I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 20 years, and I’ve been very successful at it. I’ve been sharing some tips over these last bunch of blogs, and here is the latest. Thanks for reading, commenting and sharing.
4. Take breaks
Productivity isn’t measured by how long you are willing to sit at a desk; it’s measured by how much you get done without sacrificing your health or your life. Right?
Working too much isn’t a sustainable business strategy. Balance is just a different word for sustainable.
There are enough studies and articles written on the subject. We all know it’s true. Get a little more organized with your time. Leave your desk and go for a good walk every day. The 30 minutes you are going to walk are otherwise going to be wasted anyway.
You might start by going for 5 minutes, coming back and seeing if anyone missed you. Go for 5 more. Trust me, if you tell everyone, “I’m going for a walk for half an hour” the world will not end.
Daily breaks are a good strategy for short-term time management, and it’s a good way to make sure you get some exercise.
Terrible story to share, really, but here it goes. I know a guy that runs every day and wears sweat socks on his hands so he can blow his nose “right in there” as he put it. The point he was making was that anyone can work an hour into their day to be good to themselves. He told me he does one hour of exercise in the middle of every day and never misses, including a shower. His entire day is built around it.
My partner Tom, whom some of you know, goes to the gym in the middle of his work day every day. He gets up early, works hard and then peels out for over an hour to tear himself apart.
5. Do a lot less.
Everyone knows about the 80/20 rule. Live by it for a week and tell me how you feel. Eighty percent of your revenue and accomplishment will stem from only 20% of the things you do. Try it, you’ll see it’s true. Conversely, that means that for most of us, 80% of our time is spent doing something that someone else should be doing, or perhaps it is something that shouldn’t be done at all.
What are your 20% activities? How much time do you spend doing them? How can you create some capacity in your day? What bottom 80% activities or relationships should go?
You know how the secret to saving a million dollars is to stop spending? Same thing with finding more time. Step one, identify all the different things you do that you spend time on and figure out, quickly, how most of it is unnecessary.
Trust me, I’ve been benefitting from regular 80/20 audits for over 20 years. I’m due again!
6. Just chill, no NETFLIX
Remember when you used to climb into bed and read? Do more of that. Do more walking. Do more sitting quietly.
Most of us spend too much time staring at screens taking in data. Unplug. Go water the flowers.
Don’t put anything else in your head. Instead, allow yourself a chance to hear what you have been thinking about.