Creating Space

Let’s take the analogy of a drawer that is overfull.     You open the drawer and something falls out.   The drawer is difficult to close as it’s so full.  

Assume this drawer is your life and the time you have available.   Therefore when you have come to the decision that you want to make time for other things in your life and in doing so to be more balanced, you may want to make room in the drawer to fit other new things in.   How can you do so if the drawer is so full - there is no space? 

One option is to take another drawer and transfer some of the things to the other drawer.      In this respect the second drawer could be another person who is helping you to do some of the things for you and thereby freeing up your time.    This could be a delegation of work or in your personal life getting help from friends, family or a paid resource.     This could also mean moving some things to the following week or time when you will have more time available.

It is not uncommon in the workplace in some cultures to set up informal unplanned meetings.    Freeing up space may mean learning to say no when you are asked to do something at work   and do not have the time for this.   You could say that you have another commitment and cannot.   This could also be a personal commitment.  

When I coached a business consultant, she decided that she could not do a lot about what she had at the present moment.    She thought very carefully about accepting new work.     Each new opportunity that came in she reflected upon and determined whether it was right for her in many different respects.

How full is your drawer? What can you move out of the drawer to create space? Take a review of your work week and schedule for the next few months and make some proactive work life balance decisions. 

Stress Management