4 Ways Lack of Margin Is Costing You Trade the busy schedule for balance and see improved health, creativity and finances.
By Zech Newman Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Owning your own business means the to-do list never ends. The first reaction of many entrepreneurs is to hustle longer hours and focus on efficiency in business. This is an important stage, but at some point there is no more of you to give.
If you are not careful and keep going to the well of efficiency and hustle, you will end up with zero margin. A day that is hurried in every second ends up costing you more than it will ever gain you.
Related: Stressed at Work? Ditch the Drama Already.
Stop wearing the badge of honor of busyness and return margin to your life, or it will eventually cost you these four things.
1. Health
Scurrying around from one thing to another puts stress on your body. It strains you physically and, eventually, everything will come crashing down on you. Personally, when I was in my early 20s, this stressful way of running my companies caused me to have really high blood pressure. Margin will reduce stress and lead to a healthier life.
2. Time
One of the biggest lies you can tell yourself is that you are saving time by packing your schedule so tight, but actually, efficiencies are lost when you hurry around. You get caught into doing instead of delegating.
The most important tasks that will save you time in the future are put off for tasks that seem urgent. In essence, you will become a firefighter putting fires out in your business instead of building a business. Margin allows you to work on your business instead of working in your business.
Related: When to Bring the Office Home
3. Wasted money
When margin is removed, the best option financially isn't always taken. Rushing around can cause you to miss important due dates, not collect on invoices and get behind on maintenance that would extend the life of your equipment. If you constantly cram your schedule, you risk being late or missing appointments all together -- which will hurt your bottom line.
4. Imagination
It is in the stillness that our best ideas come to us -- in the shower, running or drinking a cup of coffee in the morning. The moments of pause and stillness are imagination points. The more stillness you can create in your schedule, the more you will begin to think about your business differently. The ideas and creativity you need to get your business to the next level are waiting for you in those moments.
Reclaim peace, creativity and stillness to your life and take your business to the next level by returning margin to your life. Make sure that all of your rushing doesn't end in nothing by being proactive, setting up time alone in your schedule and making space between tasks. Delegate priorities and tasks as much as possible, and inspect what you expect.
With your margin, you will be able to multiply your time by delegation, creativity and the best decision making. These are activities that are best done with margin. They will put you in the driver's seat of your business instead of being controlled by your business.
A new life is waiting for you on the other side of your busy schedule.
Related: 7 Steps Post-Burnout for Reigniting Your Passion for Work
