how to create space in your day
written by Jasmine Irven
After dealing with a lot of feelings of inadequacy, confusion, and guilt recently, I’ve been recognizing even more the importance of going inwards and connecting with what I need moving forward, rather than what external sources are telling me I should be doing.
And so with that, my intention moving forward is to focus on feelings of trust, and looking at how I can make space and time to be still and listen to my intuition.
Creating space though, can be a difficult task in our often over scheduled and hectic lives. It often seems as if our lives and our minds are already so full there’s often no space to just be. No space to bring in anything new - even if that newness is genuinely what we need to thrive.
That’s what inspired this post. A few simple ways to reevaluate what’s taking up space in your life and what you can let go of moving forward, to allow the new to come in.
“Everything will work out exactly how and when it’s supposed to. Let your faith in the journey be stronger than your doubts and fears. Be patient with yourself and your growth, knowing that good things always take time. Give yourself time and space to try things and explore different paths. You will get there one day, so don’t forget to enjoy the journey too.”
— Nikki Banas
step one: get it down on paper
Do a brain dump of everything you have going on currently. This is a great practise for whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed in general as it helps to clear that mental clutter in your mind.
Are you keeping a mental to-do list of all the things in your life that are incomplete? All your appointments? Commitments? This takes up so much time and energy! Instead write it down to allow for a visual representation of all you have in your life.
step two: do a time audit
Sometimes how we think we spend our time and how we actually spend it are two completely different things (for me this looks like social media taking up hours of my day I didn’t even know I had).
So, for a day or a week if you can, write down how you spend each hour of your day. Then, review - where are your hours being spent? Were you surprised with how you were spending your day?
This practise helps to identify both empty space in our days we didn’t know we had, as well as tasks taking up time that we don’t really need to be doing.
step three: identify where you want to go
It’s important to gain some clarity and be honest with ourselves about the life we want to create, before we go making any major edits to our life and schedule.
So, really think about your values. What’s important to you? If you had more time in a day, what would you do? What goals do you have for your life and what needs to get done to accomplish these?
step four: identify the nonsense + remove as applicable
Once everything you’ve got going on is recorded in a way you can see tangibly, identify the items that have no place being in your schedule, mind, or life.
You may not have complete control over all aspects of your life, but you can determine where your power lies. You can choose where you decide to spend your energy, based on what’s important to you.
For things you want to remove - can you just remove these items or do they need to be delegated? Can you ask for help? Can you push them a month or two? Decide on a plan that works for you.
*Note, there will likely always be things in your schedule that you don’t love but that need to be done by you. That’s normal + okay! Accept this. Especially if these things are in pursuit of your bigger dreams and goals, they have a place in your day so leave them in, make space for them, and find out how to make them more enjoyable. There are some tips in our blog post about The Productivity Project that might help you with this!
step five: form your must do list
What do you need to schedule to get your goals done (meals, day job, commute to and from work, etc.)? Add these items to your calendar.
step six: identify the margins
Margins are the time in your day in between your must dos. This is your space. Maximize these free periods of time by doing things that make you feel at peace, rejuvenated, relaxed.
Make a sustainable bliss list or check out this post on 92 simple pleasures to upgrade your day for some simple self-care ideas you could use to fill this time + your cup.
However going along with that, I’d encourage you to also leave some of that space completely blank. Give yourself time to just breathe. To just be present in the moment, rather than scheduling your entire day out.
step seven: be more intentional moving forward
Moving forward, it’s up to you to protect this new found space. Here are some ways you can do that:
Come back to your time audits and personal reflection regularly (for example every quarter). Mark these reflection periods in your calendar!
Be clear + steadfast when it comes to your values. When you’re asked to take on a new project, go to a new event, or add something else to your schedule, first ask yourself if it really lines up with what you care about and what you want your life to look like.
Don’t be afraid to say no. To people, commitments, or projects that don’t serve you.
Give yourself breaks throughout your day. Create intentional space in your schedule. Life is unpredictable, messy, outside of your control. Leave space for the unexpected to come up so that you avoid the feeling of falling behind.
Write down 3 things you’re grateful for and something positive that happened at the end of each day. This will help to keep you clear both on what truly matters and how incredible your life truly is.
What are some practises or rituals you do to protect the space in your day? I’d love to know your ideas and what resonates from this post!
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about the author
Hey there! I’m Jasmine, founder of the Sustainable Bliss Collective, a Certified Meditation Teacher, and lover of all things self-care, slow-living, and personal development.
I believe that ambition and self-care can coexist, and as such I hope to encourage and inspire you to take care of yourself, breathe deeply, connect with who you are, manifest your dreams, enjoy the blissful moments of each day, and make an impact in this beautiful world we call home.
Connect with me on Instagram here!
