Do You Have Room to Move?

Most of us live like high-speed trains—full throttle, no empty seats, hurtling from one commitment to the next. Our calendars are booked to the minute, our minds multitask constantly, and our bodies? Often running on caffeine and adrenaline.

Sound familiar?

It’s no surprise then that when someone suggests “leaving a bit of space” in your week, you might react with disbelief. Or guilt. Or even panic.

I’ve been there. I remember the first time I tried to intentionally wedge space into my week. Not fill it. Not replace one meeting with another form of “productive” activity. Just… leave it. Empty. Spacious. Available.

It was deeply uncomfortable. I felt like I was letting someone down—though I couldn’t quite name who. Maybe my clients? My team? My own sense of identity?

But here’s what I now know as both a high-performance coach and someone keen on the neuroscience of sustainable leadership:

Space isn’t a luxury. It’s a neurological necessity.

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Your Brain on Overload: Why Full Capacity Backfires

From a neuroscience perspective, our brain’s executive functioning—planning, decision-making, self-control—lives in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). This part of the brain is extraordinary. It lets us lead, create, innovate, connect. It’s where all the magic happens.

But there’s a catch: the PFC is energy-hungry and sensitive to overload.

When we jam-pack our schedules and run at full capacity day in and day out, we’re essentially keeping the PFC in constant overdrive. The result? Decision fatigue. Emotional reactivity. A subtle, but real, slip into fight-or-flight mode.

And in that state, you’re not leading with vision. You’re surviving.

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Space Is Strategic

So, what happens when you build space into your week? When you don’t fill every waking second with “stuff”?

• Your brain gets breathing room.
• Your nervous system shifts from sympathetic (stress) mode to parasympathetic (recovery) mode.
• Your creativity increases. Your emotional regulation improves. Your presence deepens.

The science backs this up. Studies from the University of Southern California and Stanford have shown that unstructured time increases default mode network activity—that’s the network involved in creativity, memory consolidation, and deeper problem-solving.

In other words, space lets your brain connect dots you didn’t know existed.

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From Guilt to Glory

This past week, I’ve been on holiday. Nothing dramatic—just time with family. But as our kids have gotten older, I’ve noticed something profound:

I’m finally comfortable with space.

It’s okay now to wake up slowly. To savour the ritual of tea. To walk down to the water and swim, not as a workout or a task—but as a moment. To actually be with my children when they want to be together, rather than mentally checking my inbox while pretending to listen.

And here’s the best part—it hasn’t made me less productive. It’s made me better at everything: business, coaching, parenting, leading.

Because I’m no longer running at full tilt. I’m leaving space for the unexpected. For insight. For flexibility. For life.

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What If Life Throws You One More Thing?

That’s the real question, isn’t it?

When you’re operating at 100% all the time, there’s no buffer. No capacity to absorb an unexpected challenge—or opportunity. You drop all the plates.

But when you’ve created some space—when you’ve built cognitive capacity into your week—you can pivot. Respond. Breathe. Move.

Space = resilience.
Space = optionality.
Space = high performance.

So, ask yourself honestly:

Do you have room to move?

If not, what would it take to build that space back in? A small tweak to your calendar? A five-minute breath reset? Saying no to something that isn’t core to your purpose?

You don’t need to overhaul your life. You just need to reclaim some capacity—for your brain, your business, and your brilliance.

Need help creating that space and sustaining your performance without burnout?
Join us at Next Evolution Performance for our 20:20 Live Sessions or jump into our next workshop.

Let’s make room. Not just for more to-do’s.
But for more life.