If you’ve been reading my emails for any length of time you’ve probably heard me talk about “whitespace”.
But lately…
I’ve been receiving some questions from both readers and clients who are unclear about this powerful concept.
So let’s back up a moment…
And start with properly defining Whitespace.
Whitespace is blocked time on your calendar for deep thinking about big issues.
It is a time when there are no other obligations…
No calls. No emails. No meetings.
It is NOT a time for self-care, to scroll social media, listen to podcasts, or kick your feet up and relax.
And it is not a time for adding more inputs in your ears and more information in your mind.
You’ve already got too much input clutter in your mental attic!
Too many wannabe-preneurs do nothing but accumulate inputs…
They drive around listening to audio books. They go to the gym and listen to podcasts. They walk their dog while listening to news updates.
"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone," wrote the French philosopher Blaise Pascal.
While that might be a stretch…
Most entrepreneur’s problems are certainly made worse with this constant barrage of inputs and conflation of expert voices all telling them to do something different than the other.
Likewise…
Their calendar is too crowded with inputs — meetings, calls, scrolling… every half-hour color coded leaving your calendar looking like a rainbow got stuffed into a blender… with nary a pixel of precious Whitespace to be found.
But if you never have any break from the inputs…
Then you're never able to sufficiently process and assemble those inputs into a very important output:
The actual conclusions that you reach through deep thinking.
Which is the entire point of gathering inputs in the first place.
That’s why limiting inputs to some maximum effective daily dose is a better approach…
And complete input elimination is required during Whitespace time (banish your headphones!)
For over 15 years I’ve walked my dog over an hour a day…
And not once – not on one single solitary walk – have I ever listened to an audio book or podcast.
Every single dog walk is the opportunity to exploit Whitespace and curate daily inputs into an output.
Now you might do your Whitespace thinking in a beautiful, calm environment…
Or sitting in a fancy leather chair like Keith Cunningham, business partner of Tony Robbins, who has inspired me to teach the idea of Whitespace.
No matter where you do this deep thinking…
Make no mistake… using Whitespace properly is serious business.
The work you do during your Whitespace time is the hardest work you’ll do all week.
But it will also be the most magical and valuable…
Where you’ll solve your big problems and come to million-dollar conclusions.
Whitespace is a time where you eliminate all inputs…
…and you use this time to create outputs (conclusions)…
Inputs are the information you gather from podcasts, audio books, and advice from your mentors, along with observations about your business…
And you “connect the dots looking backwards,” as Steve Jobs says…
To come up with the BIG IDEAS that set you financially free.
A simple example of Whitespace in action is having a big idea in the shower…
You see, your brain operates differently in the shower than it does when you’re at your computer…
And the quiet and solitude of the shower promote the curation of your inputs into an output conclusion…
That’s why you have “A-HA! Moments” while washing your hair.
Research has also shown that we have big ideas when we ditch the electronics and head out to nature.
We’ve all seen a cartoon of Newton under the apple having a Eureka moment about The Law of Gravity, right?
That’s Whitespace in action!
Now over to you…
Start with an hour of Whitespace per week on the calendar.
Take a notepad into the woods…
Or sit beside a pond – as Richard Koch, the $100-million man and author of The 80-20 Principle does several times per week… or in your favorite reading chair like Cunningham…
And assimilate your inputs into key outputs.
- Figure out the solution for your problem employees…
- Brainstorm sales copy ideas and million-dollar headlines…
- Outline your next product, service, or marketing campaign…
Whitespace is the time on your calendar to solve the biggest problems in your business.
And it provides dedicated time to plan to take advantage of the 7-figure opportunities in your business.
But remember this one word of warning…
Whitespacing might sound like daydreaming… or a great opportunity to sneak in a snooze.
But Whitespace is nothing of the sort.
It is the mental equivalent of digging a 6-foot trench in hard clay soil.
It's the absolute hardest work in your business and you must make non-negotiable time for it.
However…
I can confidently tell you that if you simply commit to this, every week…
You will begin to see exponential results show up in your business and life.
Start today.
I know you’ll be glad that you did.
Success Loves Speed,
Craig
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