White Space

If you have ever had an art class you might remember the teacher saying something like, "pay attention to the white space." The white space or "negative space" your teacher was referring to are the areas on your page that are not marked - that are blank. It is the space between text and graphics. It is the margins, gutters and space between the lines.

In business, white space is sometimes referred to as the gaps in an organization chart or between job functions. These are areas or responsibilities that no one is in charge of or responsible for.

What about the white space in your life? Let's define white space as the time you have between events. It is the 15 minutes that you have in the doctor's office while you are sitting in the waiting room. The 30 minutes that you have between meetings on a busy day. If you commute, it could be your drive time. How about the time that you have after dinner and before you go to bed?

Consider how you are spending and utilizing your white space. Are you being productive or are you just waiting for the next event to come along? Well, I doubt you are just sitting there waiting but maybe you are surfing the Internet, watching TV, checking email AGAIN or reading/updating your social media. These are not bad things but you need to consider if they are helping you to achieve the things that matter most to you?

Pay attention to the white space! Have a list of important, meaningful tasks that you want to accomplish. When you have the rare 15 minutes, review the list and get something done - something that will make a difference and really matter. Best wishes with your masterpiece!