December Roundup: Making Room for Margin

I think I speak for everyone when I say that 2020 has been an eventful year. 

But you can take a deep breath now. We made it. 

Every season comes with its share of challenges and blessings, and we know that for many business owners and entrepreneurs, 2020 may have thrown some extra curveballs. 

But I’m not the type of person to focus only on the obstacles. And you shouldn’t be, either. 

This year taught us a lot of lessons, but one of the most important for me was making room for margin.

Making room for margin in your life takes conscientious effort, but pays big dividends in the long run. With every change comes opportunities to grow. 

Margin, simply put, is the act of leaving space and time in your life to account for unforeseen events and circumstances.

I think we can all agree that this year had a lot of unfortunate events we couldn’t predict. Having margin in our lives allows us to better handle these circumstances.

When we create our household budgets, it makes sense to avoid spending 100% of every dollar we earn. We account for every dollar, and place some of it into savings, or a “rainy day fund.” 

This is financial margin — in case our car needs a repair, or the sink starts leaking unexpectedly. 

If we create margin in our finances, why wouldn’t we do it with one of our most valuable assets — our time?  

When we create more margin in our lives, we prevent ourselves from burnout, and we live better balanced lives. This translates out of the workplace too, and helps us become better spouses, friends, and community leaders. 

As a project manager, I’ve seen how crucial margin is to the health of an organization. Creating margin in our team’s schedule keeps everyone efficient and productive. 

Without it, exhaustion is imminent. And with exhaustion comes missing deadlines, frustrated employees, and low quality work. Margin avoids all of these issues.

For example, when we build out individual workload schedules, we don’t account for all 8 hours in the work day. This may seem counterproductive at first.

But by leaving margin in the employee’s daily schedules, they have time to answer when a client calls unexpectedly about a change to their project. We know unforeseen needs will arise, so we plan for them. 

Margin is the tool that enables us to be more accessible to our clients. 

As individuals we’re more prepared for life’s hurdles when we have the margin to conquer them. This principle extends beyond the walls of the workplace, too. Under planning, or limiting social engagements, volunteering, or nights out with friends will allow you to hone in on the relationships and priorities that matter most. 

So as we look forward to 2021, and resolutions are made and goals are set, consider building in some margin. You may be surprised to  see how big of a difference it makes.