Week 154

Positive post Sunday, January 26, 2020- Week 154. 

This Positive Post is for my friends who lead very busy, complex and often stressful lives.  You know who you are.  You’re the ones who struggle with work-life balance, can’t seem to find enough hours in the day, feel like you are spinning a bunch of plates at the same time…you get it.  Now that I think about it, maybe I’m writing this to myself😊

A quick search of the internet will offer you many suggestions and tips on how to manage a busy life and career.  Examples include, making sure you get enough sleep, find time to relax, stay active, occasionally give yourself rewards, work smarter not harder and one of my favorites, simplify your life.  At this point all my busy and stressed out friends are saying, “Yeah right!  Where am I going to find the time and how can I simplify my life?”

That leads me to an article written by one of my favorite and well accomplished writers, Dorie Clark.  Among her many credentials, Dorie is recognized as one of the top 50 business thinkers in the world and teaches executive education at Duke University.  Here is the link to her home page where you can subscribe to her e-newsletter https://dorieclark.com/.  I read them religiously each week and find them very informative, thought provoking and useful.  

In her recent e-newsletter titled Margin is the New Black, Dorie acknowledges her love of New Year’s Resolutions and goal setting and suggests that the best goal we can set for ourselves is building in more margin.  Building margin is creating more white space in our lives to manage through the times when unexpected things happen, balance our personal and professional lives and create space to pursue new interests.

This made me think about how I can build more margin in my busy and very complex life.  For many of us this is a life long struggle, but I thought I would share a few things that help me on my journey.  First and foremost is recognizing that in order for me to take care of my many loved ones, I need to take care of myself first.  Although easier said than done, surviving a life-threatening surgery 13 years ago reminded me that staying in shape both physically and mentally is not an option, but a necessity.  Secondly, although I’m as much of a workaholic as anyone, I have taken to heart the words of Heather Schuck, “You will never feel truly satisfied by work until you are satisfied by life.”  I’m truly blessed to work with and live with amazing human beings who elevate me beyond satisfaction and who help create margin in my life.

Although I certainly don’t claim to be an expert in creating margin in my busy and complex life, I thought I would share a few simple things I do that help create space in my life to rejuvenate my mind, body and soul so I don’t lose sight of my ultimate goal of earning a space alongside our Lord when he calls.

• Get to church early and reflect on my past week and how to approach the coming one
• Take walks with my family every week to create space for conversation (preferably on Balboa Island)
• Ride bikes with my friends each week listening to and supporting each other (it’s amazing how you can solve the world’s problems on a bike ride)
• Start each workday with a walk to free my mind and plan my day (my best thinking time)
• Write Positive Posts each Sunday to keep my mind active and reinforce the important and positive things in life

How are you simplifying your life?  How are you building more margin into your daily life?  Are you focused on the people who matter most in your life?