In The Fringe Hours, Jessica Turner empowers women to take back pockets of time they already have in their day in order to practice self-care and do the things they love.
[bluebox] The Fringe Hours Manifesto:
We believe that we need to make time for ourselves.
We believe in cultivating balance in our commitments and within ourselves.
We believe in letting go of self-imposed pressures.
We believe that guilt and comparison do not belong in our lives.
We believe that taking care of our minds, bodies, and souls is important.
We believe that pursuing our passions is life-givinng and life changing.
We believe that spending five minutes doing something we love is better than wasting that five minutes.
We believe in embracing help.
We believe that community matters.
We believe in giving thanks.
We believe in choosing joy.
We believe that life is not perfect, but it is beautiful.[/bluebox]
Defining balance
Two of the many dictionary definitions for balance perfectly hit on what we are talking about:
- a stable mental or psychological state; emotional stability;
- a harmonious or satisfying, arrangement or proportion of parts or elements, as in a design.
I believe you need both of these definitions to really have balance in life. I would define it using this equation:
A satisfying arrangement of elements + emotional stability= Balance.
Ways to cultivate balance
In today’s busy world, the only way to have balance is to fight for it. Your schedule should be manageable, with open spacee. When you make room in your schedule to breathe, you make room for you–and that is the key to discovering fringe hours.
I have discovered several ways to cultivate balance within your commitments and yourself. While some of these tips may be easier to say than do, they all can make a huge impact on your life.
To cultivate balance in your commitments, you must:
- SAY NO. For balance to exist, you must say no to some things, even things that are good.
- LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES. Sometimes you are going to overbook yourself and life is going to be too full, like my crazy Christmas season.
- EVALUATE WHAT MATTERS. Continuously review your schedule and make sure everything is necessary.
- REDUCE DISTRACTIONS. Sometimes balance can be achieved just by turning off your phone, computer, or other technological devices.
To cultivate balance within yourself, you must:
- EXTEND GRACE TO OTHERS AND TO YOURSELF. Some days are going to be challenging. On those days, give yourself grace. And if you encounter others who need grace, show it to them.
- TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH. Oftentimes when we run ourselves ragged, our health suffers. To live a balanced life, you must take care of your body. Eat well, go to the doctor for checkups, exercise, and get enough sleep.
- GIVE AND RECEIVE LOVE. Love well each day.
- PRAY. Make time each day to pray.
- EXPRESS GRATITUDE. Take time each day to write down what you are thankful for.
- MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF. It’s incredibly importatnt to make time for self-care and your passions.
Motivation
Balance isn’t easy, but fighting for it is always worth it. While life is busy, it shouldn’t get to the point of being ovewhelming. Make balance a priority in your life. By doing so, you are saying that your time is valuable and that you are in control.
Complement The Fringe Hours with How to Live Empty. The key is embracing the idea that time is finite, so you should focus on the unique contribution to the world that only you can make.