When I returned to the entrepreneurial good fight after my first bout of serious anxiety, I found I was unable to grind while everyone else slept – I needed sleep. That realization made me think about hustling a little differently. These 5 things were instrumental to my productivity and mental health while grinding.
- SLEEP
GO TO FUCKING SLEEP, OK? Go to sleep. To hell with all the “hustle” mantras, all the “I’ll sleep when I’m deads.” The body restores itself during sleep. If you never go to sleep, how will you have any energy to keep grinding? When I was in law school, I read that Diddy only sleeps about four hours a day. Of course, I tried it. I studied until 2AM and woke up at 6AM to prep for class and study more. I won’t lie – for about a couple days I was pretty productive. But I also had headaches mid day from sleep deprivation and dozed off anytime I sat still, including during class. I quickly realized I am not the same strain of unicorn as Diddy, and a 4-hour sleep schedule is not sustainable for me.
Take your sleep seriously and unwind properly at the end of the day. Unwinding is signaling to every part of your body that sleep is approaching. I’m reminded of my former manager’s toddler son. He hated when his parents sprang bedtime on him. If they tried to put him down at 8 without a reminder, he would have a full-scale meltdown. He needed a little reminder at about 7:30 that bedtime was approaching.
That’s how the body works – it needs a chance to process bedtime. If you try to work until you close your eyes, work related issues will swirl in you mind while you’re trying to sleep, which can easily result in insomnia. About 30 mins before bedtime, shut off the work and find a way to clear your thoughts through journaling, reading, or watching something funny or relaxing (my favorite is HGTV). You’ll find that you fall asleep faster and rest more peacefully.
- UNPLUG
There are so many distractions surrounding us, namely social media, which makes it difficult to focus on anything. Unplugging is simple – identify a practice that wastes a lot of your time and limit or eliminate it. Then, use the time you reclaim toward your business.
A few years ago, I started a practice of fasting from Twitter on Sundays. At the time, it was my biggest social addiction. I would find out the topic of the day and scroll through my timeline for hours at a time, consuming all of the jokes and perspectives. I realized one Sunday morning how much I could accomplish on the weekend if I just limit twitter. I began the fast as a New Year’s resolution in 2014, but I quickly realized the benefits and stuck with it. Three years later, Sundays are still my most productive day and set the tone for the rest of the week.
A side effect of weekly unplugging is my desire to scroll twitter all day diminished. The funny thing about social media is the less you use it the less you want to use it. I still love Twitter and use it to discuss world events or for community cackling with Real Housewives of Atlanta, but I no longer waste hours scrolling. I know there are much better uses of my time.
- CREATE RITUALS
Rituals help you close one section of your day and move on to another. I know the word “rituals” sounds big and ominous, but rituals just provide small moments to catch your breath throughout the day, I’m also a big fan of rituals because I don’t like jarring change, like the piercing sound of an alarm clock. Rituals create peaceful transitions, instead of rushing around mindlessly from one task to the next.
I have rituals for nearly everything – some conscious and others just happen. For example, my post work ritual consists of a shower, a cup of tea, and a 30-minute breather. It helps release any work thoughts or commuter stress. It also centers me and helps me move into my evening’s work with good energy.
- EMBRACE YOURSELF
Self-awareness is critical in EVERY aspect of life. Business is no exception.
There is so much business content available through podcasts, webinars, YouTube, etc. And everyone has different advice for achieving your goals. It is impossible to follow every bit of advice, mainly because they often contradict one another. You have to know yourself to know what will work for you and what to leave behind.
Conventional advice advocates a morning centric schedule. I have found some value in that advice, but I tweaked it to line up with my energy spikes. I need a few moments in the morning to recover from my commute, so I read the news and check emails first. I schedule the most difficult tasks mid morning when I know I will have the mental energy to complete them. I generally have another energy burst in the afternoon and tackle whatever I didn’t finish in the morning. I fill the rest of the day with things that need to get done, but may not require as much of my deep concentration.
You should also be aware of bad habits. We all have bad habits we SHOULD work to break. But sometimes, it is counterproductive to focus on your weaknesses. Instead, build them into your schedule.
I am a massive procrastinator. So, I often build procrastination into my schedule. For instance, I outline or draft my closing reports midway through the assignments. Why? Because I know I’ll be scrambling to finish at the end. So I usually get to the end of my project and think, “I forgot I did that. I’m further than I thought,” instead of “OH SHIT!! I FORGOT I HAD TO DO THAT.” Makes a world of difference.
- OUTSOURCE
Outsource outsource outsource. Don’t stress yourself out with tasks that you hate. Pay someone else, preferably some more qualified, to do them for you.
Growing up, I hated cleaning (still do). My mother made me clean, but she always said, “you don’t have to clean, you just need to make enough money to have someone do it for you.” THAT was incredibly empowering. It affirmed three things – (1) I am allowed to hate certain tasks; (2) I don’t have to be good at everything; (3) I have options for getting things done.
Outsourcing frees up you time for the work that matters. Think of outsourcing broadly. It’s not just about business tasks – outsourcing is about anything that takes time away from your work. Those can be household tasks or business tasks. A “simple” task like cleaning can easily take me 8 hours between all the dread around getting started, the breaks, tea, and snacks I “need” to keep going. Ultimately, that is 8 hours I’m not doing things that make me money.
As entrepreneurs, we know how to work harder and smarter, but we must also learn to hustle with our wellness in mind. We are a one-person army. We have to take care of ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally to sustain the entrepreneurial grind.