Creating Margin in Your Life, Part 1

  I spend a good deal of time listening to and talking with people who love their jobs. They are committed, driven, and ambitious, but there is something that is hindering their success. I have noticed that the thing so many people in this position lack in their lives is margin. Creating margin is so important to investing in yourself and in success. Do you lack margin in your life? Here are a few ways to tell.

1. The job seems to get bigger and more demanding every day.

2. There always seems to be more on your plate than time in the day.

3. When you go home, your mind is constantly racing with the things you still need to do at work.

4. You often find yourself staying at the office much later than you are supposed to in an effort to get things done.

Let me encourage you, working hard and being committed to your job is a good thing! You are committed to seeing your vision and passion come to life. But a lack of margin in your life will stunt your growth, damage your personal life, and lead to burn out. If you want to invest in yourself, you need to invest in creating margin in your life. For the next few weeks, my Friday blog posts will expand on this topic. This is a challenge that so many leaders are facing. I believe, however, that engaging and overcoming this issue will unlock your potential and lead to exponential growth. Let’s partner together for the next few weeks and work towards creating margin. Because this is such a rampant problem among leaders, I want to leave you with something to try this week. One of the ways that margin is lost in our lives is by taking our work home with us. Maybe we have a big presentation coming up or are planning an important event; I don’t know what the specifics are for you, but I do know that a substantial amount of pressure leads us to carry that stress home. I also know that it’s hard to be at home with your family when your mind is still at work. When I was a kid, I remember my grandmother had these really ornate bookends on her shelves; my mom had some as well. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved the idea of bookends. They were an endpoint; it was very clear that the books had stopped. I think that one of the ways you can create margin in your life is to bookend your day. I don’t know when your workday ends, but it is important that it does. But how do you bookend your day? Take 15 minutes at the end of the day and ask yourself these 4 questions.

1. What did I get done today?

   This is a moment to celebrate your accomplishments. You worked hard all day, so be sure to acknowledge and celebrate what you were able to get done.

2. What did I not get done today?

   This is an important moment because you have the chance to identify the specific things that remain on your agenda. Take this chance to prioritize and assess your upcoming responsibilities.

3. Why did it not get done?

   Accountability is important. Be honest with yourself. Did you just run out of time? Did you take a long lunch or spend too much time reading Buzzfeed articles? Figure out what happened so it doesn’t happen again tomorrow.

4. What am I going to do tomorrow?

   Make a new agenda for tomorrow. I use the app Wunderlist to manage my to-do list and it makes a huge difference. Whatever you use, make sure you are able to write it down and plan out your day. This is an exercise in accountability. Write out your agenda and then leave it alone until tomorrow.

[jotform id=”51954776646168″]]]>