A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of creating time for whitespace and encouraged you to block out time in your calendar for it.
This idea of scheduling time for whitespace sparked some great conversations, and one response in particular stood out to me:
I figured you might be wondering the same thing, so I wanted to share with you the explanation that I shared with her.
The short answer is: your ‘whitespace’ time is best spent doing whatever you feel that you or your business needs at that time.
I know that sounds open-ended, but here’s why it’s powerful:
So often we fill our time with whatever is most urgent or at the top of our to-do list—very rarely do we pause to check in with ourselves to understand what we really need in a given moment.
Here are a few examples of what that might look like:
If you’re feeling stressed and burnt out, you might need to rest and recharge by spending the hour sitting quietly, doing breathing exercises, meditating, or going outside for a walk to clear your head.
If you’re wanting to tap into inspiration or trying to make a big decision in your business (for example, whether to run a group coaching program or create a course), the ‘whitespace’ time might be spent journaling to see what ideas come through for you or to tap into what your gut tells you is the best next step.
If you have a big project or idea that you want to work on but it keeps getting pushed to the back burner, you might take the hour to turn off all notifications, silence your phone, put on some music, and focus on one important task to move things forward (for example, mapping out an outline for a live training or the first module of a course you’re creating).
If you’re feeling a little lost or going through any type of transition in business or life, you might spend the time journaling around your desires and goals, to reconnect with your vision of what you’re working toward (and potentially help you see where things might be out of alignment).
What you and your business need will likely vary by season—or even week to week. Sometimes what’s most beneficial is for you to take focused action or gain more clarity. And sometimes the best thing you can do to move your business forward is to just rest so that you can show up more fully later on. Because growth doesn’t always come from doing more—sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is slow down so you can return with fresh energy and perspective.
In order to tap into how best to spend my ‘whitespace’ time, here are a few questions I often ask myself:
- How am I feeling right now, and what would support me the most?
- Do I need rest, clarity, or focused action right now?
- What have I been wanting to work on but never feel like I have the time or space for?
- What is one thing that I need that would help me move closer to my goals? (And if I don’t feel clear on this, that might signal to me that I should spend the ‘whitespace’ time journaling to get more clarity.)
I’m curious—have you been intentionally blocking out time for whitespace in your calendar? If not, I challenge you to try it this week. Even just an hour can create a shift.
