Busy

White Space Needed?

White Space is Breathing Space

The power is in the “white space” when it comes to our daily lives… the more time you give yourself to stop and take a breath, instead of scheduling yourself every minute of your day, the more focused and clear you will be when you ARE at the meetings and working on the important projects and tasks that are needed from you.

Here are 4 simple steps to help you create more white space in your days…

1. Stop and take a hard look at your calendar. How much space and time do you allow yourself in between meetings and time frames within your day? If you find yourself going from one thing to the next, with no breathing room in between items, focus on more planning time with your calendar. Giving yourself even a few minutes of breathing room can make a huge impact on your performance and in your day.

2. Don’t say “yes” to everything, or at a minimum say “not right now.” White space doesn’t just happen – you have to create it and schedule it.

3. Leave time at the end of your day for planning and clean-up. This must be SCHEDULED time – consider it your most important appointment of the day and make it a priority every single day. Use this time to re-cap the day, clean up your desk, empty that email box and, most importantly, plan for the next day. This way, you get to leave work at work and focus on the things and people in your life during your off-hours.

4. Let go of the feelings that you have to get it all done right now! This frenetic way of thinking is perpetuated in our society and it’s very counterproductive. We all look very busy and important making calls, hurrying off to meetings, ticking off item after item that needs to be done to get through the day. Although your appointments, meetings and tasks are all very important, keep in mind the mantra that if EVERYTHING is important, then NOTHING is important!