Think back to the last week you were under a deadline.
Your meals came from a greasy takeout box, you spent every day hunched over your desk for 12 hours barely moving, and you grabbed the laptop to start working as soon as you rolled out of bed in the morning.
We've all been there.
How did you feel the week afterwards? Did you crash? Need a vacation? Or maybe even get sick?
Imagine if you strung together several months or years worth of these weeks. (If you're anything like me, shouldn't be too hard to visualize.) Even if you dial down the intensity, you're still headed for burnout.
Every entrepreneur seems to have their own burnout story.
I became a workaholic the moment I left my career as an applied plant scientist for the government to go out on my own. My passion for building my own business finally had full reign.
For the next couple years, I worked seven days a week.
Ever heard that saying that entrepreneurs are the only ones who will work 80 hours to avoid working 40?
I never shut it off. I was driven by ever-moving goals.
I didn't have time for real lunch breaks and when I stopped to think about it, I hadn't been to the gym in months. I barely spent quality time with my husband, rarely unplugged.
I was hustling.
Then one day two years into this hustle, I woke up and I didn't feel like going to work. I was tired and there was no joy left for what I was doing.
Burnout is a serious business killer.
It means a hard time getting out of bed, lack of motivation to get yourself to work, and a foggy brain when you get there.
And many of us are living under this perpetual state of burnout day after day.
What good do wicked marketing skills, a team of talented contractors, and a library of online courses to learn from do if you're not clear-headed enough to steer the helm of your business?
Your business doesn't run without you. It needs your brain on all thrusters and your 100% energy and creativity.
And who wants to waste time on sick days? If I'm going to be off, I'd personally rather take a vacation instead.
On the contrary, ever noticed how you can work longer hours when you get a full 8 hours sleep, or how you're renewed after a 20-minute walk break, or how the afternoon slump never hits when you eat a particularly "healthy" lunch? (If not, uh-oh. Try one of these things asap.)
What if you could bring this energy and clarity to your work every day?
What could you get done? And, more importantly, how much energy would you have left over for the other things that matter?
The best way to prevent yourself from becoming your business' top liability is through healthy choices today.
Now that you have this information, it's your choice. Are you going to be your business' biggest asset... or it's biggest liability?
Originally posted here.
Adria DeCorte, Healthy Living Strategist, works with female entrepreneurs to make healthy living part of their business plan. Visit adriadecorte.com to start feeding your hustle.