Time is the biggest weapon in your productivity arsenal.
Much of what’s taught by productivity coaches are time management techniques to help you maximize your time. We use different methods of strategy, focus, and execution to help you accomplish more.
One lesson that’s often overlooked is the idea of margin. What do I mean when I say margin and why is it so important to achieving your goals? Let me give you an example.
Last weekend I was sick. My lovely wife (a middle-school teacher) caught the bug earlier in the week and I went down Friday, only to reemerge on Tuesday.
As an entrepreneur who also works a 9-5 job during the week, the weekends aren’t just my time to rest and recharge, they’re also when I do much of the work on my business. Losing valuable time could have been a big problem for me.
Instead, I was able to focus on getting better, unworried about missing a deadline for my daily social media posts, Sunday’s weekly newsletter, or Tuesday’s episode of the Wholistic Productivity Podcast. Why was I unphased about missing so much time?
I always have several days (if not a whole week) of social media posts scheduled and ready to go. My newsletters are always written and scheduled at least a week ahead of time.
So is the podcast. In addition to having several episodes already recorded and scheduled, I have several more outlined and ready to record. I also have a list of 15-20 topics ready to be developed into shows
This is what margin looks like. It’s the flexibility to be able to pause or shift focus without impacting your normal activities. It’s a safety net for your productivity.
Let me be clear: I understand my health is a priority over my side business. But rather than worrying about not dropping my podcast, I could just rest and focus on getting better.
If you don’t have margin budgeted into your schedule, you may not be able to prioritize the things that are truly important
- Taking time to get healthy when you’re not feeling well, or even to maintain your health on a regular basis
- Setting aside your schedule to reconnect with an old friend who comes to town
- Being able to take time off during the day to attend your child’s recital
Without margin, it’s like living paycheck to paycheck—always afraid of an emergency that can throw you off track.
So how do you get the comfort of having a buffer in your schedule? This is where productivity and time management techniques are helpful to maximize your time and build a cushion.
If you don’t already have my free Sunday Strategy worksheet and guide, this is a great time to download it and start using it to plan your week. With just 15 minutes each Sunday you can plan your whole week.
Stop living project-to-project. You deserve the comfort of margin.