Enrich Your Life With Wider Margins

I remember in High School the lines and the margins were smaller. There was so much more to do: I had to cram a lot of information on each page. College was even worse: Huge term papers with smaller margins and it all had to be typed just so. Double spaced. No spelling errors and NO ROOM FOR PRETTY PICTURES.

SOMETIMES MY LIFE SEEMS LIKE THAT — Cramming all I can into a single day, no room for mistakes, and certainly no room for pretty pictures.

Whenever I feel myself running so hard that I don’t have time for the people around me I ADJUST THE MARGINS on my day.

All of this comes from a book I read a few years back. Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard Swenson.

He takes a whole book to sell you on a simple concept. It’s very well written and fun to read. The concept is a simple one…

Build more MARGIN into your day.

WHY: To allow for time to breathe, to stop for a slurpee, so listen to your client, to take a friend a milkshake because you just heard they were sick, to decide to stop for a minute at the amazing view you blaze past everyday, to catch a 10 minute nap in the shade of an oak tree, to take a minute to call the love of your life and tell them how important they are to you, to have an extra 20 minutes for lunch so you can get a healthy meal instead of fast food, to do whatever the hell you want to do.

HOW: Don’t cram too much into your schedule. Put 30 minutes instead of 10 between appointments. Schedule a 90 minute lunch instead of 12 minutes. Plan to knock off everyday at 3 or 4. (I know you’ll probably work longer, but if you plan to stop then, you’ll end up stopping a little earlier than usual)

Sometimes we get to crammed full and life is so hectic that we’re not enjoying ANY OF IT. If that sounds like you, let me encourage you to read:

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

It’s a Good Life !