Hey Reader,

It's been a minute since I’ve been in your inbox.

The last few weeks have been A LOT: travel delays, a vacation (the good kind of a lot), a sewer line replacement (very much not the good kind), and an Olympic party thrown in for good measure. All crammed into about three weeks.

So yeah. It's been a minute.

In the middle of all of it, I did what I always tell you to do: I looked around for where I could create some space for myself. For me, that usually means stepping back from being online. Not forever. Just enough to create a little space to just be.

And it helped. But I’ll admit, it was hard to do. I felt the pull of being online for my business, catching up on the news and so much more. But…I did it! Not perfectly. And that’s okay.

Have We Forgotten How to Take Up Space for Ourselves?

There's a part of me that thinks we have. Because we live in a world that worships hustle and grind and measures our worth in output, responsiveness, and availability. Taking up space for yourself — unapologetically, without a productivity reason — feels almost radical now.

And I don't think that's okay.

I think space is essential.

We live in a world that has filled every pocket of our existence with something: a notifications, tasks, responsibilities (and so much more!). Space doesn't just appear anymore; it has to be carved out, which means it takes intention.

It's Not Just About Time

Here's something to ponder: creating space isn't just about carving out time. It's about what you do with that time and whether it actually meets YOUR needs.

Think about it this way: You schedule your meeting to end early so you have space before your next one. And then you immediately check email. (Been there!) But…that doesn’t give you any space. Not if what you needed was a break and a bit of breathing room.

Think of space as a container. A bubble. Your Calgon-take-me-away moment. The thing that stands between you and the weight of the world pressing in…the to-dos, the notifications, the responsibilities.

And what you need from that container is yours to decide.

Maybe you need calm…just to breathe without the next thing already arriving. Maybe you need clarity, because you've been so deep in the noise of the world that you can't hear your own thinking anymore. Maybe you need to reconnect with yourself, to remember who you are underneath all the doing and responding. Maybe you need to create, not for an audience or a deadline, but because there's a book, a talk, a piece of art, a meal, an idea that's been waiting for you to finally have enough room to make it.

Space holds all of it. But only if you fill it intentionally.

One other thing worth pointing out: sometimes what we call "needing space" is actually avoidance. A way to not face something that's waiting for us in the quiet. That's worth looking at…gently, without judgment. Because real space isn't about escaping. It's about finally having enough room to hear yourself again.

Your Invitation This Week: Create a Pocket of Space for Yourself

First, you need to think about the size you need first.

• Teeny tiny jeans pocket (you know the one): a few minutes between things. A lunch you actually take. A short walk. Five minutes of coloring before the next call.
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• Cargo pants pocket (all the pockets please!): a bigger space for you. A morning off. An afternoon without email. A solo drive with no podcast.

Then:

• Notice what you need from that space. Calm, clarity, connection to yourself, room to create? What's been missing? What do you need?
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• Look at your calendar. Where do you need it most? Where can you carve it out, even in a small way? Even 5 minutes can help.
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• Identify what you will do in that space. Come up with a list of things based on what you need and then pick one (and maybe a backup one in case you aren’t feeling the first one!). You might try coloring, reading, cloud gazing, walking, writing, painting, etc…

Finally, when you find it, honor not just the time but the intention behind it. Because a pocket of time filled with the wrong thing isn't space for you.

Remember…you don’t have to earn this space or wait until things calm down. In fact, you might be surprised at how calm, clear and creative you are when you take up space for yourself even when things are “a lot!”.

I'm expanding the idea of space as a container — and what actually fills it well — into a full blog post soon. If you have thoughts or questions about the topic, reply to this email and share them!

And if you want to think through what kind of space you need right now, I'd love to chat. You can book some time on my calendar. We can chat about how to carve out that space or what to do in that space.

If you’ve read this far…thank you…this has been on my mind for a while and based on what I’ve been hearing from others and experiencing myself, I thought it something we could all use a reminder about.