[Justin Jackson wrote a good post centreing around profit margin](https://justinjackson.ca/margin) but I think he missed, or only barely grazed another type of margin that is key to having a good business.
Plan old margin with your time.
Yes some of the time space/margin/slack comes because you have a profitable business with good margin. That means you don’t have to work all the time, but most people just take that extra time and turn it into more work, more commitments, more more because if what I have is good, more is better.
This year is focused on time margin for me. My profit is good, though I wouldn’t mind bringing in a bit more revenue this year, but I spent the last quarter of 2019 stressed and taking it out on my family.
That’s the thing I want to change this year and it’s meant I’ve said no to 95% of the projects that have come my way in the last 4 months. Not later, but no I’m not interested. I’m not interested because the deadlines aren’t right or the communication expectations don’t work.
I’m not interested because I don’t want to have a full schedule. I’m aiming for an 80% schedule, something like today a snow day with the kids.
I don’t feel focused so today I’m going to read and look at RSS feeds and hang out with my kids and read more biography stuff. I did a bit of billable work, but only a very little bit.
I’ll pick it back up tomorrow, or next week.