The Space Effect
“Make room for what can become instead of stacking your hand with what is now.”
Photo by: Kristin Gudenkauf
Spatial awareness, as Healthline succinctly describes it, is “being aware of your surroundings and your position relative to them.” Meaning, our reality consists of objects situated in space, and our awareness is how we perceive these objects in relation to our position.
Generally, we acknowledge the value that comes with spatial awareness. We acknowledge differences across cultures regarding what physical spacing will be deemed acceptable and appropriate. We utilize spacial awareness as a tool to evaluate child development. We trust the use of spatial awareness in science and math. We acknowledge spatial awareness as fact and as necessary.
So, how is this relevant to business? It is easy to acknowledge the value that spatial awareness holds in education, youth development, culture, and so on, but do we pay attention to the spatial conditions of the way we pursue our mission?
In a review in Scientific America, it is noted that “ignoring spatial abilities can have long-term consequences.” While the study applies to cognitive development, it also applies to how we conduct our business. Without spatial awareness, we are missing the greater picture of not only how we interact within our business, but how outside forces impact us, and that limits our impact potential.
In our last blog, we emphasized the importance of being intentional with what you sow to direct the impact you want to have. So why focus on spatial awareness? Because, in order to make change, we first need to understand what is currently occupying our space and time. Then, we need to take care to not fill every void. Leave space. Make room for what can become instead of stacking your hand with what is now. You need space to implement change, to evaluate if you are moving in the right direction, and when you have finally made the change, you need to have left room to make those changes permanent. It is so easy to get caught up in trying to make progress that we can lose sight of whether we are actually progressing toward our end goal. It is also easy to forget to make room for new processes and habits when you are jumping from one thing to the next. Space is needed to make way for new growth!
How do you create space? Think again about spatial awareness. Your reality consists of objects situated in space. Thinking of all the processes, projects, and people as objects will help you think more objectively about your current reality. What are the objects that surround you? Where are they? Are they helping you achieve your goal or are they distractors? Are your current practices adding value or are they a time suck? Do they have to be done now or can they be taken off the table and tackled later? Do they need to be done by you or can someone else do them? These can feel like big questions, but if you take the time to think through them objectively you will gain a greater perspective of where you are relative to your end goal. Essentially, your spatial awareness grows, so your ability to improve your current situation grows.
Another important point about spatial awareness to consider is that our awareness decreases when we are tired. We acknowledge this as a fact when we tell others not to drive when they are tired. Our ability to absorb information is lowered and reaction time is slowed when we are tired. In fact, our awareness is reduced so much when we are tired that, according to the findings of one study, we only acknowledge visual stimuli to our right, ignoring everything from the left.
Without leaving space for us to think and manage the change, if we let ourselves get burned out and tired from all the plates we keep spinning, our attention to detail decreases. We lose our awareness. We can miss opportunities that can launch us forward, or even miss signs that risks are present that can inhibit our progress. We lose our ability to problem-solve and develop creative solutions to achieve our mission. Changes we make under these conditions will rarely be sustainable - and the last thing you want to do is put all that effort in and slide backward because you didn’t leave space for change!
In small businesses, especially non-profits, we are quick to take on extra tasks to “make it work.” We glorify wearing multiple hats. That isn’t always a bad thing, and sometimes there is no other choice. But when you do have a choice, make adding space a regular fixture in your workplace. Make it a core component just as you would integrity and honesty. Instead of filling every moment with more tasks, leave a margin to think and create solutions. Use this time to evaluate where you are and where you will be. Without intentionally leaving an opening for change, we run the danger of burning out and seeing only one side of the picture or being half successful. But, if you treat space as though it is valuable, you will reap value!
Leaving space open in your work schedule may not feel intuitive, and you aren’t alone. It will begin to feel more natural when you do it intentionally, regularly. You’ll start to feel more effective and in control of change. You’ll start to see your desired changes become reality and will know exactly how you made it happen instead of feeling like luck plaid too big a part. You’ll start to anticipate risk and respond with creative and more complete solutions. I call this the space effect - the brilliant outcome of doing something as simple as adopting the practice of leaving space and treating it as necessary for excellence.
If you need help evaluating your portfolio, work structure, or generally just need help making space, Next Chapter Strategies is happy to help. Contact us to book your free one-hour session and take steps toward making success inevitable.
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