Let’s Talk About Margin

When you read the word “margin”, what comes to mind?

I’m not talking about the margin of a sheet of paper, or page in a book…but the word associated with rest. 

Do you scoff? Cringe? Crave to have more? Shrug off the word with indifference? 

What if I told you maintaining the practice of having margin in one’s day to day schedule can drastically change the rhythms of your life for the better?

We all know life is already demanding, no matter who you are and what season of life you’re in - whether a student, mom or manager in a company. Many things compete for our attention, and it’s impossible to have it all. We were created with a limited capacity (for our good….and I’ll talk more about this in the near future).

I can vividly recall living a life without margin years ago in my early to mid-twenties. I had been going at a pace I could no longer keep up with in life, until one day everything came crashing down. I was under the illusion that I was able to manage it all well, until reality set in that it was all just a facade.

Our culture applauds productivity and hustle to a fault, so I was doing what was normal….right? 

I was overcommitted. Worn. Weary. There was no margin in my days or weeks. When there was space, plans were made. The things most important to me like my marriage and time with the Lord were slowly not being prioritized.

Have you ever been there? 

I am a naturally driven person, an implementer. I love planning, checking off to-do lists, and accomplishing goals. This is my greatest strength, but can at times be my greatest stumbling block. Raise your hand up high if you can relate!

So why are we prone to believing we are able to do it all?

I’m here to encourage you that living a life with breathing room IS possible. Much like having a savings is financial margin in a budget, margin of time is putting deposits toward time to rest, be still, or be available for what the Lord may have you do in a given moment that you weren’t expecting.

Rather than overpacking a schedule, scheduling in margin creates space to take breaths and be out of a stress response, and more in a parasympathetic response. Living in this state is optimal for holistic health and vitality.

If you are tired of being tired, and living an overly packed life, here are some questions you can ask yourself:

• What is my motivation behind being overly busy?

• What lie(s) am I believing that is driving this lifestyle?

• What do I want margin to look like in my life? What would I gain by creating it?

If you are ready to create margin in your life, Art of Hope is here to partner with you!