5 Steps to Help You Rediscover Your Passion for Life and Leadership – Step 2
Last week we explored the importance of setting goals as essential to restoring purpose and passion in life and leadership. This week in step two we want to look at the importance of creating margin in your life as you work toward your goals.
If you have goals, but do not intentionally prioritize them in your calendar on a daily basis, you will continue to live in a state of frustration.
Step 2 – Create Margin in Your Life
To achieve life goals we all need margin in our lives.
Margin is the space we create so we can breathe and not feel pressed down or crushed by all we have to do in life and ministry. Dr. Richard Swenson, in his book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, describes margin
in this way:
“Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.
“Margin is the opposite of overload. If we are overloaded we have no margin. Most people are not quite sure when they pass from margin to overload. Threshold points are not easily measurable and are also different for different people in different circumstances. We don’t want to be underachievers (heaven forbid!), so we fill our schedules uncritically. Options are as attractive as they are numerous, and we overbook.
“If we were equipped with a flashing light to indicate ‘100 percent full,’ we could better gauge our capacities. But we don’t have such an indicator light, and we don’t know when we have overextended until we feel the pain. As a result, many people commit to a 120 percent life and wonder why the burden feels so heavy. It is rare to see a life prescheduled to only 80 percent, leaving a margin for responding to the unexpected that God sends our way.” (pp.91-92)
How do you create margin in your life
A. Get a user-friendly calendar that fits your style. It may be a hard copy day planner or an electronic version. Electronic calendars are much easier to share with others. My wife and I sync our calendars, and all my electronic devices are synced as well. It’s very convenient.
B. Begin each week – either Sunday night or Monday morning – by intentionally planning your week. Maybe you already plan your week but do not stick to the plan. Start being intentional by weekly setting aside time to plan your week.
C. You need to account for the 168 hours in your week by scheduling everything: meetings, quiet time, study, family time, free time, appointments, sleep, meals, exercise, play time, rest and relaxation, etc.
Here is the secret: When you schedule it, you don’t spend time worrying about when it will get done.
If you are used to taking each day as it comes, this approach will feel uncomfortable at first. But as you begin to account for the 168 hours in your week you will discover how much freer and more in control of your life you become.
Undoubtedly you will have urgent things that will interrupt your day or even your entire week; this is expected. But you will discover as you begin creating margin that you will not feel so overwhelmed when you must attend to the urgent. Because you created margin, you can make adjustments and have breathing room to deal with the urgent.
D. Test it. As you look through the plans for the week, ask yourself if the things you are giving time, energy and resources to are resulting in the achievement of your goals. If not then you need to work with your calendar until they do.
As your calendar begins to reflect your life’s goals you will also begin to rediscover the joy and excitement of living life with passion, vision, and purpose.
In the words of Dr. Swenson, M.D., “Margin grants freedom and permits rest. It nourishes both relationship and service. Spiritually it allows availability for the services of God.” (p.91)
Question: As you look at your calendar, does it reflect your life’s goals, or does it give you a sense of frustration and tiredness? If the latter, what can you start doing today to change it?
For support and help in creating margin in your life contact us at 208 880 0307 or errol@errolcarrim.com for a complimentary coaching session