July 29, 2011

The last two posts, I talked about overload, how it happened, and the effect on writers’ lives. Although certain Type A personalities seem to thrive on overloaded lives, most writers don’t.

Our best ideas – and energy to write about them – require some peace and quiet, some “down” time. To get that, we must rebuild margin into our lives.

Defining Margin

What exactly is margin? According to Richard Swenson M.D. author of Margin, “Margin is the space between our load and our limits. It is something held in reserve for unanticipated situations. It is the space between breathing freely and suffocating. Margin is the opposite of overload.”

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

You might wonder at what point you became overloaded. It’s not always easy to see when it happens. We don’t have a shut off valve that clicks like when we put gasoline into our cars. Stop! Overload! Usually we don’t know that we are overextended until we feel the pain and frustration.

We would be smart to only commit 80% of our time and energy. Instead, we underestimate the demands on our life. We make promises and commit way more than 100% of our time and energy. Consequently, we have no margin left.

A Simple Formula

What exactly is margin? The formula for margin is straightforward: power – load = margin.

Your power is made up of things like your energy, your skills, how much time you have, your training, your finances, and social support.

Your load is what you carry and is made up of things like your job, problems you have, your commitments and obligations, expectations of others, expectations of yourself, your debt, your deadlines, and personal conflicts.

If your load is greater than your power, you have overload. This is not healthy, but it is where most people in our country live. If you stay in this overloaded state for a good length of time, you get burnout. (And burned out writers don’t write. I know–I’ve been there.)

The Answer

So how do we increase margin? You can do it in one of two ways. You can increase your power – or you can decrease your load. If you’re smart, you’ll do both.

Many of us feel nostalgic for the charm of a slower life. Few of us miss things like outhouses or milking cows or having no running water. Usually what we long for is margin. When there was no electricity, people played table games and went to bed early, and few suffered sleep deprivation. Few people used daily planners or had watches with alarms, let alone computers that beeped with e-mail messages and tweets. People had time to read–and to think–and to write. It happened in the margins of their lives.

Progress devoured the margin. We want it back. And I firmly believe that writers must have it back. Next week we will talk about ways to do just that.

PLEASE SHARE: What do you think so far about this week’s discussion of margin and overload? Do you identify? What does that mean to you as a writer?

8 Comments »

1. 

   I know I live in Overload; and I’m struggling with ways to get out of overload mode. SO far it seems that when I do need it most I have the power to push through, however I realize that it simply won’t last. I was actually putting together a “downtime todo list”…
   Now I know that sounds counter intuitive but the only items on that list are things that rejuvenate me: like reading the book I started for 1 hour, compiling and writing memories in my sons “diary”, they bring back those memories and relax me, take son to playground & play… I always feel refreshed after some playtime with my son, though I do have to watch I don’t “overplay”, walk the dog for 15 min…
   
   Now these items have a priority because they are on a “list” and somehow that makes them more important.

   Comment by Ally M — July 29, 2011 @ 12:22 pm

2. 

   Ally, your comment about having the energy to “push through” but that it doesn’t last–so very true! (See the next post about this.) And it’s great that you have those nourishing and very high priority items on your list. They should be!!!! They bring balance and joy into your life, and nourished relationships nourish the rest of your life too. My list now includes things like “granddaughter over for the afternoon” and “taking grandkids to picnic” instead of childcare things like yours. And taking time to read for enjoyment–yes! That is one thing many writers give up–to their detriment. Being able to do those things guilt-free–ahhh….that’s another blog post! And these things will make your writing time MORE productive, not less. (At least, that’s true for me.)

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 29, 2011 @ 1:27 pm

3. 

   Oh, so true, but oh, so hard to do. Mom’s often have very little margins.

   Comment by Beth MacKinney — July 29, 2011 @ 3:32 pm

4. 

   Beth, you’re so right. Moms are spread as thin as anyone I know. Some of it can be adjusted, but some of it just can’t. And even as a Nana now, with many grandkids living just minutes away, I don’t want to “adjust” them out of my life or down to the point where we don’t have a close relationship. They mean too much to me! And maintaining good relationships–with ourselves, with God, with others–takes time and energy.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 30, 2011 @ 8:29 am

5. 

   Kristi,

   I so relate to what you are saying. I do think it is difficult to NOT live in overload with kids, work, activities, etc., but I do strive to find that balance–just not there yet! I designated July “reading month” in order to feel less pressure and catch up on my market research magazine pile, explore the many writing books I’ve started and not yet finished (I did just order Margin so will need to add that to the pile) and just flat out read for fun. It has been delightful to just read without the pressure of feeling the need to work on the pile of manuscripts needing attention. Now, with the onset of August, I really must find a way to balance it all and find time within the daily chaos to both read and write.

   Thank you for your very inspiring posts!

   Karin

   Comment by Karin Larson — July 30, 2011 @ 2:33 pm

6. 

   Karin, what a marvelous idea! Devoting a month to reading–without guilt or pressure–and catching up that way sounds like heaven!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 30, 2011 @ 3:51 pm

7. 

   By the way, Kristi. Thanks for doing this blog, which encourages and informs, even though it gives you slimmer margins. I know I’m not the only person who appreciates it!

   : ) Beth

   Comment by Beth MacKinney — August 1, 2011 @ 11:01 am

8. 

   Beth, you’re so welcome.

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 2, 2011 @ 3:52 pm

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website