| I’ll never forget the look on my longtime client Joe Marcoux’s face.
We were in Cancun for another one of my sold out Unstoppable Masterminds…
And I was explaining the power of putting more “Whitespace” on your calendar.
Joe already knew all about my 7x7 Perfect Week grid…
And the idea of doing Non-Urgent Important (NUI) work first thing in the morning.
Yet as I talked about the commonly overlooked concept of Whitespace…
Joe looked like he had received an electric shock.
Because Whitespace was the next level in my Structure = Freedom framework.
And when he heard me explain it suddenly everything clicked.
Today I want to give you the same type of “a-ha” moment…
With this Step-by-Step Whitespace 101 Tutorial
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, and 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 collect a library of books with catchy titles (three quarters of which they never read).
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 Whitespace to be found.
But if you never have any break from the onslaught of inputs…
You're never able to assemble the previous inputs into a very important output — and thereby formulate conclusions from your thinking.
Input restriction is a better approach on the daily…
And complete input elimination is required during Whitespace time (banish your headphones!)
For roughly 18 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 sink 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.
Success Loves Speed,
Craig
PS - If you’re ready to 2X your income (or more) while working 10 less hours per week...
... Just REPLY to this email with the words “2X 10 LESS” and we'll set up a time to chat with you to find out if we can help.
| 
