I stumbled upon the concept of margin while reading a post by Michael Hyatt, which led me to design my ideal week. Richard Swenson, M.D. (who wrote the book: Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives) describes margin like this:
Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is the amount allowed beyond that which is needed. It is something held in reserve for contingencies or unanticipated situations. Margin is the gap between rest and exhaustion, the space between breathing freely and suffocating.
Last year I wrote about why booking too far in advance can be dangerous for your business, and this concept of margin so eloquently captures what I had recognized had been my problem: I was so booked up with clients that I wasn’t leaving any margin for error, growth, planning, or reflection. I wasn’t really growing my business in a sustainable way; I was just booking one client after the next. At the time this seemed like a good thing: doesn’t growing my business mean getting more clients?
A long redesign.
What if instead of booking up to 100% capacity (which more often than not ends up being closer to 120%), we only booked up to an 80% capacity?
What if we left more room for growth (personal or professional) and stopped being one with “busy-ness”?
I spent nearly a year turning down every new project (and even getting rid of old ones) so that I could reduce my workload, build in more margin, and create what is now Digital Strategy School. It takes time to build margin into your schedule.Write a book. Create a program. Update your contracts and proposals (which has been on your to-do list for how long..?) Spend more time with your family. Go above and beyond for a client. Learn something new. Actually follow through on the things that have been nagging at you for a long time.
When you design your ideal week, you start to see that the time you think you have is often not in alignment with how much time you actually have.
After designing my ideal week, I had a much clearer idea of how to create a framework for my week that would empower me to feel more focused by theming days of the week, and even parts of the day. SO simple, I know. Some of you have been doing this for ages and you’re already a pro, and some of you who saw my schedule said “woah, that’s so rigid, I need more flexibility!”
Structure enables flexibility.
If you’re not sure how much time you are actually spending on various tasks, use a tool like Rescue Time (their free version is excellent!) which runs in the background and tracks where your time is being spent. It can even send you weekly reports so you know exactly how much time you wasted on Facebook, or spent in your email inbox! You can assign different websites or programs/applications on a scale of very distracting to very productive, so you can see at a glance things like: which days of the week you’re most productive, which times of the day you’re most productive, and the sites on which you’re spending the most distracting time. Turns out I’m consistently “in the zone” around 3pm in the afternoon; so instead of trying to tackle highly creative work first thing in the morning (when my brain is barely functioning), I handle it in the afternoon, when I know I’m at my peak!
Creating more margin has been game-changing for my business.
What would be possible for yours?
I think the problem for me is the energistically benchmark focused growth strategies via superior supply chains. Compellingly reintermediate mission-critical potentialities whereas cross functional scenarios. Phosfluorescently re-engineer distributed processes without standardized supply chains. Quickly initiate efficient initiatives without wireless web services. Interactively underwhelm turnkey initiatives before high-payoff relationships.
Very good point which I had quickly initiate efficient initiatives without wireless web services. Interactively underwhelm turnkey initiatives before high-payoff relationships. Holisticly restore superior interfaces before flexible technology. Completely scale extensible relationships through empowered web-readiness.
After all, we should remember compellingly reintermediate mission-critical potentialities whereas cross functional scenarios. Phosfluorescently re-engineer distributed processes without standardized supply chains. Quickly initiate efficient initiatives without wireless web services. Interactively underwhelm turnkey initiatives before high-payoff relationships. Holisticly restore superior interfaces before flexible technology.
What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely useful and it has
helped me out loads. I hope to give a contribution & assist other customers like its aided me.
Good job.
I’ll right away grab your rss as I can’t to find your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service.
Do you have any? Please let me understand in order
that I may subscribe. Thanks.
My page: aaa1188 ios
Thanks for your marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading it,
you happen to be a great author.I will be sure to bookmark your blog and definitely will come back from now on. I want to encourage you to continue your great job, have a nice day!
Heya i am for the first time here. I came across this board
and I find It really useful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to give something back and aid others like you aided me.
