Productivity is not always about doing more, but doing less…better. This creates margin, which gives us the freedom to make time for what really matters to us.
Has there ever been something that was totally normal for you growing up, & later on as an adult you found out that they were actually contributing to an anxiety-ridden life? 👀
That was me with my calendar.
I had gotten used to always running on “brown people time” (IYKYK) while simultaneously over-filling my schedule.
- I didn’t have a sense of urgency to get places, but I’d always feel anxious when I was running late.
- I hadn’t picked up solid habits for doing señora things like cleaning or meal prepping, but then I’d get overwhelmed when my (very) necessary tasks weren’t done.
I deeply wanted to follow the advice I was seeing on social media, to be a free-spirit & go with the flow & trust that everything would work out…
But the truth was, while that sounded glittery & nice in theory, this mija needed some structure 😅
& I’m not alone in that—we all do.
There is a beautiful balance between structure & spontaneity, productivity & pleasure.
I learned that the most underrated hack to creativity & ease is one thing: margin.
Have you ever written on a blank piece of printer paper & there’s stuff written all over it?
Isn’t it a tadddd overwhelming to look at? (I know I’m not the only human who gets slightly anxious when there’s too much visual stimulation going on…)
There’s a reason why the paper we wrote with in school has these vertical lines that create what is known as margin…
But the truth is, there’s not just one reason.
- They provide a place to add in notes
- They allot space for binding or hole punching if needed
- They frame the content & provide visual breaks, making it easier to read
- I even found out that mice used to eat the edges of paper, so the margins made the content safe from critters
The beautiful thing about margin is that it doesn’t have to be useful in one particular way—you get to use it however you see fit!
Having free windows of energy (whether that be time, money, etc.) can act as pockets of endless opportunities in our lives.
But let me get clear about one thing…
The prerequisite to margin is the opposite side of the same coin: discipline.
It’s not alllll about waking up & asking the universe what you should do with your day every single day, but it’s also not all about the most perfect 3 hour morning routine before your hectic workday followed by volunteering & making fresh dinners & cleaning the house etc etc etc with no time to breathe (woah, that was exhausting just to type out!).
It makes me sad to hear people complain about how they don’t have friends, but they don’t seek out opportunities to meet new people or deepen existing connections.
Or how they feel stunted in their creative life but they don’t have any room for fun or exploration or joy.
We must learn to dance in this ebb & flow if we want to achieve productivity in a way that feels easeful.
Let me give you an example.
When I was working a hospital nursing job a few years ago, I had a stretch of four days off (score!).
After the shifts I had worked, I. was. wiped.
My apartment needed a thorough cleaning after being neglected with 12+ hour workdays, & as I woke up on that first day off, there was a battle in my head.
Should I clean it today & get it over with, OR should I rest now & do it later? 👀
I begrudgingly got my booty out of bed, put on some Juanes (read my post about non-toxic cleaning here!), & checked that off of my to-do list!
I didn’t know what I would be doing the rest days, but it felt gooood knowing I didn’t have to think about that anymore.
The next day, one of my amigas called & said she was going up to the city with her boyfriend & her mom who had flown in. They had rented a hotel room & were wondering if I wanted to join them.
Because I had already finished my biggest goal, I was able to immediately say yes without worrying about neglecting my other tasks.
I drove up, we went to a conservatory & got delicious food, meeting her mama was soo sweet, & the best part? I had absolutely zero guilt of feeling careless. I was able to be fully present without worrying about rushing back home.
So many people want spontaneity, but in order to be spontaneous AND responsible (uhh, we are adults, after all 😅), we need to be disciplined.
& by “disciplined,” I don’t mean rigid.
There have been plenty of times that I know something will push me behind in one area, but if it will significantly fill my cup & is in alignment with my values (find out your values with my free core values assessment guide), then I will refocus my priorities to make it happen!
We are human, after all!
Last year I took a somatics course & an instructor, Hala Khouri, a yoga teacher & therapist trained in somatic experiencing, said something that beautifully sums it up…
Life is a constant flow of work & rest. We need both in order to be successful.
- The waves crash up against the shore, & then they recede back into the ocean.
- Our lungs fill up with glorious air, & they deflate like balloons with each exhalation.
- The sun rises & brightens our days, then it goes away & let’s the moon say hello.
When you’re really intentional with your productive times, you’re able to be more present with your restful moments (& vice versa!).
& this doesn’t just apply to time & productivity—it can be applied to anything!
- Have some extra money saved up? When your bestie invites you to housesit in Italy, you have the funds to make it happen.
- There’s a last minute art show you’re asked to participate in? You’ve already got some extra pieces ready to submit.
