Practical Thoughts on Margin

I recently wrote about making space for margin. Here are some practical ideas on how to create margin…

• Carve time in your week for margin. I like to stack all my meetings on two days each week–which gives me margin to be responsive on the other days.
• Live on 80% of your income. Set aside another 10% for regular designated giving (church, charity, etc.) — and put the final 10% in a separate account to respond to whatever God might prompt your heart toward.
• Know yourself. What drains you emotionally? What fills your emotional tank. Be sure to pre-schedule time to refill your tank with activities that add life to you.
• Minimize the number of life-sucking people in your life. It’s okay to have some relationships where you give 200% and they give nothing–but if all your relationships are like that, you’ll die a slow, lonely death.
• Every now and then turn off the noise. You can’t hear from God if you are constantly listening to the beep of the newest email, the vibration of the latest text, the alert from your Twitter feed, or the chirp of a new FaceBook notification. Schedule an electronic detox on occasion–and take time to listen to God, others, and yourself.

What do you do to create margin in your life?