We are often asked what does it mean to “Make Space”. In the LifeSpace productivity platform we define “Space” as the place to categorize, organize and segment goals, projects and priorities into focused digital workspaces. These digital spaces help you to stay focused on what’s important and avoid life’s distractions.
But let’s take a look at creating space, not only in an accountability platform, but in our lives as well.
We are insanely busy
In life, busy, successful people have a tendency to juggle their priorities with the priorities of others around them. For example, even the most organized and diligent professional tends to complete only 5-6 hours of highly productive work each day. We often fill the rest of our time with email, phone, text and chat-based interruptions where our focus quickly shifts to their priorities.
This results in a packed day, where time seems to fly by, but where we are often left somewhat unsatisfied by our daily accomplishments. Combine this interruption based work environment with errands, dinner and family time and we can blink away years at a time without ensuring our highest priorities get accomplished.
What about your highest priorities?
Each year, millions of us set “New Year’s Resolutions” or goals for the upcoming year. Sadly, 95% of these goals will be lost by February with a tiny percentage achieved 12 months later.
For example, we want to lose weight, but end up putting on a few more pounds throughout the year.
Then, we strive for quality time with family, end up focused on errands and life management instead.
Or, we commit to saving money but our bank account remains unchanged or even hovers close to zero.
Let’s face it! It’s easy to let priorities drift and allow life to take over.
It’s time to “Make Space for What Matters”
Creating the space to have what’s important in your life requires 5 important steps:
- Decide what’s important to you and share your goal or project with your community
- Declare that some of your other activities are less important than seemed originally
- Identify the steps, but more importantly, the specific habits needed to reach your new goal or complete your project
- Pre-Schedule time in your calendar for every habit that moves you closer to your goals.
- Use a digital accountability system to ensure you stay on track
Decide what’s important to you
First, it’s important to take the time to review what’s important. You’ll need to block off time to analyze what your life currently looks like and where you want to go.
Whether you isolate yourself at the beach, seclude yourself in nature or grab a table at a coffee shop, carving out time for a life planning session is necessary so you can identify what’s important to you.
There is no judgement here. It could be that you want to travel the world, or learn to paint, have a family or start a side-business. Whatever is important to you needs to be acknowledged and shared with your community of friends and supporters.
Already know what you are creating space for in your life? Tell you community with our “Make Space Gif-Maker“
Declare what’s less important
Conversely, it’s equally important to review what you spend time doing in your life that isn’t as important. This is more tricky because work and sleep take up about 2/3rds of most days and you can’t easily give up either of these.
Analyzing your habits, rituals, activities, shopping, digital device usage, TV/Netflix watching is another story. What are you spending time on that seems less important than the priorities you just declared?
If you are a successful professional like many LifeSpace power users, there’s a good chance you work more than 40 hours each week. Are you sure every meeting, email, task and event is important? Only you (and perhaps your manager) will know for sure, but research shows that the average professional wastes up to 8 hours of time each week.
What could you accomplish with 8 extra hours each week?
Identify the habits needed to reach your goal
Now that you’ve identified what’s important and where you may be able to find some free time, you need to fill that time with the most positive actions possible to achieve your goal.
Don’t just create a list of to dos, but consider what habits are necessary to gets you in position to succeed.
Running a half marathon? You’ll need to create positive nutrition, fitness, strength building and stretching habits.
Writing a book? Try creating a habit of writing 2 pages per day, every day.
What habits can you establish right now to get you closer to your goal?
Pre-schedule time in your calendar
Most professionals book meetings in their calendars at work. But when it comes to blocking off time for working out, reading a new book or eating a healthy meal, we tend to work in an extremely reactive mode.
If you don’t book your own schedule, life will gladly book it for you. If you aren’t working on your priorities, you are working on someone else’s priorities.
Get in the habit of pre-scheduling your vacations, quality time, friend time, health time and creative time directly in your calendar before you allow life to fill in the rest. This creates choice to stick to your commitments or to re-prioritize what may be a higher priority.
Block your time on your terms and not the terms of others.
Use accountability systems
Setting priorities, forming habits and practicing time management is easier in an electronic accountability system that follows you across all devices and collaborates with your partners or stakeholders that care about your success.
There are countless platforms, apps, trackers and tools that you can use across all areas of life. Some of them work terrific on your phone but don’t work well on a computer. Some are wonderful trackers, but don’t share with your partner or coach. Understanding this, we designed LifeSpace to help you:
- Organize with Purpose
- Integrate with Everything
- Collaborate with Anyone
- Sync Everywhere
You can download LifeSpace here
Make Space for What Matters in Life
It’s time to take the first step. The easiest and most fun step is to declare what’s important to you and share it with people in your network that can support you in accomplishing your purpose. We invite you to use our “Make Space Gif-Maker” and declare to your friends, family and colleagues on social media what you are creating space for.