I’ve been struggling with how to write about margins without becoming another echo-chamber in the world of productivity websites. That is the last thing I want to do, and probably the last thing you want to be reading. I too suffered (and benefited) through the recent “Getting Things Done,” super-duper list-making, commitment-breaking phase of our culture.
Don’t get me wrong, I like my lists. But you don’t need another how-to blog on how to write them. Productivity is not the end goal in life. Getting better at managing the stuff in your life in order to shove more stuff into it is a loosing proposition. Being efficient is not the same as having margins. It just means you can get more done in less time.
The point of margins is to stop. Everything. Everyday. At least for a while, so that you can breathe.
So how do you build margins?
I talked a little bit about the margins I’ve created in my life in an earlier post called Imperatives. But my life is probably not the same as yours. Here are some ways for you to think about how to create margins for yourself.
1) Time With Jesus
- Is there time blocked out on your schedule to spend time with him?
- Are you actually doing it?
- Are you connecting with him?
- Are you talking about specific things with him?
- What is he saying to you? Are you praying through the ACTS model, or do you have a different way of praying?
- When was the last time you worshiped him by yourself?
- How about in a group?
2) Time with People
- Are you spending time with people outside the context of ministry?
- What I mean is, are all your engagements with people centered around either ministering to them or with them?
- How can you you create time to just be with people?
- If you are in a foreign culture, where are the places people spend time?
- Are you spending time there without an agenda?
- If you are church planting, are you spending time with your team without focusing on ministry concerns (like playing games, or watching some sports, or the like)?
- If you are a musician on the road, are you making time to talk with people you love on the phone or over skype?
- Does your non-profit have a non-work day or hour where people are forced to not work and get to know each other – playing ping-pong, or getting out of the office at 4 for drinks, or a conference room XBox?
3) Time to Plan
- When was the last time you organized everything you need to do this week?
- How are you keeping track of things so that you don’t always feel overwhelmed?
- When was the last time you cleaned your office (spend the day – the world will not end)?
- How are you tracking your inbox items?
- Do you have a rhythm for planning your weeks and days?
- If you are an artist, do you have time set aside to consider how you are going to get your projects done?
- If you are in authority over people or in a management position, do you know what your people are up to?
4) Time to Write (Communicate)
- Are you including in your weekly planning time to tell people what is going on?
- Are you talking to your team about stories they are involved in?
- Are you updating your followers on those stories (blog, email, newsletter, twitter, podcast, etc.)?
- Are you being clear about how money is being spent on what projects and with what results?
- Are you making your dreams of changing the world clear to your followers?
- Are you talking about how you are changing in the process?
Looking back, I realize that’s a lot of questions. This is just a starting point. You don’t have to answer them all. And you can add your own questions.
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