Open for Business
Leave Some White Space
Graphic designers and layout people will tell you that
white space is what makes it possible for us to register
text on a printed page or a computer screen. White
space gives order, context, and emphasis to what
matters

White space facilitates delight: it makes it possible
for the contents of a page or of a life to be arranged
in a pleasing way. It requites and allows artful choice.
Without it, everything seems equally urgent, similarly
important.

Because it is empty, it is tempting to fill white space
when the pressure is on. If you've ever tried to read an
email that isn't broken up into short paragraphs, you
know what happens when too much content squeezes
out the white space. It is hard to track meaning, hard
to isolate key points, hard to know how to respond.

The same thing happens when there is not enough
white space in our lives. When we steal time from the
white space to make another meeting, start another
project, make another call, we end up distracted,
confused, and reactive. Depending on our individual
styles, we may get irritable, weepy, bossy, or simply
forgetful, none of which saves time, makes money, or
engenders effective collaboration. In an ironic turnabout,
we may start saying "no" to things we'd like to say "yes"
to and vice versa. Play feels like work, and work loses
its charm.

However, if we expand or maintain white space in times
of great challenge, we will often notice that unexpected
opportunities and solutions arise. When a problem is too
big or complex to be solved with available resources, we
have to go to another level to solve it. White space helps
us find that other level, when pushing harder and moving
faster won't work.

I wrote a version of this column in September, 2001, when
I realized that grappling with the events of that month
required extra energy and that I needed more white space
for a while as I adapted to the demands of those times. I
think we are in similar times now, when, regardless of your
politics or perspective, world events require our heartfelt
and intelligent reflection, a process that is not likely in the
short term to result in clear cut solutions. Staying awake,
connected, and present in such times is a big job, and it's
the kind of job that requires white space.

I'm renewing my commitment to white space for the next
few weeks. As many of you know, I leave in mid-April for a
month-long vacation, and it is tempting to work round the
clock until I go. But I know too well the costs of that choice.
So I'm getting out into the garden this weekend, taking
time for music and reading, and making myself available
for an afternoon nap or two. This is not self-indulgence. It's
not even self-care. It's cultivating the white space that I
need in order to show up, serve, and prosper in every aspect
of my life and work.

If the white space in your life has been shrinking, or if,
like me, you need more white space than usual right now,
take some time to revise your commitments and declare a
moratorium on promises for a few days. If you are a manager,
ask yourself how you can support your people in having the
white space they need. It's not necessary to make a
production of this; you can accomplish a good deal by simply
keeping white space in mind as you assign tasks, evaluate
performance, and manage the context and mood of your teams.

Caring for white space can allow the shape of what is truly
important to emerge while giving us the breathing room to
respond more completely and effectively, if at a slower pace.

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Reader's Write
Don't Over-Plan
Jamie Myxter of Precision Communications (http://www.precisioncommunications.org) writes:

I was interested in one of your tasks, "Plan and start
vegetable garden (by 3/15)." [From the March 2, 2003,
New Leaf]

I have a small garden and most years I turn the entire
thing (by hand) and plant nearly the whole thing, all in
one day. At the end of the process, I love seeing the
garden, but my back usually hurts.

This year I tried something different, because I just
haven't had time to do the ENTIRE thing. So I've been
doing a little bit at a time--turn small area, plant a
handful of seeds or small plants that I start indoors in
old egg cartons, and then do some more 2-3 weeks
later. I'm happy with the results so far--it makes the
task shrink from overwhelming to fun. If it starts to
work too well, I may just need to look at incorporating
this way of doing work into other seemingly
monumental tasks that I tend to think of as "all-or-none"
tasks--the kind that I do all-at-once or not-at-all.

Anyhow, the "plan" word in your task "plan and start
vegetable garden" was what jumped out at me, because
some years it takes me a very long time to finally
decide how everything should be laid out. (Mapped out
very carefully on paper, of course, before a single seed
is planted or a single shovel-full of dirt is turned over.)
Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy when it
comes to actually getting things done.

Thanks for the newsletters--they're fun to read

Thanks, Jamie. Your letter is a timely reminder that
planning can get in the way. Chunking things down,
pacing ourselves, paying attention to natural rhythms,
are all ways to do big jobs one step at a time. What’s
more, plans are made to be changed!

By the way, it’s the end of March and I haven’t planned
or planted my vegetable garden. I’m not worried, though.
Miles (my sainted husband) made a good start on weeding
last week, and I’m probably going to get peas in, and
perhaps some greens, some time this week. Much as we
like growing veggies, we know it’s an option and that
making it into a problem would be a sad mistake. Much
better to cheerfully fall behind but continue to look
forward to doing what we can, as we can.

Whatever your progress (or lack thereof) with your own
"to do” lists, remember to keep breathing, keep adjusting,
and keep enjoying the mystery of how things work out
(or don’t) in the fullness.

The Bedside Table
Practicing Resurrection, A Memoir of Discernment,
Nora Gallagher.
My friend and fellow coach (and well known author)
Jennifer Louden (www.comfortqueen.com) gave me this
book. I started it last night and am finding it engrossing,
moving, and very relevant to my ongoing exploration of
discernment in all areas of life and work.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375405941/mollygordonperso

Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership, by
Jospeh Jaworski. A compelling personal account of the
"predictable miracles" that happen when you step out
of your comfort zone and into a life aligned with a
higher purpose.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576750310/mollygordonperso

One of the more pragmatic things I do is read the
occasional poem. Why is reading a poem pragmatic?
It can reveal dimensions of care, concern, inspiration,
and possibility that were hiding in the shadows. Try
reading aloud for the best results. Here's one of my
favorites:
The Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke, Stephen
Mitchell, Translator.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679722017/mollygordonperso

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Small Print
Copyright | Getting On and Off the List
Unless otherwise attributed, all material is written and
edited by Molly Gordon, MCC.
Copyright (c) Shaboom Inc. (tm) 2003. All rights reserved. www.mollygordon.com

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