A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Though the path to becoming an entrepreneur can be full of challenges, under no circumstances should you neglect your health for the sake of clocking in an extra hour or two of work. You don’t have to work 24 hours a day to be successful. If anything, neglecting sleep for more work does more harm than good. Don’t be afraid to take some time out of your day to open a lifestyle magazine; you might be surprised at what you find. If that sounds like you, then this guide is for you.
1. Take more breaks.
Breaks seem to be the bane of entrepreneurs. After all, why rest when there’s so much work to do, right? Well, if anything, science has proven that taking frequent breaks has been linked to higher levels of productivity and creativity. Research tells us that taking some downtime, before facing a problem, can help facilitate the development of new solutions. If you can sneak in some quick exercise during your break – even better! As long as you’re getting your blood flowing, you can avoid decision fatigue. So, the next time you find yourself facing a “brick wall,” consider coming back rested.
2. Have a clean diet.
Similarly, there is this stereotype that entrepreneurs run on a lot of caffeine and fast food – anything to be as efficient as possible. If that’s the case, you’re just damaging your body, mainly your brain. That’s your biggest resource! Our bodies need the energy to keep moving, but without eating healthy, you may have considerable trouble concentrating on work. No matter how busy you are, you should always keep an eye on what you eat. Things like staying hydrated and not skipping breakfast go a long way. Consider the quality of nutrition in the food you choose next time you go shopping. Your body will thank you!
3. Work smarter not harder.
This is classic entrepreneurial advice, but what does it mean, exactly? Essentially, working smart means approaching a problem in the most efficient way, saving time. Working smart doesn’t just mean getting the job done, quickly; it also means having fun doing it. This doesn’t involve staying up late hours, hacking away at the problem, frustrated and bleary-eyed. To work smart, consider researching your problem, beforehand, and see if there are any tools at your disposal that can help you out. Why recreate the proverbial wheel? You may even find that completely outsourcing your tasks works best, instead. If done well, you’ll have more time to focus on other things (yourself, for example) and plan for your future better.
4. Get enough sleep.
Sleep is important. There are a lot of reasons why you shouldn’t sacrifice sleep for a couple of extra hours of late night work. For one, you risk severely damaging your sleep schedule and overall productivity. Your mind needs a break and healing in order to operate at an optimal level of performance. We tend to associate napping with lazy people, but the exact opposite is true, actually! Napping, even for a few hours, can give you that extra energy-boost you need to work well into the evening. If you’re constantly waking up grumpy and tried, this might be the reason why. Sleep is essential for success.
5. Do what makes you happy.
At the end of the day, if you’re not doing what makes you happy, your likelihood of burnout and becoming depressed skyrockets. If you’re grinding away, doing things that make you sad or unfulfilled, you’ll undoubtedly become sick of it at some point. On the other hand, doing too much of what you like can make you start to hate it. This is why it’s so important to maintain a healthy lifestyle—a balance–amidst your entrepreneurial efforts. You might get more done in the short-term if you focus on staying up long nights, but in the long run, you’ll risk burning out. So, if you want to make it far as an entrepreneur, it’s essential that your vision for the future is a healthy one.
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