“When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose the connection with one another — and ourselves.” — Jack Kornfield

I don’t like looking at schedules on a calendar. Most of the time, I take a mental picture of my schedule on my calendar. I focus on two or three appointments and a few important tasks every day. This is all I have time for. I’m lucky. I don’t have a jam-packed calendar with every 15 minutes accounted for anymore. If I had a 9 to 5 job that requires this type of jam-packed scheduling, I’d probably run for the hills. Creating space throughout my day is important to me. By creating spaces in my life, I can reset my thoughts, my emotional well, and my creative well. By creating spaces throughout my days, I can be more mindful and more present.

In modern architecture, free spaces are prized. The idea of a Loft is simply to allow the freedom of movement from room to room. When air can flow at will, you can also move at will. When you can move at will, your mind will follow that movement. Wide-open free spaces allow for a kind of openness where mind and body can dance together.

Up until three years ago, I lived in major cities all my life. I never realized that I had sensitivities to sights, sounds, and people until my son exhibited these sensitivities. I coped with my sensory issues without ever acknowledging them. Being away from the city, and its overwhelming amount of stimuli allowed me to reflect on my time living there. Slowly, I realized that anyone can use these techniques I used to create spaces in their life.

When you use these techniques to create spaces in your life, you will find that you will have more emotional, spiritual, and creative energy. Using this extra energy, you will be able to be more present, more truthful and more direct with your life choices. Ultimately, by having adequate space in your life throughout your days, you will live a more inspired and fulfilling life.

When we clear the physical clutter from our lives, we literally make way for inspiration and ‘good, orderly direction’ to enter. — Julia Cameron

Creating Space in a crowded room.

Have you ever been to a party that you know everyone in the room? Except, the fact that they are all in the same room makes you want to run for the hills? Being in a crowded space, whether it’s a birthday party, a celebration, or a crowded restaurant is no picnic. I am an extroverted person. Yet, a lot of times, in crowded spaces, I have trouble focusing my attention and enjoying myself.

There are three ways out of this situation without taking yourself out of the action.

Find something to do. Does the olive tray needs restack? Do you need to refill the ice bucket? Take just five minutes to complete one task for the host while seeking refuge in the kitchen to regroup will allow you to recharge.

Take a bathroom break. You don’t need to hide in the bathroom. However, when the party becomes too overwhelming, you can excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. It helps to sit for a second and drink some water while you are there to recenter yourself.

Focus on one conversation. Rather than focusing on conversations with big groups, when I’m overstimulated, I tend to have a quiet conversation with someone in the corner of the room. Parties can still be enjoyable even if you are enjoying the company of one person at a time.

Creating Space in a jam-packed schedule.

I’m a single mother who needs to squeeze a workday into my day taking care of my son. This is not easy. I can easily fill our days with endless todos either for my work or for my son’s activities. This kind of jam-packed schedule is not sustainable nor does it contribute to a happy life.

Instead, the trick to get around the jam-packed schedule is simply to focus my day.

It sounds easy but it is difficult to do. What are the 3 tasks you must finish today? Orienting your day by grouping tasks together is a great way to create space. Today’s “Family” day. Today is “Blog” day. Today is “Meeting” day. Each day, I have a theme and I stick to it. Once I accomplish the most important 3 tasks of the day, I take a break. I pretend to not remember all the other tasks that are waiting. Then, after a long break, I resume completing all the other tasks that I need to do for the day.

By scheduling tasks that are of the same “theme” or can be done together on the same day, I am automating for efficiency. Therefore, space is created automatically when I take less time to finish every task.

Creating Space at work.

At work, often, it is difficult to create space. When I worked in the corporate environment, especially in a management position, my time is often not my own. I had to work around other people’s schedule frequently. That can easily lead to burnout.

The trick to creating space at work is simply to draw very firm boundaries.

When your boss asks you to take on an additional project after you are already working 12 hour days, what do you say to him or her? When your subordinate who is going on vacation tomorrow left unfinished work, do you schedule a time to go over it with him or her when you have a full day ahead? Can you reshift your priorities and schedules to make it work? Do you do it or do you say no?

A working relationship has to be based on trust. A large part of establishing a trusting working relationship is to set realistic expectations. Setting firm boundaries around these realistic expectations is key to creating more space at work.

Whenever you are putting in more effort into a project, ask yourself what is the cost and the benefit in this equation? If the benefit outways the cost by a whole lot, then do it. If the cost is enormous, then don’t do it. It’s as simple as that.

When you have succeeded in creating more space at work, you will feel a sense of rhythm in completing work on time. You will no longer feel the need to take work home. You will also feel a sense of achievable work-life balance.

Creating Space in your living space.

We live in a world where we always feel that having more is always better than having less. But, when it comes to our living spaces, having less really can lead to more usage of our living spaces. Clutter doesn’t have to be piles of things. It could also mean two pieces of furniture stacked next to each other. When you can no longer use the piece of furniture for its intended purpose, then it is probably best to discard that piece of furniture.

The trick to creating space in your living space is simply to focus on utility.

Ask yourself why do you have this particular item. If you have not used an item for an entire year, is it worth occupying space still? If it is, then it better has some kind of emotional value. Marie Kondo’s advise of discarding items that you don’t use by using the rule, “Does it spark joy?” is very useful in creating space in your living space.

When you have succeeded in creating enough space in your living space, you should feel joy using each room of your living space as it is intended.

Creating Space in your family.

When we have big families, it is often difficult to have emotional space after spending a long day attending to the needs of each member of the family. How do you create space in your family if you are the caretaker of most of the members of your family?

The trick to creating space in your family is simply to ask for cooperation.

When children are young, it is difficult to ask for their cooperation, but it is not impossible. If you have elderly family members that you are caring for, it is difficult to ask for their cooperation. But, is it impossible though?

Starting from a small task you know that they will be happy to cooperate with you on, then practice expanding the task list to tasks that they might have a problem with. Each day, simply practice cooperating on tasks large and small. When you share joyful moments “working” side by side to create a cooperative family environment, emotional space is automatically freed up by every member of the family.

Creating Space in your routines.

The biggest challenge in creating space is your habits and your routines. Your habits and routines are established. You have set ways of doing things. You like to start your day with some music. You like to end the day with some yoga.

The trick to creating space in your routines is to slow the rhythm down.

If it takes you one hour to go through your morning routine, you can practice adding on 15 minutes at a time. By performing actions slowly, you can savor the moments when you go through your routine. With the slowdown of your rhythm, you can bring in new mindfulness into the spaces created. Wake up 15 minutes early. Rather than rushing to make your morning coffee, meditate for a moment when you are pouring your coffee, putting in the cream and stirring in the sugar. Smell your coffee before you drink it. Before you start your morning workout session, take a few stretches while your eyes are closed. Only open your eyes once you’ve felt your body open up with movement. When you feed your children breakfast in the morning, have a conversation. It could be about any topic that is important to them.