8 Daily Habits That Will Help You Be a Better Entrepreneur

Running your own business isn’t always easy, and for many entrepreneurs, it’s not unusual to find themselves juggling tons of different things at the same time. And, this can quickly begin to take a toll on every aspect of your health and wellbeing, depending on the type of business that you run. If you work from home from a desk all day, you can easily find yourself lacking exercise if you spend every waking hour working on your business, which can lead to weight gain, aches, and pains, and even affect your mental health over time.

Successful entrepreneurs know that looking after themselves is crucial not only for their own good, but also for the health of their business. When you take small steps daily to improve your lifestyle and look after yourself well, you’ll have more energy to put into your business, and quickly begin to reap the benefits. Here are some daily habits that you can implement to improve your work as a business owner.

Improve Your Sleep Habits

First and foremost, you will want to make sure that you are getting enough high-quality sleep every night. Trying to run a business can be difficult enough; you don’t want to end up doing reduced sleep when you’re suffering from fatigue and brain fog. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to get in a good routine. If you need to, upgrade your mattress and pillows to improve your comfort at night and make it easier to drift into a deep, relaxing sleep. If you snore, mouth breathing could leave you waking up with a dry mouth and sore throat every morning; snoring strips are such a simple yet smart solution that will help you breathe through your nose and wake up feeling better.

Be Creative

Depending on the type of business that you run, you might spend most of your time doing mundane and rather boring, yet essential tasks. Having a creative hobby can actually improve your work performance, so it’s a good idea to try and inject some creativity into your daily routine. Whether you learn to play a musical instrument, set up a crafting room in your home, paint pictures, or try your hand at making your own clothing, having a creative outlet to turn to will not only be therapeutic but can also help you to stay disciplined and focused when it comes to your business.

Connect with Others

Running your own business from home has never been easier, so if you’re among the many people who are working as a ‘solopreneur’, it’s important to make sure that you don’t end up completely isolating yourself. Of course, technology has made it easy for us to stay connected with friends and family through texts, calls, and video calls, but nothing beats meeting up in person and spending some quality time with a friend or relative. Even if it’s just grabbing lunch or a coffee with a friend who lives or works nearby, try to work some social interaction into your routine as often as you can.

Exercising

When you’re heavily focused on making your business work, it can be all too easy to end up skipping the gym or your regular workout to sit at your desk and reply to emails or finish up a project instead. But too much sitting down can be bad for your physical health and after a while, you’ll start to see and feel the effects of not getting enough exercise. On the other hand, creating a routine that allows you to stick to daily exercising will not only make sure that you stay in shape, but can also help with mental clarity and make it easier for you to face all the work that owning a business throws at you. Going for a brisk walk or jog at midday might be all that you need to grab some time to yourself and get those endorphins flowing after a long morning; you’ll return to your desk feeling refreshed and pumped for the afternoon.

Eliminate Distractions

Working as an entrepreneur often means that you have notifications coming at you from all directions, but if you’re constantly making yourself available, you’re wasting valuable time that you could be spending elsewhere. Many business owners find themselves constantly checking their email and phone for work updates, which can be a huge culprit when it comes to the amount you have to do in a day. It might be worth investing in a software program or app that you can use to only get the notifications that genuinely need immediate attention so that you can focus better on what you are doing and check your emails when you have the time to deal with them all. And when it comes to your downtime, don’t let your business take over your life in the evenings and on the weekends; set your phone to ‘Do not disturb’ mode so that you can enjoy your free time without distractions.

Take Regular Breaks

Owning and running your own business is a lot of hard work, but you can’t expect yourself to be performing at your best if you never let yourself have some time off from it. In fact, working for long hours for weeks at a time without taking a day off to yourself can actually have the opposite of the desired effect when it comes to your productivity. You’re not going to be more productive from working flat-out; if anything, you’re going to end up suffering from burn-out and struggle to get anything done at all. Make sure that you give yourself regular short breaks throughout the day and take at least one day per week off from working too.

Relaxation Techniques

There’s no denying that running your own business can be stressful; you take a lot of risks to get where you are and unlike employment, there’s no guarantee that you’re actually going to make any money next month. Even when things are going steady in terms of the income that you’re bringing in, next week or next month could be a totally different story. So, it’s unsurprising that many entrepreneurs suffer from some level of stress and anxiety. Incorporating relaxation techniques like mindful breathing and meditation into your daily routine can be very helpful with this. Set reminders on your phone to let yourself know to take a few deep breaths. If you have an Apple Watch, they have a very useful feature that you can switch on to remind you to breathe throughout the day.

Delegate Tasks

Finally, don’t get stuck in a rut of trying to do everything by yourself. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and one of the best habits that you can get into as a business owner is delegating tasks to somebody else when you’re struggling to do them your own. Not only do you free up time to work on the things you can easily accomplish and avoid wearing yourself thin, but you’ll also get better business results when you delegate tasks to people who are more suited to the job than you are.

Looking after yourself is hugely important when you’re running a business. Incorporate these habits into your daily routine and see the difference in your overall wellbeing and your business’s performance too.