Stumbled the concept
If you’re not sure how much time you are actually spending on various tasks, use a tool like Rescue Time (their free version is excellent!) which runs in the background and tracks where your time is being spent. It can even send you weekly reports so you know exactly how much time you wasted on Facebook, or spent in your email inbox! You can assign different websites or programs/applications on a scale of very distracting to very productive, so you can see at a glance things like: which days of the week you’re most productive, which times of the day you’re most productive, and the sites on which you’re spending the most distracting time. I stumbled upon the concept of margin while reading a post by Michael Hyatt, which led me to design my ideal week.
Richard Swenson, M.D. (who wrote the book: Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives) describes margin like this:
Last year I wrote about why booking too far in advance can be dangerous for your business, and this concept of margin so eloquently captures what I had recognized had been my problem: I was so booked up with clients that I wasn’t leaving any margin for error, growth, planning, or reflection. I wasn’t really growing my business in a sustainable way; I was just booking one client after the next. At the time this seemed like a good thing: doesn’t growing my business mean getting more clients?
What if instead of booking up to 100% capacity (which more often than not ends up being closer to 120%), we only booked up to an 80% capacity?
What if we left more room for growth (personal or professional) and stopped being one with “busy-ness”?
I spent nearly a year turning down every new project (and even getting rid of old ones) so that I could reduce my workload, build in more margin, and create what is now Digital Strategy School. It takes time to build margin into your schedule.
What could you accomplish with 20% more time?
Write a book. Create a program. Update your contracts and proposals (which has been on your to-do list for how long..?) Spend more time with your family. Go above and beyond for a client. Learn something new. Actually follow through on the things that have been nagging at you for a long time.
When you design your ideal week, you start to see that the time you think you have is often not in alignment with how much time you actually have.
After designing my ideal week, I had a much clearer idea of how to create a framework for my week that would empower me to feel more focused by theming days of the week, and even parts of the day. SO simple, I know. Some of you have been doing this for ages and you’re already a pro, and some of you who saw my schedule said “woah, that’s so rigid, I need more flexibility!”
Structure enables flexibility.
If you’re not sure how much time you are actually spending on various tasks, use a tool like Rescue Time (their free version is excellent!) which runs in the background and tracks where your time is being spent. It can even send you weekly reports so you know exactly how much time you wasted on Facebook, or spent in your email inbox! You can assign different websites or programs/applications on a scale of very distracting to very productive, so you can see at a glance things like: which days of the week you’re most productive, which times of the day you’re most productive, and the sites on which you’re spending the most distracting time. Turns out I’m consistently “in the zone” around 3pm in the afternoon; so instead of trying to tackle highly creative work first thing in the morning (when my brain is barely functioning), I handle it in the afternoon, when I know I’m at my peak!
Creating more margin has been game-changing for my business.
What would be possible for yours?
Inspired by clouds
[vc_row unlock_row=““ row_height_percent=“0″ override_padding=“yes“ h_padding=“2″ top_padding=“5″ bottom_padding=“5″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ shift_y=“0″ row_height_use_pixel=““][vc_column column_width_use_pixel=“yes“ font_family=“font-134980″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ z_index=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ column_width_pixel=“800″][vc_custom_heading text_size=“h1″ text_font=“font-202503″ text_uppercase=““]Take your time.[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text text_lead=“yes“]I’ve got a Fujifilm X100s. It runs about $1300. It’s easily the best camera I’ve ever owned. I take care of it as best as I can, but I don’t let taking care of it impact the photography. Let me elaborate on that a bit better. You’ll get better at each section of what we talked about slowly. And while you do, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it all is and how the habit forms. The best way to get better at photography is start by taking your camera everywhere. If you leave your house, your camera leaves with you. The only exception is if you’re planning for a weekend bender — then probably leave it at home. Other than that, always have it slung over your shoulder. It would probably help to get an extra battery to carry in your pocket. I’ve got three batteries. One in my camera, one in my pocket, one in the charger.
When it dies, swap them all.
