Young entrepreneurs have a lot in common. They are extremely motivated, passionate, and determined to be successful at any cost. While these are all excellent qualities to have, they lead many entrepreneurs to put everything they have into their business while neglecting their own health and well-being.
Here are a few tips to help you perform at your peak in every aspect and develop healthy habits from the start:
1. Learn to Properly Deal With Stress
Stress can be an inhibitor and a motivator. The key as an entrepreneur who will inevitably undergo intense levels of stress at times is to learn how to channel stress in a positive way. Each person deals with stress differently, and there's not only one right way to deal with it.
However, here are some basic guidelines:
- Don't keep it bottled up: Letting stress fester without taking any action to resolve or overcome it will only result in detrimental effects over time.
- Learn to identify stress symptoms and triggers: With the many tasks an entrepreneur is responsible for on a daily basis, sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint precisely what is causing excessive stress. Identifying the causes first can help you better plan a way to resolve it.
- Change your mindset: In the mental game of stress, the key is learning how to look at stressors positively instead of negatively. Use them to promote focus and dedication instead of letting them paralyze you in your business efforts.
2. Sleep
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep to function. But that doesn't mean you should completely ignore your need to sleep. Find out what your body needs to function at its prime -- whether it's 4 hours or 9 hours -- and stick to a normal sleeping routine as often as possible, even with a busy schedule.
Also, the hours you sleep are important. You body gets higher quality sleep before midnight and you should do your best to be asleep by 10 p.m. on a regular basis so that you can take advantage of this prime sleeping time.
3. Find Time for Exercise
Exercising is not only one of the best ways to deal with stress, but it's also a long-term investment in your productivity and health. Find a way to fit exercise into your day in a way that is most optimal for your schedule. Some people use exercise as a way to wake up and start their day off right. Others use it as a mid-day break from their daily tasks, or as a way to decompress after a long day of work. Some people even prefer to exercise at night to help them sleep better. Find out when exercise works best for you, and stick to a routine.
Exercising doesn't always have to take up hours of your valuable time. Even finding just 20-30 minutes per day, several times a week, can be enough to keep your physical and mental state in its prime.
One great way to accomplish this is by doing a quick 15-20 minute bodyweight interval workout right when you wake up.
4. Meditation
For anyone in today's culture -- and especially for entrepreneurs -- it can be difficult to find time away from all the present technological distractions. Years of research and studies have shown that even just a few minutes of dedicated meditation each day can benefit not only mental health, but physical health as well. Find time in your day to escape distraction and stress and spend several minutes focusing on deep breathing and relaxation.
You'll find that your stress levels plummet, your mental focus sharpens and your overall sense of well-being improves.
5. You Are What You Eat
As a busy entrepreneur, it can be far too easy to rely on unhealthy fast food, takeout or restaurant food as a way to save time in your schedule. It's no secret that eating better food improves your physical state, but also makes your mind sharper and gives your more energy day-to-day.
Eating healthy doesn't always mean you have too cook at home for hours each week. If your schedule demands that you rely on quick meal options, get in the habit of choosing a lighter fare at restaurants full of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. Another option for time-constrained schedules is to consider healthy meal delivery and preparation services that offer prime nutrition with little prep.
6. Take Self-Enforced Time Off
As an entrepreneur, it can be difficult to not let your business consume your life. Unless you force yourself to step away from your work responsibilities for small periods of time, chances are your work-life balance will get thrown off quickly.
Whether it's a couple hours each day, one day a week or several days each quarter, hold yourself to the commitment of stepping away for your own sanity.
It is critical that you plan this into your schedule. If you don't plan it the chances of it happening are almost zero.
7. Find Ways to Outsource and Delegate
It's common for entrepreneurs to have the do-it-yourself mentality for every element of their business. But the faster you learn to maximize your time with tasks only you can complete, the faster you'll find that it really is possible to feel like you have control over your business without being excessively stressed.
For some entrepreneurs, this could mean outsourcing design, technology or skilled labor, while for others, it could mean hiring a virtual assistant or bookkeeper. Find what options will best maximize your productivity.
The key as an entrepreneur is to become a master at delegating tasks that are not ideal for you. This will make you happier, less stressed and most importantly it will earn your business more money.
8. Learn to Let Go
If you're like most entrepreneurs, your business is your baby. It's not always easy to trust people to run it like you would. But if you plan to grown your business, at some point you'll have to give portions of your responsibility away.
Learn to trust your employees and not feel the need to micromanage consistently. Otherwise, you'll reach a point where you just can't keep up with everything you feel you need to, and your stress levels will get the best of you.
9. Find a Mentor
Every good entrepreneur and businessperson has an even better mentor. Finding a good mentor as an entrepreneur can prevent you from making detrimental business decisions based on their advice, or at the very least, can just be an effective way to deal with stress and manage new business ideas.
10. Invest in Personal Development
Don't get so caught up in the day-to-day of running your business that you forget to improve your own skills. Doing so will make your business better and will allow you to constantly be learning and developing yourself, which is the biggest asset in your business.
Whether it's finding time to browse online articles, attend seminars, read books, or take additional educational courses, consider it a long-term investment in your business, rather than a distraction from daily tasks.
Successful entrepreneurs are always learning new skills and investing in themselves.
Don't find yourself 10 years down the road burnt out, unhealthy and unhappy. Start a goal today to begin incorporating these tips into your everyday routine. You'll discover a whole new level of energy, inspiration, and motivations that will help you accomplish your business goals.