As I seek to restore a more natural and healthy rhythm to my life, I am starting by exploring two issues. First, what are the culprits that actively promote an unhealthy pace of go, go, go and go more? Second, how can I restore margin in my life?
So what do I mean by margin? While once working serving as a President of a Habitat for Humanity affiliate, I was stretched to my limits when we took on building a house in one week. I had probably twenty phone calls that needed to be made. I gave every single phone call out in a board meeting. At first it seemed a bit unfair, but as I told the board, “I know that even as I give you these calls, others are stacking up on my answering machine.” My statement was prophetic. I got home and found a half a dozen or more calls that had to be responded to. This was when I first recognized the wisdom of planned margin in my life.
I realized then that when we fill every possible moment, we are forgetting that life continues to happen despite our plans and has a nasty habit of invading those plans. So what happens when you have every minute filled even before the day starts and unplanned events occurs as they always do? Something must give no matter how important. When that happens to me I then have the stress of trying to figure out what must go and when will I ever get it done.
I know this and have practiced planned margin when I have been in crunch times, but I am now realizing that this needs to be a normative routine of life. Rather than having a to do list of impossible length, I am shifting to fewer items and planned holes in my schedule to allow for not only the interuptions of life, but opportunities as well.
Margin is my first practical strategy for living in a more natural rhythm. Next I will be going after the culprits of crunch. By “culprits of crunch” I mean those influences prodding me toward constant unsustainable activity.
As always, blessings to you from The Practical Disciple
As soon as I finished reading “Living in the Rhythm – First Steps,” I immediately went to my calendar to schedule “margin time” for the next day. I quickly realized that this is obviously defeating the purpose, and had to laugh at myself.
I definitely am one of many who so easily get caught up in the pace of life, and when doing so, sadly become part of “the mass of men living lives of quite desperation.” I was wondering what are some practical ways to restore margin? For starters, I was thinking saying “no” more often and also scheduling bigger chunks of time for each endeavor.
amen. There will always be things to fill the margin time. Sometimes it’s that on extra few minutes of good conversation with a friend when you really need it.