{"id":44595,"date":"2022-01-28T16:04:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T21:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/?p=44595"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:47:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:47:47","slug":"making-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/2022\/01\/28\/making-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Space"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><p><em>By Devin Fedor, Director Learning &amp; Organizational Development at Mary Washington Healthcare<\/em><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"longdesc-return-44596\" class=\"alignright wp-image-44596\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2022\/01\/woman-g82e6b471d_640-300x182.jpg\" alt=\"woman with back to camera looking at nature\" width=\"226\" height=\"137\" longdesc=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw?longdesc=44596&amp;referrer=44595\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2022\/01\/woman-g82e6b471d_640-300x182.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/lcpw\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2022\/01\/woman-g82e6b471d_640.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\">Each year I select word or simple phrase to guide me through the next twelve months.&nbsp; This is not a resolution to lead me down a path of all or nothing thinking.&nbsp; Rather, it serves as a motivator, a reminder, a lens to evaluate decisions, and a kick in the pants when I need it.&nbsp; This year I chose &ldquo;make space&rdquo;. <!--more--><\/p><p>As I sat down to unravel the year behind me and think about what I wanted most in the year to come, it was just that &ndash; more space.&nbsp; Space to do things that challenge me, showcase my talents, help me grow, tap into my creativity, and bring me joy.&nbsp; As humans we allow so much of our lives, time, and energy to be consumed and controlled by other people and things.&nbsp; Our jobs, our family and friends, social media, Netflix&hellip;and the list goes on.&nbsp; Too often, our days leave us feeling stressed, frustrated, frazzled, unproductive and unfulfilled.&nbsp; The wonderful and painful reality is that we have a choice.&nbsp; We can choose to continue down the overscheduled, overwhelming path we are on, or we can choose to make space.<\/p><p>I know.&nbsp; Easier said than done.&nbsp; Here are some practices that are helping me make space.<\/p><ul>\n<li><strong>Get centered.<\/strong> Start and end your day intentionally by asking the right questions.&nbsp; Greg Nelson, author of <em>The Strategic Stop<\/em> recommends implementing a morning practice of reflection with the following prompts:\n<ul>\n<li>I am focused on&hellip;<\/li>\n<li>I am grateful for&hellip;<\/li>\n<li>I will let go of&hellip;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><p>Susan David, Ph.D., author of <em>Emotional Agility<\/em> encourages asking a single question before going to bed: &ldquo;What did I do today that was worthwhile?&rdquo;.&nbsp; By incorporating these two practices consistently, you can get clear on what is important heading into the day and assess how well you spent your time at the end.<\/p><ul>\n<li><strong>Kick out the clutter.<\/strong> To make more space for the important things, you must first identify the not-so-important things that are taking up your time.&nbsp; Professional Organizer, Barbara Hemphill says &ldquo;clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions&rdquo;.&nbsp; I am pretty sure she was talking about physical clutter, but the sentiment still applies.&nbsp; Look at your meeting schedule to determine what is necessary and what you can\/should say no to.&nbsp; Examine how you are spending your downtime and assess if it is helping you achieve your goals and\/or contributing to your overall wellbeing.&nbsp; Start getting rid of the physical and metaphorical clutter taking up space that could be better used for something else.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Plan ahead.<\/strong> I don&rsquo;t know about you, but if it isn&rsquo;t on my calendar, it probably isn&rsquo;t getting done. Now it is time to fill up the space you created by replacing the clutter with more valuable activities. Have you been neglecting your morning walk?&nbsp; Put it on your calendar.&nbsp; Guilty of always eating a less than healthy lunch on the fly?&nbsp; Set aside time each day for a nutritious meal.&nbsp; Need more time for strategic thinking and planning?&nbsp; Block time dedicated to focus on it.&nbsp; Interested in picking up a new hobby or learning a new skill?&nbsp; Sign up for a class on a specific date and time.&nbsp; You get the idea.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make good decisions. <\/strong>When making space, you don&rsquo;t want to schedule out every minute of every day.&nbsp; You need free time and flexibility in your day.&nbsp; The key is making good decisions about what do with that time.&nbsp; What is your go to when you have a free hour or a long weekend with nothing planned?&nbsp; Rest and relaxation are good and necessary.&nbsp; Hours of mindless scrolling through social media and regular late-night series binges, not so much.&nbsp; The choices you make about how to fill your downtime become habits. Build good habits that make you proud to answer the question, &ldquo;What did I do today that was worthwhile?&rdquo;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Devin Fedor, Director Learning &amp; Organizational Development at Mary Washington HealthcareEach year I select word or simple phrase to guide me through the next twelve months.&nbsp; This is not a resolution to lead me down a path of all or nothing thinking.&nbsp; Rather, it serves as a motivator, a reminder, a lens to evaluate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":44596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-44595","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - 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