CREATING MARGIN IN YOUR LIFE

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CREATE MARGIN IN YOUR LIFE?

When you create margin in your life, you have some time to spare to rest, read or just enjoy whatever you would like to. You make it a point to not have every waking moment of your day filled with something. Creating margin allows you flexibility in your day. You can take a break when you need to so that you are not exhausting yourself on a daily basis. Of course, there are always going to be some days when you run from morning until night. Allowing and creating margin in your life ensures that those crazy days are not the norm. There are many things that you can do to help create margin in your life. Today I will be sharing some of those tips.

LIMIT SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES / EVENTS

When your calendar is too full, it makes it very difficult to have any flexibility in your day. Take a look at your calendar and decide if you have too many things scheduled each week. If there are several things that you or your kids really love to be involved in, consider doing them on a rotating basis. When we are involved in too many things they lose their value because everything is done at a rushed pace. It is difficult to enjoy the things you are involved in when you are right on to the next thing once the first activity is done.

See what you can remove from your calendar so that you have some room in your week that is not scheduled before the week starts. If your schedule is packed, maybe set a goal of having at least 2 days a week with nothing booked on the calendar. Try to keep those days free, or maybe use one for when you have to schedule things like doctor’s appointments, hair or nail appointments, etc.

TRY TO CREATE A REALISTIC PLAN FOR EACH DAY

When you create your to-do list for any given day, try really hard to be realistic about how much you can truly get done without working yourself too hard. Putting more on your to-do list than you can possibly complete will keep you working through any time that you really may need to take a break.  It will also leave you feeling unaccomplished when you end the day with so many things left on your list.

TIME BLOCKING

One way to create a realistic plan is to time block your tasks. You do this by using time frames based on how long it will take to get each task done. It will take a little time to get a good idea of how long certain things take. We always seem to think we can get things done quicker than we can. Make sure to allow some cushion time in each time block for interruptions.  You might need to stop to take a quick phone call or make yourself a coffee. Time blocking is a great way to see how much time you actually have to work within a given day. By seeing the limited time you have, it will help you prioritize what you really need to be focused on.

DAILY TO-DO LIST

If you do not like the idea of blocking out your time so specifically, another technique is to create a separate to-do list for today only.  This is similar to time blocking, but you are just putting the tasks in list format to identify your priorities for the day. Look at your to-do list once, and decide what things you can get done today (while still allowing yourself some free time). Make a list of those items and refer only to that list. The next day you can look at your master list again and decide what to do that day. By just having a few things to focus on you might feel more motivated to get things done. Plus seeing everything checked off on the list feels great, rather than only a few checks on a large to-do list.

SCALE BACK ON YOUR TO-DO LIST

If you are like me there are certain tasks that go on your to-do list to live there forever. Take a look at your list and consider crossing off the things that have been on there for an extended period of time that you will not likely get to anytime soon. I don’t mean the important things that you really do need to do, such as making a doctor’s appointment. What I am referring to are those things on your to-do list that in a perfect world you would like to do, or you think you should do.  But, in reality, the chances of getting them done are very slim.

Having those types of tasks on your to-do list, makes you feel like you have more to do than you really need to get done. This can make you feel like you have to keep constantly trying to get things done because there is still so much on your list. Don’t worry, if you take some of these non-priority things off of your list that has been on there forever, they will pop back up if they do truly become a priority.

PLAN YOUR MEALS

I know that I talk about meal planning a lot, but it does have an impact on your day. Plus we do all have to eat! By planning out your meals you can save time on purchasing food. by knowing exactly what you will need to cook for the weak. You also won’t have to spend time standing around trying to decide what you might be able to throw together. Even looking at a menu for take-out will take up time and energy trying to decide where to order from and what to get. Plus with ordering out, if you are on a budget, you will be adding a little bit of stress if you are spending money that you really planned on putting to another use.

CONSIDER GETTING UP EARLIER OR GOING TO BED LATER

I am not suggesting getting less sleep.  I think that getting the right amount of sleep is very important. Rest has a big impact on how we feel and our ability to make good decisions during the day. Some of us have more energy in the morning, and others at night. By adjusting your sleep schedule you might be able to get more done in a shorter amount of time. Doing things first thing in the morning, or right before bed depending on when you have the most energy might be helpful to you.

If you have the most energy in the morning, consider getting up a half-hour or an hour earlier. Then go to bed a little bit earlier by the same amount of time. The idea is to shift when you are up so that you can take advantage of the time you can get things done more quickly. Don’t forget that you are trying to build some free time into your schedule. So if this does help you get some things done quicker, take advantage of that free time.  Don’t try to fill it with something else.

LIMIT DISTRACTIONS

We often allow tasks to take longer than they should because we allow ourselves to be distracted. Distractions could be things like checking your email, Instagram, or text messages. How many times have you picked up your phone to check a text, and then next thing you know you are scrolling on Instagram. f you haven’t done this, that’s awesome!  But, I definitely have done that. Multi-tasking is also a distraction even though we might not see it that way.

Maybe you really need to just get the bathroom cleaned, but you see a vent that needs to be cleaned.  Next thing you know, you’re cleaning the vent.  Then you see the baseboard needs to be wiped down. I know when I am working on the computer, I often have multiple things open and several different browsers open. I should be working on updating my budget. Then the next thing I know I decide to start cleaning up my email!

It’s important to try to stay focused on your priority task. There will always be more things we need to get done. If we want to allow space in our day, we need to focus on what is most important. If you see something that you don’t want to forget about while you are working on something, take a quick minute to jot it down and then get back to your priority task.

DON’T FILL IN THE GAPS WITH EXTRA WORK

The point of these tips is to help to focus on what is most important each day. This will allow you some time to do the things you enjoy. You also need some free time in your day. Unexpected things may end up taking up your free time sometimes. When your day is so jam-packed those unexpected things become a major source of stress. You want them to be just something you need to deal with that day.

If your days are overwhelmingly full, see if there is one change you can make to free up some time. Practice being more mindful about how your time is being spent. You can start to see where you can make some changes to allow a little wiggle room in your day.

Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic to check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!

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