This time of year is crazy busy for many. I remember one particular May several years ago that was so filled with activity that it prompted a discussion with my wife and in our family about priorities, commitments and our overall lifestyle. It was a difficult conversation, but it was also a necessary conversation.
Over time, I began to discover this simple truth: More margin in your schedule means a fuller, deeper life. The opposite side of this truth is even more stark: Too little margin your schedule will–over the long run–kill you.
In that spirit, here are a few simple exercises and some reflections:
1. Observe, just today, the others around you. Do they have margin in their schedule or is everything scheduled to the minute? Have they planned time to encounter the unexpected during their day or have they scheduled more than even God could accomplish?
2. Next, look at your own schedule for the week or month ahead. Is there any breathing room? Is there space to just relax, breathe, be? Wouldn’t that be so freeing, to block some time in your calendar that just reads, “Lighten up, Francis”?
3. Begin building margin into your regular schedule until it feels right. For some that is simply 10 minutes between appointments, so if you’re scheduling on the hour, all things must end at 10 minutes before the hour. For others, it’s more time. Find what works for you and fight for / insist on the margin.
4. Ask those closest to you if there is enough margin in your schedule for them. This is where you will get your most honest and helpful answer. Listen well and adjust accordingly.
Where is your margin your day? Your week? Youth month? Your year?