For me, the most important part of improving at photography has been sharing it. Sign up for an Exposure account, or post regularly to Tumblr, or both. Tell people you’re trying to get better at photography. Talk about it. When you talk about it, other people get excited about it. They’ll come on photo walks with you. They’ll pose for portraits. They’ll buy your prints, zines, whatever.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row unlock_row_content=“yes“ row_height_percent=“50″ override_padding=“yes“ h_padding=“0″ top_padding=“0″ bottom_padding=“0″ back_color=“color-lxmt“ overlay_alpha=“50″ equal_height=“yes“ gutter_size=“0″ shift_y=“0″ row_height_use_pixel=““][vc_column column_width_percent=“70″ position_vertical=“middle“ override_padding=“yes“ column_padding=“5″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ width=“1/2″][vc_custom_heading text_size=“h1″ text_height=“fontheight-357766″ text_font=“font-202503″ sub_lead=“yes“ sub_reduced=“yes“ text_uppercase=““ subheading=“— Rabindranath Tagore
„]Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.[/vc_custom_heading][/vc_column][vc_column column_width_percent=“100″ override_padding=“yes“ column_padding=“0″ back_color=“color-wayh“ back_image=“23132″ back_position=“center top“ parallax=“yes“ overlay_alpha=“0″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ width=“1/2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row unlock_row=““ row_height_percent=“0″ override_padding=“yes“ h_padding=“2″ top_padding=“5″ bottom_padding=“5″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ shift_y=“0″ row_height_use_pixel=““][vc_column column_width_use_pixel=“yes“ font_family=“font-134980″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ column_width_pixel=“800″][vc_custom_heading text_size=“h1″ text_font=“font-202503″ text_uppercase=““]Breathe the world.[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text text_lead=“yes“]I’ve got a Fujifilm X100s. It runs about $1300. It’s easily the best camera I’ve ever owned. I take care of it as best as I can, but I don’t let taking care of it impact the photography. Let me elaborate on that a bit better. You’ll get better at each section of what we talked about slowly. And while you do, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it all is and how the habit forms. The best way to get better at photography is start by taking your camera everywhere. If you leave your house, your camera leaves with you. The only exception is if you’re planning for a weekend bender — then probably leave it at home. Other than that, always have it slung over your shoulder. It would probably help to get an extra battery to carry in your pocket. I’ve got three batteries. One in my camera, one in my pocket, one in the charger. When it dies, swap them all.
For me, the most important part of improving at photography has been sharing it. Sign up for an Exposure account, or post regularly to Tumblr, or both. Tell people you’re trying to get better at photography. Talk about it. When you talk about it, other people get excited about it. They’ll come on photo walks with you. They’ll pose for portraits. They’ll buy your prints, zines, whatever.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row unlock_row_content=“yes“ row_height_percent=“50″ override_padding=“yes“ h_padding=“0″ top_padding=“0″ bottom_padding=“0″ back_color=“color-lxmt“ overlay_alpha=“50″ equal_height=“yes“ gutter_size=“0″ shift_y=“0″ row_height_use_pixel=““][vc_column column_width_percent=“100″ override_padding=“yes“ column_padding=“0″ back_color=“color-wayh“ back_image=“23131″ back_position=“center top“ parallax=“yes“ overlay_alpha=“0″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ width=“1/2″][/vc_column][vc_column column_width_percent=“70″ position_vertical=“middle“ override_padding=“yes“ column_padding=“5″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ width=“1/2″][vc_custom_heading text_size=“h1″ text_height=“fontheight-357766″ text_font=“font-202503″ sub_lead=“yes“ sub_reduced=“yes“ text_uppercase=““ subheading=“— Christopher Morley
„]Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by the letting of a little water.[/vc_custom_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row unlock_row=““ row_height_percent=“0″ override_padding=“yes“ h_padding=“2″ top_padding=“5″ bottom_padding=“5″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ shift_y=“0″ row_height_use_pixel=““][vc_column column_width_use_pixel=“yes“ font_family=“font-134980″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ column_width_pixel=“800″][vc_custom_heading text_size=“h1″ text_font=“font-202503″ text_uppercase=““]Enjoy the morning.[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text text_lead=“yes“]The best way to get better at photography is start by taking your camera everywhere. If you leave your house, your camera leaves with you. The only exception is if you’re planning for a weekend bender — then probably leave it at home. Other than that, always have it slung over your shoulder. It would probably help to get an extra battery to carry in your pocket. I’ve got three batteries. One in my camera, one in my pocket, one in the charger. When it dies, swap them all.
