Cure for time-crunch stress

If you’re trying to find time to work on a big project, aim for a period that doesn’t run up against any appointments—it’ll help you focus better and get more done, say researchers in the Journal of Consumer Research. They found that people who had a scheduled to-do coming up felt like they had 10 fewer minutes of work time per hour than those with no commitments. Why? It turns out that we deduct a “mental tax” before an event to leave space for anything unexpected that might pop up, and that eats into concentration.