Walking down to the lake early on a July morning, I feel the joy of margin.
I’m not thinking about meetings or deadlines.
Just space to see…
- the lake.
- the birds.
- the wind.
A turtle lifts its head as I ease the jet ski into the calm water.
Soon I’m idling along at four miles an hour, coffee in hand, a camera in the running board.
I’m in no hurry.
Then it hits me. Margin isn’t about finding more time. It’s about protecting time. Margin doesn’t over-schedule. It sets limits before life sets them for us.
Margin preschedules space
This hasn’t always been the case for me.
In my forties and fifties, it was schedule first and build as fast as possible.
But an overloaded life will miss out.
Miss out on the quality, beauty, and joy of relationships.
Margin isn’t about fitting more into life.
It’s about leaving room for what matters most.
Margin makes space for…
- God
- Family
- Friends
- Community
But how do you pay for this? How do you finance this perfectly beautiful life?
Protect the Margin
Margin looks for success, not by raising production, but by cutting costs.
Instead of committing to a 120% life, margin preschedules an 80% life.
Margin creates and then maintains space.
Success today is usually thought of as “fully invested” or “maximizing potential.”
Look at…
- $100,000 pickup trucks.
A work vehicle now costs as much as many people’s first house. - $1 million starter homes.
Owning a basic home has become unattainable in many communities. - $8 cups of coffee.
A simple daily habit has become a luxury purchase. - $25 hamburgers.
An ordinary meal now costs what a nice dinner used to cost.
And the result is volatility and exhaustion from overextension.
What to do?
Weed Your Garden
“I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”
— Pr 24:30-32
This unweeded garden in this ancient proverb is similar to overloaded lives today.
- No margin
- No reserves
Clear limits keep others’ agendas out of our time.
That’s why a stone wall or good boundaries frees us to choose what grows in our vineyard.
“No is a complete sentence.”
— Anne Lamott
Margin is the Key
As I idled across the water that morning, I realized I wasn’t enjoying the lake because I owned a jet ski.
I was enjoying it because I had protected the time to be there.
The greatest danger in life isn’t having too little. It’s having too much.
- Too many commitments.
- Too little margin.
Every “yes” costs something.
Margin teaches us that some of life’s greatest victories come from saying “no.”
Because every wise “no” leaves space. Space to connect with our soul, God, and those most important.
Stories like this are part of the reflections I write about life, resilience, and purpose, which you can explore on my About Stephen Blaising page.