Many business owners and professionals spend a lot of their time on self-development, networking and building partnerships to support business growth.
To run and grow a business takes massive amounts of time, energy and focus.
A lot of people blog about how to improve your business (Including myself) around technology, sales, marketing and self-development etc… but often business owners & entrepreneurs neglect one key area, THEMSELVES!
What’s the missing link when it comes to business growth?
You can work 60+ hours per week, network like a machine and burn the candle at both ends but eventually if you don’t take care of the right areas it will catch up with you. This can have massive negative impacts on your business, but more importantly your health.
Take care of YOUR Wellbeing!
Wellbeing is a state of being comfortable, healthy, and happy both mentally and Physically. When your wellbeing is neglected things around you like family, your team and your business will be impacted too.
Benefits of focusing on your Wellbeing
There are many benefits to focusing on your wellbeing, but some of the advantages include:
- Better Health
- Improved mental health
- Higher Energy levels
- Ability to Focus
- Able to support family and teams
- The business benefits from the increased energy and focus levels
x8 Key areas to Improve your wellbeing, boost energy and to take you to the next level
- Exercise – Regular exercise not only is good for your health, but great for building habits and supporting a healthy mindset. Mobility is also important so stretch daily and use a foam roller to release pressure in your muscles.
- Nutrition – Eating the right stuff at the right time can help boost energy levels. I have found a high fat and protein diet (low carb), and eating smaller portions more regularly works best for me.
- Hydration – Obvious one really, but a lot of people think they are drinking enough water when really, they are not. If you already hydrate a lot during the day, increase by having 1 pint of water before you sleep and another as soon as you wake up. This will also help with energy and concentration.
- Biohacking – What is Biohacking? Wikipedia says:
‘The terms biohacking emphasize the connection to hacker culture and the hacker ethic. The term hacker is used in the original sense of finding new and clever ways to do things. The terms are used to refer to several things:
Do-it-yourself biology, biotechnological social movement in which individuals and small organizations study biology using the same methods as traditional research institutions
Nutrigenomics, using nutrition to hack/take control of the human biology
Quantified self, measuring various biomarkers and behaviour’s to try to optimize health’
Biohacking can be as little or as big as you make it – I recommend looking at small ‘hacks’ like changes to diet or habits to improve performance. For example, I often enjoy a ‘bullet proof coffee’ (coffee with butter and coconut oil) as it is proven to boost energy and focus. A great blog to follow for Biohacking tips is: https://blog.bulletproof.com/
- Sleep – This is one of the most important areas and often over looked. Without enough sleep your focus, energy and health will suffer. It’s hard to find what’s right for you, but everyone is different. I function at 100% when I’ve had approx. 6-7 hours sleep, other people may need 8+ and others may be ok with less. Ignore the business owners posting about getting up a 4am and only getting 4 hours sleep because they are so busy working – They are on a path to burnout.
- Take a break – In a busy fast paced environment taking breaks is often forgotten, however when working at a computer for long hours it’s an important area you need to factor in. I use time blocking – So block 1-2 hour’s worth of work, with a few minutes in-between to stretch or leave the desk for a short period before hitting the next time block of work.
- Habits & Routines – Making all these changes to your daily routine, training and eating habits can be tough to implement. Consistency and repetition need to be endured to create habits around these healthy practices. I find planning my work and exercise a week in advance within a planner helps to stay on track. I also meal prep the day before to ensure I stay on track with healthy decisions even when busy.
- Environment – The environment, office and desk you work have a big impact on your mood, mindfulness and productivity. If your office is loud and manic, and your working space a mess this will cause unnecessary stress and distractions. Look to create a controlled working environment with a well organised and tidy desk. Changing environment here and there can also boost productivity. I find working from home 1-2 days per week with my stand-up desk works to charge mindset, energy and often cultivates creative thinking.
Let’s talk…
If you would like to talk about this blog, business or fitness feel free to get in touch or tweet @mikejdouglass
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