Debunk the Busy Myth: Find White Space to Build Your Dream Business

I know what you’re thinking. 

“There is no white space, Jordan. I’m booked every hour of every day!”

Do you relate? You set intentions and goals to work toward your dreams. You schedule the responsibilities that are absolutely non-negotiable. You schedule the work-related responsibilities. Time to start working! You take off… 

Then the phone rings. 

“I completely forgot to [grab my lunch, bake cookies for the back to school bash, get decorations for the charity event, order more products]. You can [bring, bake, set up, order] those, right?”

For whatever reason when the spotlight is turned on and someone is waiting for a response, it’s easy to make the grave decision to compromise one priority, one important task, for the fulfillment of another, often someone else’s urgent need.

“[We] make the grave decision to compromise one priority, important tasks, for the fulfillment of another, often someone else’surgent need.”

That dream, that vision of life that seems impossible, that business idea you’ve let simmer for years, it’s time to ignite it and get to work. First things first, we need to find actual time to do that work. Friend, meet my irreplaceable employee, White Space.

In my business I put White Space to work as if she’s my highest paid employee. My goals and dreams depend on her! If I’m not careful and leading her well, she’ll become busy rather than productive. Endlessly deleting emails or answering texts. She prefers taking coffee breaks and streaming the latest episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine, but I know that’s not her best. She can sometimes be found unnecessarily cleaning out a closet or organizing the cup cabinet. If I forget to regularly remind her of our vision and goals, she readily turns to answer whatever urgent needs present themselves for the day. 

 And just as if a real
employee moved into my office,

I had to make room for White Space.

Apart from White Space, my business would not grow. Apart from White Space, my family would not be prioritized. And apart from White Space, there would be no time to run for future goals. 

Your newest employee, White Space, needs you to say “no”. No to things that don’t fire you up. No to things that don’t benefit the ideas, people, and things you cherish. No to things that are urgent and not important.

I have the same fears though. 

What if I say “no” and it doesn’t get done?

What if someone isn’t able to do ____ as well or better than me?

What if someone else gets the credit for _____? Everyone knows I’m known for that!

Working through these mindsets have been both an exercise in gratitude as well as hopefulness. What I’ve found is that as I have said “no” to things that don’t benefit the people, ideas, and things that are most important to me, I’ve been able to watch other people step beautifully into roles I otherwise would have been forcing. It’s an amazing scene to watch someone claim a responsibility with uncertainty, but then to be an even more perfect fit for the role than me. 

The best lesson I can learn is that my no to the urgent demands of someone else, means being able to say yes to the people, ideas, and things that are most important to me.

Grab the free guide to create your own White Space.

Let’s sit down with your calendar. It’s probably crammed full, and we’ll tackle that, but even one focused hour a week would put you on the path toward accomplishing your goal. If you want to take this idea deeper, get my process for creating a multiple six-figure business while I was still teaching full time. The link is above!

Go make a mark,