My advice? Don’t try to be “productive” in every small pocket of time. Unless something is genuinely urgent, life-threatening or carries an unacceptable risk if left for later, do not use every gap between meetings to fire off emails.

Those pockets of time are not always best used for output. Sometimes they are best used for recovery, reflection, preparation or connection.

Trying to write emails in between meetings can create risks of its own. You may not be fully present in the meeting you have just left, and you may not properly arrive in the meeting you are about to enter. You may send a rushed message that creates confusion, miss the nuance of what is really happening around you, or bring scattered energy into a conversation that needs steadiness.

Coach-Leaders understand that being present in meetings is a very different cognitive activity to writing emails. Both matter, but they require different types of attention.

Being present in a meeting is not simply about turning up, sitting still and listening politely. It is active work.

Coach-Leaders are building trust quickly, protecting the quality of the conversation, listening for what is said and what is carefully avoided, noticing energy, hesitation, resistance, distraction and buy-in. They are choosing words that make it easier for others to engage, regulating their own reactions when they disagree, asking questions that open up thinking, and helping team members articulate and strengthen their own ideas.

They are also acknowledging contributions, inviting different perspectives, surfacing risks and opportunities, keeping sight of the bigger picture, being kind and firm when challenge is needed, and holding people to account without diminishing them.

That is a lot.

The mental load of being fully present can be seriously taxing because you are continuously engaged with people, tone, timing, language, energy, context, politics, emotion and outcomes. This is why your presence needs protecting.

Writing emails is not the same kind of work. It is usually more solitary, reflective and detailed. You are crafting, structuring, explaining, clarifying, documenting and responding. Sometimes you are instructing. Sometimes you are repairing misunderstanding. Sometimes you are carefully choosing words so they do not create confusion, offence or unnecessary back-and-forth.

You may be thinking about grammar, tone, accuracy, context, timing and whether the message will land in the way you intend.

And sometimes the best emails need a little space. You write them, leave them, and come back with fresher thinking.

That is very different from the live, relational and spontaneous nature of meetings. So when you keep switching between these two types of work in short bursts, your brain pays the price. You end up doing both less well. You are not quite present enough in the meeting, and you are not quite considered enough in the email.

Instead of using every small gap to clear your inbox, use some of those pockets of time to amplify your presence.

This might mean preparing your intention for the next meeting, writing down two or three questions you want to ask, noticing what energy you are carrying from the previous conversation, or taking five minutes to spot-coach a team member who is stuck.

It might mean following up with someone relationally rather than transactionally, strengthening a relationship with a brief pre- or post-meeting conversation, capturing a few personal notes so they do not distract you later, or taking a proper breath before you enter the next room or call.

This is not wasted time. This is leadership preparation. It changes how you show up, and how you show up changes what becomes possible in the conversation.

We often underestimate how much our brain and body need small moments of reset. Idle time is not laziness. It is part of how we recover, process and come back with better attention.

If you want to be more present, thoughtful and effective in your meetings, you need to stop treating your body like an inconvenience and your brain like a machine.

Some of the simplest habits can make a real difference. Step outside for daylight and fresh air. Take a short walk to get your body moving and your thinking unstuck. Drink water. Eat properly, not as an afterthought at 3pm. Go to the bathroom. Stretch your shoulders. Look away from the screen. Send a quick message to someone you love. Celebrate something small. Let yourself feel connected to life outside the meeting cycle.

Your brain and body need energy to be present. They need downtime to recharge. They need moments of connection to feel good. That matters because leadership presence is not just a skill. It is also a state.

And if you are thinking, “This sounds lovely, but I do not have those pockets of time,” then start buying them back.

One simple way is to leave meetings five minutes early. Not secretly, and not abruptly. Set the expectation at the beginning. You might say:

“I’m going to finish five minutes before the hour so I can transition properly into my next meeting. Let’s make sure we use the time well.”

This does two useful things. It sharpens the meeting, and it gives you a small pocket of time to reset before the next one.

Five minutes may not sound like much, but five minutes used intentionally can change your whole day. It gives you enough time to breathe, move, capture notes, drink water, gather your thoughts or prepare the question that will make the next conversation more useful.