” and one-on-one coaching.

✨ Learn my simple step-by-step approach to locking in a routine and making it stick, be sure to check out my free course, the ADHD Routine Revamp.

Links From The Podcast

• Learn more about private coaching here
• Learn more about We’re Busy Being Awesome here
• Get the top 10 tips to work with your ADHD brain (free ebook!) here
• Discover my favorite ADHD resources here
• Get the I’m Busy Being Awesome Planning System here
• Get the Podcast Roadmap here
• Take my free course, ADHD Routine Revamp, here

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