Ready to end the rush of life? To live in peace and happiness? Learn 5 ways to create margin in life here.
They way of the world is often do more, be more, have more. So we find ourselves stuck in a constant state of busy, rushing from one place to another, nearly suffocating in our work load, let alone family and friend commitments. Yet we wear busyness like a badge of honor. It seems to be some kind of unspoken reality that busyness is a sign of success or prestige, but what we are feeling is much less than that.
Stress.
Burn-out.
Frustration.
Lack of happiness.
We cram our schedule so full of activities and busyness that our emotional, physical and spiritual health suffers. Busyness becomes the blinders that prevent us from ever living the life we wish. So instead we just stay up late and dream about it.
But that life isn’t far off, in fact it is totally in reach. Just small changes, a better mindset and more margin can change your day, your potential and your success.
The Need For Margin
Margin is the boundaries, the rest that is built into your every day life. It is the space between our load and our limits. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating. It is the opposite of overload.
Specifically, margin is the space to regroup, to get your mind in the right spot, to daydream, not to mention the space to pick up a good book, soak in the bath, take your kids on a bike ride, run your dogs on your neighborhood trail. Margin is the space of living. It’s deliberate time creating more balance and deeper engagement in everyday life.
So whether you are tired of being five, ten or fifteen minutes late to every appointment, about ready to plunge into a mid-life or quarter-life crisis, dreading every Monday that approaches or simply over it, over life, creating margin can help. We don’t need a ton of it, but we do need it. Here are some suggestions on how to add margin in your life, breaking the cycle of busy and stepping into the life you wished. A life of balance, of excitement, of adventure and of success.
5 Ways To Add Margin
Tip 1: Schedule 15 minutes between activities.
Stacking appointment after appointment and meeting on top of meeting, booking your schedule full can sound like a productive way to get more done. But, it just creates more stress. This increase in stress decreases creativity, awareness and happiness. Basically it suppresses all emotions but stress. To break this cycle plan 15 minute breaks between activities, meetings or projects. This not only gives you space to catch up if something is running behind but also prepare for what is ahead. Even if you don’t need the time, a quick break is always welcome.
It may seem counter intuitive but this boundary alone will help you be more engaging with others and in life. Success is not defined by busyness but rather productivity. Start today and break up your meetings and projects with planned breaks.
Tip 2: Create a morning routine.
There is nothing worse than forgetting to set your alarm and waking up late. Or maybe you set your alarm but you make it for the last possible second. Either way, it means the rush is on when you do get up only to get stuck in traffic and make you late for your morning meeting. There is nothing worse than either situation. As experts have found, how you start your day is typically how you end it. So rather than wake up stressed, to live in stress and overwhelm all day, create space for rest and relaxation right away.
Start the day in peace, with ease and excitement for the day ahead. This does mean waking up early but it is for a good reason. It means waking up early to practice self-care, to find enjoyment in the early morning hours and prevent the rush of the morning. A simple morning routine, a habitual ritual can change the pace of your day and your outcome. Learn how to create a healthy morning routine here.
Tip 3: Stick to five priorities a day.
It may seem like a great idea to keep adding to your to-do list but it doesn’t always pan out well. Whether you are a “list-person” or not believing that you can tackle a massive to-do list on a daily basis is really an unrealistic belief. Instead, make a list, do a quick brain dump and get everything off your mind and written down on a piece of paper. Then prioritize the list and schedule it.
To create balance, estimate for margin and to be the most productive, limit your to-do list to five priorities a day. Five is attainable, achievable and realistic.
Tip 4: Be proactive rather than reactive.
You had good intentions to wake up early and start walking again. Good intentions to eat out less and cook at home more. You probably even had good intentions of working less and living more, but things happen. Your boss schedules another meeting, your child gets sick and you hit snooze yet again. Unfortunately intentions don’t always play out as we planned and we find ourselves stuck in the trap of reactivity. Saying a hundred times a day, “Hurry! We’re going to be late!” Or speeding from one activity to another barely able to breathe.
Instead of reacting to life, because there will always be a curveball, begin to live proactively. Take the stressful situations and plan for them. If you want to wake up and start running, set your clothes out the night before and enlist a friend to go with. If you want to eat out less, start the practice of meal planning and meal prepping. Stay on top of the curveball by keeping those priorities in check living proactive rather than reactive.
Tip 5: Limit social media.
The greatest time-suck of today is social media. It’s just so easy and seems so relaxing. Yet how often does it really fill you up? Instead it brings all of the feelings of envy, the inadequate thoughts and decreases your concentration. It pulls you in and spits you out and yet we run back for more. Don’t get us wrong, we love social media too but realize just how much time is spent scrolling and scrolling and scrolling only to leave us with nothing in the end.
So instead of filling your down-time and space by checking your phone, schedule time to do it. Whether that is 30 minutes a day to scroll, schedule it and stick to it. You may be surprised at how much time you’ve spent on social media in the past leaving more room now to live life doing the things you love.
Cultivate It
Given that everyone, it seems, wants a piece of you. And no one seems to appreciate the fact that you are a finite resource {perhaps you don’t even realize this}. Creating margin is essential. But even more than creating it must be cultivated. Remember margin is the space that separates us from our limits. We can’t expect to live our life at 120% when we max out at 100%.
Stop, take a breath and remember everyday margin is a choice. A choice that will only help you to reach your full potential, reach success at a faster pace and live with more joy.
So let us know, how are you going to add more margin into your life?
Need Help?
If you feel like your stuck in the traps of busyness, living an overbooked life, we’d love for you to join our 5-Day Nourished Life Challenge to help you under-schedule your life and fully live the life you’ve only wished you could. To stop dreaming, to stop wishing and to start living it, one day, one moment at a time. In the FREE challenge we will break down how to under-calendar your life, create balance and so much more. Click here to join the FREE challenge.
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Great article, Alexa. Really enjoyed it, some great tips!