How do I handle constant scheduling conflicts and last-minute changes?

You have the calendar under control on a normal day. What buries you is the churn: the conflicts, the sudden changes, the plans that fall apart the moment you set them. That is the hardest part of the job, and being buried by it does not mean you are bad at it. It means you are absorbing chaos that comes from other people. The trap is trying to prevent all conflict, which is impossible when priorities keep shifting above you. The skill is not a perfect calendar; it is a fast, clear way to decide what wins when two things collide. When you know the order of priorities, a conflict becomes a quick decision instead of a crisis. You are not failing to stop the storms. You are learning to steer in them. Get the priority order in writing. Ask whoever you support: when two things clash, what always comes first? With that ranking in hand, most last-minute conflicts answer themselves, and you stop having to guess under pressure every single time.