When you hear the word margin you might think I’m talking about the space outside the lines on a ruled piece of paper.
But I’m not.
When I say MARGIN, I mean – extra room. In your life.
Dr. Richard Swenson wrote a book that’s become a “go-to” for me as I continue to learn how to have a balanced life, both professionally and personally. 
Tim Kimmel in a review on Swenson’s site says it perfectly:
If contentment made house calls, its advice would be ‘increase your reserves.’ … Dr. Swenson offers the perfect prescription for our hurried lives. Margin is a home remedy for people who’ve run out of time, energy, confidence, and courage.”
INCREASE YOUR RESERVES.
Over the years, I’ve managed to mix a few of Swenson’s ingredients for a margin filled life with a few of my own.
This is a peek into my recipe for successful margin building.
Ingredient #1: Say NO.
The best way to add margin to your life is to add the word NO to your daily vernacular. This sounds easier than it is. The quickest way to erode margin in your life? Let guilt or unnecessary obligation get in the way.
Because I’m inherently an “over-committer”, my hubby long ago coined the phrase heard round the halls of our house, “Does it require you? Are you uniquely qualified for this task/assignment?”
It cuts me to the core every time.
Often I’m saying yes, when I ought to be saying no. And if I don’t say no, then things I said yes to – like completing a book before the end of this year – won’t ever come to fruition.
Ingredient #2: Prioritize
Make a list of the priorities in your day, week, month, year. When you’ve made your list, use it as a sieve to filter out all the extras that drain time, energy and resources from your life.
Next, check your weekly calendar. How much time have you set aside to attain the goals you’ve set?
If your goal is to update your website, find a new job, start a blog, make healthier food for your family, restore your finances, lose weight, spend more time with your family, travel more, write a book, learn a new skill, grow your marriage or invest in loving your neighbor better, how much of your REAL TIME is allocated toward that end?
Scary question.
I think I better look at my calendar too, now that I’ve mentioned it.
Ingredient #3: Block Time
One of the best practices Swenson encourages in the area of TIME margin is creating set times for designated tasks. This might not be new to you. However the most rapid margin drain happens when we allow others to use up all our time, and energy.
Let me explain.
You have a friend who has a serious problem and they’ve asked for your help, immediately. Swenson suggests holding those meetings only during predetermined time slots, for example Mondays from 8-10 a.m. This especially applies to people in ministry, pastors or mission type workers because these demands for counsel or advice are very common. He also says people portray urgency, but they’ve likely had this problem for much longer than the 2 minutes it took them to ask for your help.
What we need to say, (and it’s hard!) is: I can meet you at this time. (name your designated time)
And then stick to it!
This prevents the margin depletion that goes along with it, and you won’t resent the time you’re spending with them either.
RE-CLAIM YOUR MARGIN.
Our culture has trained us to be multi-tasking, frenetic paced people who expect instantaneous results for everything. I mean, c’mon that google search on my iPhone took a full 30 seconds to load!
But you can take back the white space in your life by grabbing hold of these key ingredients: Saying No, Prioritizing and Time Blocking.
You will be amazed how quickly your reserves increase.
And how much more room you have for what you want (ought) to be doing.
What are the margin drains you have experienced? What effective ways have you handled them? I’d love to hear your comments.