Feeling Overwhelmed? Create White Space and Watch Your Life Breathe Again
- Marcy Stoudt
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Ever feel like your brain is stuck in a cluttered room with no windows? That’s life without white space.
In design, white space gives your eyes a rest and helps you focus on what matters. Without it, we skim, scroll, and eventually tune out. But here’s the thing—the same is true in life.
Recently, I learned the value of white space from my sister. She’s the writer in our family, and she also happens to have dyslexia. She once told me how essential white space is for the reader—for separation, for clarity, and for actually understanding the message.
And it hit me: this isn’t just about text. It’s about how we move through our lives.We need white space between meetings. Between coming home from work and diving into dinner. Between one thought and the next. We need margin to pause, reflect, and think creatively—not just reactively.
When our calendars are jammed and every minute is accounted for, we start losing the moments that bring joy, inspiration, and clarity. So, here are my five favorite ways to create white space in my life right now:
✨ 5 Ways to Make Room for White Space Today
1. Text the Family: “No Phone for the Next Hour.”
Unplug on purpose. Let them know you're stepping away from the scroll, the group chat, and the constant checking-in. One hour of silence can feel like a full reset.
2. Replace “ASAP” with a Real Deadline.
In a world obsessed with checking things off the list, we’ve lost the art of pacing. Not everything needs to be done right now. Ask yourself: could this be scheduled for next week—and done better?
3. Protect the First 15 Minutes of Your Day.
Before emails, before meetings, before chaos—take 15 minutes for yourself. Journal. Stretch. Breathe. You’ll be amazed how much more focused your day becomes.
4. Cancel the Meeting. Seriously.
If it doesn’t have a clear purpose, permission granted: cancel it. Use the reclaimed time to solve a problem, think about strategy, or—here’s a novel idea—go for a walk.
5. Start Meetings at 5 Minutes After the Hour.
Give everyone space to finish that “one last email” or take a breath between calls. Starting at :05 honors people’s time and creates a rhythm that actually improves focus and participation.
White space isn’t wasted space. It’s where creativity flows, clarity returns, and you find your way back to what matters most.
So the next time you feel overwhelmed, don’t push through the noise. Pause. Breathe. Make space. Your brain—and your life—will thank you for it.
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Marcy Stoudt is a seasoned sales leader dedicated to shaping the future of talent acquisition and executive coaching. As the founder of Revel Search and Revel Coach, Marcy collaborates with corporate clients to develop innovative strategies for attracting, advancing, and retaining top-tier talent.
During her 22 years at Allegis Group, Marcy was TEKsystems's first female Vice President. She led a team of 300 producers and delivered four consecutive years of revenue results at 18% CAGR, averaging $320 million annually. While at MarketSource, she established the Customer Experience Strategy for the Target Mobile outsourced sales team at 1,540 Target locations, fostering executive-level relationships with Target and Apple.
The Revel Coach™ Blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not mental health, financial, business or legal advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any medical, mental or emotional condition. The information presented here is not a guarantee that you will obtain any results or earn any money using our content.
