If you are like me, your life is filled with noise. I’d love to be the pondering cabin dwelling writer, however, I live in a much more vibrant world. I have a wife, three (soon to be four) kids, a full time job, and a budding writing career. This is not to mention the housework, the extra curriculars, the struggling to make ends meet, and trying to stay in shape.

Life can move at such a pace that I feel if I make one misstep, the collapsing bridge will catch up with me like a villain in an Indiana Jones movie.

Ever feel this way? When you are overwhelmed and there is no rest in sight?

One thing I’ve learned is that though I desire a night where I sleep more than six hours straight or have four uninterrupted hours on a peaceful Sunday afternoon, there is little chance that I’ll get it. At least more than twice a year.

So how does one find the capacity to charge into the creative foray of writing every day? The key for me has been to clear out bits of time for White Space.

White Space is the clean, nothing space. It’s like a newly fallen snow. It’s pristine, uninterruptable space. Where you take a brief walk, close your eyes, lie back in your car, and just clear your head. It’s a bite size respite in the current of a frenzied life.

My White Space happens during the week at lunch. I clear my head by walking down a park path that weaves through a forest. Or, I go downstairs to my desk and kick my feet up and read in the early morning or late evenings.

In this space I pray, journal, or read something inspiring, or just am quiet. I breath deeply and soak in the silence or rustle of the leaves as they are brushed by the wind.

White space is precious to me because its budgeted clear your head time. I know I need it when I am wound a little too tight from work or life and I need to visit my park or read quietly pronto. It doesn’t have to be an hour or even a half hour as long as I have a handful of minutes to find the quiet.

For me, White Space creates balance and gives perspective. Do you create White Space in your life? How do you spend it?