In this article, we want to touch on a few tips to ensure you’re maintaining your health during your entrepreneurial journey. This will help you to be as successful as possible.
Work/Life Balance: The Art of Scheduling
We’ve all been there – running around trying to do everything and please everyone at the same time. Sooner or later, exhaustion will creep in. Making you less productive, rendering your efforts almost worthless. Because you’ve now become less productive due to long hours. Now you are grinding harder, for even more hours, whilst completely disregarding the consequences. Eventually, you’ll reach burnout. And trust me, this isn’t a position you want to be in.
If this sounds like you, then there’s one thing you must start doing today, and that’s constructing a schedule. Scheduling in the times you’ll be spending on completing tasks, and setting aside time to live life is so important for the health and well-being of all entrepreneurs.
Being organized with your time will help you become more productive as well as healthy. Meaning you’ll actually be able to have time to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Organize your schedule to include the largest tasks first. Do these early on in your day, and leave the smaller tasks until later.
I also recommend sticking to this rule – for every two hours you work, have at least one hour to yourself. Grinding for 10 hours today? Awesome. Now make sure you have at least five hours to yourself. Away from your office, your computer screen, time away from work in general. What you do with those five hours is entirely up to you. We recommend getting some exercise, meditating, and spending time with family and friends. All of these activities have been proven to dramatically improve the overall health and well-being.
Your Diet: You Are What You Eat
It’s all too easy to grab fast-food when you’re on the go, but that bar of chocolate, those microwave meals, or that stodgy bagel won’t serve you well in the long run. I know what you’re thinking – who has time to cook? But trust me, you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing food to ensure that you’re eating healthily. As the old saying goes, “you are what you eat”, and this is why entrepreneurs must follow a well-balanced diet to ensure they’re staying healthy and energized.
I mean seriously, who feels good an hour after eating a pack of cookies? That quick sugar rush might make you feel good for a few minutes but will harm your productivity for the rest of the day when you come crashing down from your high.
One of the things you must do if you want to ensure your health in the long run as a hard-working entrepreneur is to have a healthy eating plan. Start by cutting out all of the junk food, and stick to 3 healthy meals a day. No rocket science here, just plenty of whole foods, veggies, good proteins and fats, and maybe some fruit. If you’re getting sufficient amounts of nutrients from your meals, then there should be no reason to snack, as grazing all day can be poor for your digestion. We’ll cover digestion and cognition in another blog, but to think clearly and make important entrepreneurial decisions, you definitely want to maintain great digestive health and eat a well-rounded diet.
To make sure you’re eating the right amount and getting all of the nutrients your body needs to function effectively, you can use apps such as Cronometer which will help you track your daily food intake. Remember, what you put in is what you get back out, so make sure you consume a nutrient-rich diet which provides you with all the energy you need to be a successful entrepreneur.
Exercise: (Yikes!)
Exercise. Everyone knows it’s extremely important for our health, but in this modern day and age seems to be a tough obstacle to tackle.
The truth is, you don’t need to be sprinting for miles or throwing around heavy weights for hours. To keep in good health, 20-30 minutes of gentle walking every day is all you need. The benefits of walking daily are unquestionable, with research showing the amazing benefits for both your mental and physical health.
I personally recommend investing in a good pair of earphones, selecting your favorite playlist or tuning into our podcast, popping in your earphones, and go for a gentle stroll. The Intentionally Inspirational podcasts are on average 20 minutes long which makes them a perfect way to come back from your walk feeling inspired!
Remember to Breathe
I can almost guarantee you have been shallow breathing whilst reading this blog – I was until I realized!
Why are we starving ourselves of the most important element to stay alive – oxygen! You’ll hear many people discovering different diets, claiming how their diet is the only way humans should eat. But you don’t see many people debating about how much oxygen we’re breathing in. One habit you definitely want to form is proper breathing. Start by using the 3-3-3 rule – breathing in for a count of three, holding for three, and releasing three. Trust me, it’s one of the best things you can do, especially if you’re feeling stressed.
There are (probably) a million different positive benefits when increasing our oxygen intake, but one thing I know is certain – to be a healthy, wealthy, successful, and happy entrepreneur you need to be taking in as much oxygen as possible, as it is undoubtedly the most crucial element required for good health.
Your Thoughts
I’d like you to try some of the simple tips outlined in this post and let me know how it goes. You’ll often find that a slight change made to your daily routine has the biggest impact on your life.
If there are any healthy habits that you’ve applied to your daily life as an entrepreneur and they’re having a positive impact on your life and career, then we’d love for you to share them with as well! Let us know in the comments section below.
Written by Lewis James