- Leftovers in the fridge? Perfect! Your amiga is stopping by & might be hungry.
- Left early for work & made a new friend on the train? Great, you both have a few minutes to grab coffee together!
- You snuggle into bed early & an amaaazing idea pops into your head, & you get to journal about it before it slips your mind.
We need to create some margin.
Spaciousness.
Breathing room.
Like a blank canvas, full of possibility.
I went outside this morning not knowing if I’d journal or meditate, so I took my journal & my headphones just in case.
When I got outside, I ended up doing both AND making two hummingbird friends 🙂
You don’t always have to have all the answers–you just have to make yourself available for what the universe wants to show you!
& this only happened because I had the discipline to wake up early, head outside, etc.
No more of this living-on-the-edge crap! That is part of what makes life so stressful, & we can’t create or enjoy or just be when we are living in survival mode.
Have you ever noticed that it seems like you catch more red lights when you’re running late? 🥲 The anxiety of wondering if you should run the yellow light but then you get cut off anyway?
Gosh, I can feel my heart racing & my palms sweaty on the steering wheel already lol!
Well when you leave on-time, those things don’t matter.
You’ve allowed time for margin, so you can sip your cafecito & turn your podcast up, because these things won’t get you down.
Person flipped you off? Eh, todo bien.
Forgot your badge? No prob, there’s a couple of extra minutes to turn back around!
Let’s get practical!
Okay okay okay, this all sounds great in theory BUT we all have responsibilities & the same 24 hours to get them done…so how the heck do we accomplish it all?
Well, this is where productivity comes in! & I repeat, productivity for the sake of opening up more opportunities for truly savoring life, NOT for the sake of doing more more more.
COMPASSION
First thing’s first, have some compassion for yourself! If you haven’t been getting as much as you want to, it’s not a reason to beat yourself up. & with anything in life, there’ll be a transition process as you start to become more disciplined.
& on the topic of being mindful, also recognize that sometimes you won’t be able to get your to-do list done for a multitude of reasons (no matter how well-intentioned you are).
Your dog will get sick, you’ll have bad period cramps, you’ll get rear-ended, your partner will plan a surprise date night, you’ll be deep in conversation & lose track of time.
Don’t get discouraged! Remember that the purpose of being disciplined is to have spaciousness for spontaneity. & these unplanned things sure are spontaneous lol!
PARKINSON’S LAW
Have you ever heard of Parkinson’s Law? It states that a task will take the amount of time that we give it.
If you dig into the recesses of your mind & remember states of matter from science class, it’s like a gas: it’ll spread out fill whatever container you put it in (whether it’s in a juice box or a fridge).
If you give yourself a whole day to get cleaning done, it’ll take the whole day. If you set a timer for ten minutes, you’ll magically get it done in ten minutes.
Find ways to set imaginary deadlines & be amazed by how much faster things actually get done. Though it might not be perfect, done is better than perfect most of the time!
Feel free to make these deadlines FUN! Yes, you CAN set a timer or pick a date to finish something, but you can also play your favorite song & see how many dishes you can get done. Or race your partner to see who can fold the most laundry.
You can also use the Pomodoro Technique where you do focused work for 25 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes of rest. After two hours, take a longer break. This can be adapted to longer or shorter intervals as needed!
HABITS
I am a huuuge proponent of habits. They are genuinely the cornerstones of your life, & the beauty of discussing habits in this setting is that when things are done automatically in small increments then they’ll always get done faster.
It takes less time to clean up your space for two minutes every day to make sure it never gets overly messy, compared to needing to spend an hour picking up at the end of the week.
Don’t let tasks pile up, because it’ll just create more of an overwhelming mess that will keep getting harder to tackle (& this isn’t very conducive to having all those opportunities for spontaneity that we discussed earlier!).
If you need help with this, I have a dedicated blog post where I talk about habits as well as a free ejournal where you can explore my HABITS framework!
FLEXIBLE PRIORITIZATION
To tie this into a pretty bow, the most important thing I have to say kind of relates to the first point. You have to know what to prioritize while also having flexibility (& the self-compassion that we talked about will help with flexibility).
I love the saying “hold it with an open hand.” You have your plan to get things accomplished, but there may be other things that come up. When this is the case, you need to triage. Are these things that seem so urgent actually important?
You can use this system known as the Eisenhower Matrix to tease through your to-do list:
Is it worth it to go out for a friend’s birthday lunch if it means putting off work for a bit?
Maybe, but maybe not.
Get crystal clear on what’s important to you (again, my free core values ejournal can help) & use it as a filter for your actions.
& if you tend to people please your way through life, I wrote a blog post about setting boundaries that was written around the holidays but is honestly relevant all year!
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