Studies find that most people optimistically underestimate how much time their tasks will actually take. When planning, don't generalize from those rare occasions when all goes perfectly. Coldly plan for surprise setbacks and snafus. Then, for good measure, add 25 percent more time. Identify black holes.
Most workplaces have offices where material goes in and never comes out.
The people inside may be overwhelmed, disorganized or both. Play a mind game. Create a sense of found time by imagining your boss decreeing that all workers spend an extra hour each week at a meeting. Then cancel the meeting. But if there's no specific reason to meet, there's no justification for a meeting.