Most business owners when they first start out are excited to be their own boss. They’ll be their own best boss ever! When in reality, they wind up being their own slave driver because they’re passionate about what they do, and that’s what it takes to get things done. Those days, weeks or even months of burning the midnight oil can take it's toll on anyone, and could actually be diminishing your productivity. Keeping healthy and reasonable habits amid your demanding lifestyle could help make the most of your efforts and keep you sane in the process.
1. The early bird really does get the worm.
Staying up late to get work done may seem like a good idea, sometimes it seems easier to stay up later than wake up earlier. However, not all 8 hour time blocks are created equal. Staying up late creates more obstacles to productivity, even biological reasons, like your body producing melatonin once the sun goes down to make you sleepy. Waking up early gives you the advantage of mental clarity and energy for your work day. Staring at a computer screen in the dark, or even worse, taking work to bed with you, interrupts your work AND your sleep so you don’t get good results from either. Your brain needs it’s rest and recuperation time to be able to handle tomorrow’s tasks. Unapologetically enforce your own bedtime.
2. Straighten out your goals before meeting others'.
How often do you wake up to missed phone calls, urgent emails and even before your coffee is done brewing, you have already jumped into work like yesterday never ended? Take a moment for yourself to get off the phone call/email treadmill. Take 10 deep, slow breaths or heck, light a candle and mediate, whatever it takes to get you focused on the goals YOU want to achieve for the day. It may seem too simple to matter, but taking a moment for yourself is stress relieving which helps you better handle the day ahead. Focusing your energy on specific goals you set for yourself also helps drive your day more productively rather than just reacting to what’s going on around you. Take the wheel.
3. A healthy mind starts with a healthy body.
Everyone hates this one. But the simple fact is that exercise consistently keeps you feeling great physically and emotionally while boosting your energy level. Yes, it’s hard to tear yourself away from work, but at least 30 minutes a day isn’t that big of a sacrifice for the payoff you reliably get. It keeps you balanced and energized and your brain functioning at top capacity. An added bonus, it will most likely help you know when bedtime is as well.
Incorporating these things into your daily routine might be difficult at first. The temptation to fall back into your long but only partially productive hours can seem easier, but only because you’ve been practicing bad habits for too long. Think of your new habits as an investment in your business. If you’re not doing well, how will your business thrive?
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