Margin

Find it in the Little Things

Photo by Alexandar Todov on Unsplash

Years of socialization tell us summers, weekends, and other sorts of holiday times mean vacation or rest — at at the very least, different rhythms. But any kind of ease depends on our ability to move out of business as usual. And “as usual” can have an iron grip.

Letting go requires a wind down, perhaps an on-ramp, the magic of time.

I get it. I get it. I get it.

But I’m bad at margin.

All experience to the contrary, I expect to flip a simple switch. Surely I should be able to just put the back of my brain in charge while the executive function centers take some time off! Shouldn’t salt air (or mountain air, woodsy air, theme park- vinyard-alternative time zone air) trigger the necessary transformation? In the way that creating makes any of us a creative, shouldn’t the intentions of vacation bestow the mood?

Well, actually, no. At least, not for me. I also need the costumes and props - suitcases and bathing suits, hiking boots and books. A special journal cover. Gel pens.And even then, I need to figure out what to do when I wake too early, full of nervous energy. What if I just finish that chain of emails, let someone know I’ll be out of touch, take one more pass at that project or just quickly message, swipe, delete, like, subscribe/unsubscribe….Oops!

Photo by Anastasiia Nelen on Unsplash

New rhythms take time. Baby steps.

Margin is the magical interlude where we remind ourselves how to access our intended productivity or rest.

And if it isn’t easy?

Try, fail, repeat.

Learning to be in different rhythm is like learning anything. Even if we’ve made the switch numerous times before, our “stuck” brains need to find their way to old grooves and / or make new connections. It’s never automatic. It requires time. Margin is our friend.

Whether ramping down or ramping up, it helps to prepare for new ways of moving through the days. And little things can have big impact. If you’ve been grinding to finish a project or managing lots of details, an onramp to rest may look like slowing your breathing, hitting a snooze button, or dressing for leisure, even if brain and body can’t lean into it just yet. None of these actions have much consequence in and of themselves. But they signal the change your brain needs.

If you’ve already been at rest or procrastinating, performance coaches suggest preparation signals: mantras, stretching, candles, an energetic song /playlist. All can remind us it’s worktime now. Of course, mileage may vary - what works for one may not work for another; the successful strategy for one season may need to be rethought the next, But don’t knock the principle.

Each time we transition to from sedentary to active or from busy to not busy, we need time on the margin. It’s space for an appointment with ourselves. Magic looks like focus in the befores and betweens to more reliably and successfully change.

But what if your creative practice is your work?

There’s danger in treating under-remunerated creative work too casually. Thinking work is play, and consequently, that it doesn’t matter that much, leads to never fully signalling intentional engagement. A part of your brain may remain checked out. On the other hand, there is social press to go the opposite way.

Many creatives fall into the trap of believing they love their craft so much they’re “happy to do it all the time.” But that belies natural seasons and transitions. It suggests we don’t need vacations from creative pursuits as much as from more technical ones. That kind of thinking steers us away from the margin we need.

Having just returned from a “working vacation,” I relied on a loose schedule and an accountability plan, with pre-arranged partners to keep me honest. Trying to hold a midline between task focus and leisure focus worked best when I had margins within which to prepare, shift, or pivot. It went…okay.

The jury’s still out on whether creative practice follows more vacation rhythms or workaday ones. It fits different lives or seasons in different ways of course. So, set yourself up with props and costumes and plans to build your favored onramps and offramps. Take time to follow small signals. A little margin can bring a lot of magic.

Note:

It’s been a while since I’ve revisited the first seasonal practices and rituals I developed while launching this newsletter. I wasn’t thinking about them as activities of margin at the time, but indeed, they are exactly the kind of thing I need to navigate the ups and downs of summer writing. Give them a fresh look and let me know what inspires!