For me, the most important part of improving at photography has been sharing it. Sign up for an Exposure account, or post regularly to Tumblr, or both. Tell people you’re trying to get better at photography. Talk about it. When you talk about it, other people get excited about it. They’ll come on photo walks with you. They’ll pose for portraits. They’ll buy your prints, zines, whatever. I’ve got a Fujifilm X100s. It runs about $1300.
It’s easily the best camera I’ve ever owned. I take care of it as best as I can, but I don’t let taking care of it impact the photography. Let me elaborate on that a bit better. You’ll get better at each section of what we talked about slowly. And while you do, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it all is and how the habit forms.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_height_percent=“65″ override_padding=“yes“ h_padding=“2″ top_padding=“0″ bottom_padding=“0″ back_color=“color-wayh“ back_image=“23132″ back_position=“center center“ parallax=“yes“ overlay_color=“color-wayh“ overlay_alpha=“25″ gutter_size=“3″ shift_y=“0″ row_height_use_pixel=““][vc_column column_width_percent=“100″ position_vertical=“middle“ align_horizontal=“align_center“ override_padding=“yes“ column_padding=“2″ style=“dark“ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ width=“1/1″][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=“h1″ text_size=“fontsize-155944″ text_height=“fontheight-357766″ text_font=“font-202503″ sub_lead=“yes“ sub_reduced=“yes“ text_uppercase=““ subheading=“— Gilbert K. Chesterton
„]There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds.[/vc_custom_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row unlock_row=““ row_height_percent=“0″ override_padding=“yes“ h_padding=“2″ top_padding=“5″ bottom_padding=“5″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ shift_y=“0″ row_height_use_pixel=““][vc_column column_width_use_pixel=“yes“ font_family=“font-134980″ overlay_alpha=“50″ gutter_size=“3″ medium_width=“0″ shift_x=“0″ shift_y=“0″ zoom_width=“0″ zoom_height=“0″ column_width_pixel=“800″][vc_custom_heading text_size=“h1″ text_font=“font-202503″ text_uppercase=““]Free your mind.[/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text text_lead=“yes“]The best way to get better at photography is start by taking your camera everywhere. If you leave your house, your camera leaves with you. The only exception is if you’re planning for a weekend bender — then probably leave it at home. Other than that, always have it slung over your shoulder. It would probably help to get an extra battery to carry in your pocket. I’ve got three batteries. One in my camera, one in my pocket, one in the charger. When it dies, swap them all.
I’ve got a Fujifilm X100s. It runs about $1300. It’s easily the best camera I’ve ever owned. I take care of it as best as I can, but I don’t let taking care of it impact the photography. Let me elaborate on that a bit better. You’ll get better at each section of what we talked about slowly. And while you do, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it all is and how the habit forms.
For me, the most important part of improving at photography has been sharing it. Sign up for an Exposure account, or post regularly to Tumblr, or both. Tell people you’re trying to get better at photography. Talk about it. When you talk about it, other people get excited about it. They’ll come on photo walks with you. They’ll pose for portraits. They’ll buy your prints, zines, whatever.
Photography is better shared.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
How to Write Text For Your Website That Brings Bookings?
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How to Enable Guests to Find Your Property Faster on Google?
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Use Valentine’s Day to Earn Extra Money – Start Preparing Today
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How to Prepare House Rules and is it Mandatory at All?
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Astibulum, nibh ipsum condimentum felis, quis luctus nisi nisl sed orci. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Sed tempus puet rutrum ultrces. Cras pretium pretium odio aliquam tortor interduma. Morbi commodo egestas mauris, et porttitor ipsum iaculis fermentum. Phasellus ante nibh, posuere gravida odio mattis cursus.