Productivity Guru: Put Whitespace in Your Day

They say that the power of advertising is in the "whitespace." I think this is very true. Your eyes are more drawn to ads that have less text and more space around the words. When an ad has just a few words and lots of space around those words, we are more likely to read it and it will have more of an impact on us. That's the purpose after all.

I believe this is true in our lives as well. You know the feeling: you've jam packed your calendar from 8 am through 5 pm and haven't left a single minute to re-group at your desk, eat lunch or get back to anyone that has emailed or called you. Then, you get to the end of your day, you have to leave to pick up the kids and you still have a good 3 hours of work to do.

What happens next? The power is in the "whitespace" when it comes to our daily lives. The more time you give yourself to stop and take a breath, the more focused and clear you will be when you're in meetings, working on important projects and the tasks you need to.

Here are 3 simple steps to help you create more whitespace in your days:

1. First of all, stop and take a hard look at your calendar as it currently is.

How much space and time do you allow yourself in between meetings and tasks during your day? If you find yourself going from one thing to the next, to the next, to the next with no breathing room in between, I would suggest giving yourself a little more planning time with the calendar. When we are constantly on the move, we aren't able to be as present and accounted for as we'd like to be. Giving yourself even just a few minutes of breathing room can make a huge impact on your performance.

2. Leave time at the end of your day for planning and clean-up.

Just like in kindergarten, use a few minutes at the end of the day to clean up your area. This must be SCHEDULED time - consider it your most important appointment of the day and make it a priority every single day. Use this time to re-cap the day, clean up your desk, empty that email inbox and, most importantly, plan for the next day. This way, you get to leave work at work and focus on the things and people in your life during your off-hours. For some reason our work days have extended right into the evening and the next day.

3. Let go of the feelings that you have to get it all done right now!

This frenetic way of thinking is perpetuated in our society and it's very unproductive. We all look very busy and important making calls, hurrying off to meetings, ticking off item after item that needs to be done to get through the day. But you know the feeling of not enough whitespace. Although your appointments, meetings and tasks are all very important, keep in mind the mantra: "If EVERYTHING is important, then NOTHING is important!"

So, the next time your mind starts buzzing and you realize that you haven't had a second to stop and take a breath in your day, ask yourself, "How much whitespace is in my day?"

Just like in advertising... the power is in the whitespace!