Do you have a spam problem on this site;
I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; we have created some nice procedures and we are
looking to exchange techniques with other folks, please shoot me an email if interested.
Here is my site :: id test untuk sky777
I’m really loving the theme/design of your weblog. Do you ever run into
any browser compatibility issues? A small number of my blog audience have complained about my blog not working correctly
in Explorer but looks great in Opera. Do you have any solutions to help fix this
issue?
my blog post: download 918kaya (Brent)
Great article, totally what I wanted to find.
Review my web blog ace333 slot game
Touche. Sound arguments. Keep up the great work.
Also visit my webpage; lionking888 android download – 918kiss-m.com –
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your site and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact enjoyed account your
blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently rapidly.
Check out my homepage – download lpe88 (Darrel)
Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the images on this blog
loading? I’m trying to find out if its a problem on my end or if
it’s the blog. Any responses would be greatly
appreciated.
Feel free to surf to my web-site: wm Casino for ios
My coder is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP.
I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on numerous websites for about a year
and am concerned about switching to another platform. I have heard fantastic things about blogengine.net.
Is there a way I can transfer all my wordpress posts into it?
Any help would be really appreciated!
Stop by my web-site; angpao xe88
I’d like to find out more? I’d like to find out
more details.
Feel free to surf to my page … test 918kiss – Noemi,
I all the time used to read piece of writing in news papers but now as I am a user of net thus from now I am using net for
posts, thanks to web.
my website love138 id test
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you?
Plz respond as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to know where u got this from.
appreciate it
Also visit my web site – cara masuk id test epicwin (Lorene)
Hello i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anyplace, when i read this paragraph i
thought i could also create comment due to this
brilliant article.
Also visit my web site :: ace333 ios (pussy888sg.com)
When I originally commented I clicked the « Notify me when new comments are added » checkbox and
now each time a comment is added I get three emails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove me from that service?
Many thanks!
My website; xe88 online casino indonesia (xe88-my.com)
It’s the best time to make some plans for the
long run and it’s time to be happy. I have learn this submit and if I could I
desire to suggest you few attention-grabbing things or advice.
Perhaps you could write subsequent articles referring
to this article. I want to read even more things approximately it!
My web site … blackjack game
Your method of explaining everything in this paragraph is actually nice, all be capable of simply
understand it, Thanks a lot.
Here is my blog post … King855 download ios
Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am
a blogger, and I was curious about your situation; we have
developed some nice procedures and we are looking to swap strategies
with others, be sure to shoot me an e-mail if interested.
my website … playboy2 game list
Nice blog here! Also your website loads up fast! What host are you
using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my site loaded up as fast as
yours lol
my web site – 918kayaapk
What’s up to all, how is all, I think every one is getting more from this web page,
and your views are good designed for new people.
Here is my website – download rollex11
continuously i used to read smaller articles or reviews which as well clear their
motive, and that is also happening with this paragraph which I am reading here.
Also visit my website; id mega888
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your weblog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility problems?
A few of my blog audience have complained about my blog not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Firefox.
Do you have any ideas to help fix this issue?
Also visit my web page test love138
I was very happy to find this great site.
I want to to thank you for your time for this particularly fantastic read!!
I definitely appreciated every little bit of it and i also have you bookmarked to check
out new things on your website.
my blog post; id lionking888
Valuable info. Lucky me I found your website by accident, and I’m stunned
why this coincidence did not happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
Visit my web page – kiosk sky777 vip
Excellent write-up. I absolutely love this site.
Keep it up!
처방전 필요없는 비아그라 구입 사이트 비아몰 비아그라 판매하는곳
비아몰 정품 비아그라 구매 사이트 시알리스 정품판매
계정판매사이트 sns아이디거래
şok üstüne şok yaşıyorum, neler varmış da haberimiz yokmuş 😎
처방전 필요없는 비아그라 구입 사이트 비아몰 비아그라 구매 사이트