It’s easy to get frustrated when your day is interrupted, or doesn’t go as planned. Unexpected phone calls, meetings cancelled or moved up, crises, problems. So how do you cope?

No matter what happens, make sure you do what needs to be done today.

As long as you stay focused on that principle, you’ll work on the right priorities.  You’re likely to spend your time wisely. More importantly, you’re setting up for a better tomorrow.

A big lesson learned for me? Schedule capacity. That means you block time out on your calendar. Sprinkle half hour  placeholders throughout your week to make sure you create capacity for the unplanned. I used to schedule my day with back to back meetings. I would have no time to deal with important issues without disrupting my whole schedule. I would get frustrated because by the time I got back to my desk, everyone was gone.

So before you let the day’s emails, appointments, and requests take over your day, make sure you’ve decided what needs to be done today. But also make sure you have the capacity to do it.