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When I think about margin, the first thing that comes to mind is the blank space surrounding a document, piece of paper, or page in a book. Margin is defined by space. Too many people creates crowds, too much stuff creates clutter. Just like the saying “margin for error” relates to giving yourself flexibility, we need margin in our lives too.
Do you have Margin in your Life?
I have recently been feeling overwhelmed with everything on my plate (thankfully all good stuff), but it’s stressful nonetheless. It got me thinking, on how margin doesn’t “just happen,” you need to create space in your life for it, just like you would anything else.
How do you Create Margin?
Creating margin is a choice. It’s a deliberate act, like prioritizing a work out, getting your hair done, or going to the grocery store. The busier we are with work, family, and life in general, the more challenging it becomes to carve out time to decompress, think, read, or simply rest.
Below are 3 Steps towards Adding Margin to your World:
ASSESS YOUR CALENDAR. The first step in creating margin in your life is to figure out where in your schedule it makes sense. Do you have an hour on Tuesday mornings while your little ones are at pre-school? Maybe it’s 30 minutes after everyone goes to bed. If your first reaction is that you have no time, then we need to sit down and look at what you can take off your plate to create space.
MAKE IT AN ONGOING APPOINTMENT. It takes 40 days to create a routine. If you are serious about prioritizing some “me time”, make sure to schedule this time as you would a doctor’s appointment or meeting. If it’s not on your TO DO list, chances are, it won’t get done.
LET GO OF GUILT. Why do we feel guilty when we take time for ourselves? Most of us spend our lives putting others first, whether it’s taking care kids, spouses, aging parents, or the like. Self-care, whatever that may look like to you, is important for both mental and physical well-being, so give yourself permission to take care of you.
