Young entrepreneurs need rest in the form of relaxation and quality sleep. Your body literally requires it. Entrepreneurs must be their innovative, energetic selves and rest literally supports and improves your cardiovascular system, your immune system, and your mental health. Not only does it feel good to work when you are in a better mood, your ability to think, and the reduced levels of stress and anxiety allow you to accomplish more.
Rest? What does that even mean?
If you’re asking, then this article is for you!
Rest in the form of relaxation and sleep are critically important to your life and your ability to run your business. Though you have a lot of energy and So much to do, maintaining balance is important.
Think long-term because this isn’t some fly by night gig. Short-term burnout stops you, so you must avoid it.
The switch to “I’ve had enough” builds, but then hits suddenly.
You can consciously do what you need to do but there is a big difference in planning to work extra vs. running yourself into the ground.
Young entrepreneurs need time off. Young entrepreneurs need actual days off.
The negative effects of not getting enough relaxation and quality sleep on entrepreneurs are rough.
Rest in the form of relaxation and sleep is your opportunity to repair.
Just as your skin rejuvenates overnight while you sleep, your mental health and physical functions all depend upon this time too.
No planning time leads to poor choices – and your and your venture suffer the consequences.
Consider just this one area: fast food.
When you are too busy to cook or meal plan or shop, you make rushed decisions.
Convenient food can be great or highly detrimental. Convenient, unhealthy food selections result in a hit to your budget, a higher cost to your body, and compromise your output.
Just to name a few, consider how the CHOICE of being too busy to cook, meal plan, or shop can affect you short-term and long-term.
- Jitters
- Sluggishness
- Weight gain
- Lost muscle mass
- Compromised immune system
- Higher cholesterol
- Wasted budget
- Less progress
- Inefficiency
Good choices due to habit and planning time, boost your immune system and help alleviate the symptoms of many medical and psychological disorders.
Achievement is not a result of hitting the easy button.
Is wasting time because you couldn’t focus worth it? If you are in this to win, then of course it isn’t.
The goal is not to see what you can get away with.
Relaxation and quality sleep benefit small business owners.
Properly balancing your day improves your mental and physical health.
- Helps eliminate burn out
- Makes you feel rejuvenated
- Improves your Immune system
- Improves your mood
* It encourages a healthier heart and stronger cardiovascular system.
- Decreases heart rate and respiration rate
- Decreases blood pressure
- Lowers fatigue
- Reduces chronic pain
- Improves your sleep quality
* It improves healing and signs of aging by repairing your skin and cells faster.
* It leads to a better metabolism, therefore limiting obesity.
* Resting helps you avoid depression by reducing stress and related anxiety.
- Increases effectiveness
- Improves brain function
- Relieves brain fog
- Improves your memory, especially short-term memory loss
- Increases motivation
- Increases productivity
- Increases creativity
- Promotes sense of calmness and confidence
- Improved coping abilities
Give yourself the opportunity to live a balanced, longer, and happier life.
Plan rest into your day using the 8:8:8 strategy
Successful entrepreneurs follow best practices, and this is one of them.
Divide your daily schedule into 8 hours work, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours of sleep.
Young entrepreneurs often feel like renegades, and managing a startup puts you on top of the world! You’ll survive just fine on seven hours of sleep, but your well-being is nonnegotiable.
Make resting periods a priority by assigning an actual value.
Working and resting at assigned times ensures you create balance and maximize efficiency. There’s a time to work ample time for eating and self-care, and a time to turn it all off.
Define your schedule as is best for you. We provide a guideline – a good one – but a guideline. The amount of sleep you need depends on you.
My billionaire boss sleeps 2 hours each night. He goes to bed at midnight and rises at 2am, but not by choice; that’s his body. I get high strung and overly nervous without at a decent 5-6 hours. I’m sometimes up multiple times with my mind racing, but I go to bed and get up roughly the same time every day.
The point is – use 8:8:8 strategy as your guideline. Use your common sense guide you.
Even if you steal time from one bucket sometimes, or work a 2nd job, you can prioritize. You’ll know if you’re making worthwhile decisions, and you’ll schedule a fair amount rest in the forms of recreation and sleep.
Rest and relaxation routine tips & coping skills
First, lose the guilt.
Lose the old thinking of “you snooze you lose.” Now we know the results of that thinking and how harmful it is. As an entrepreneur, no company is paying you to show up late or basically sleep on the job. So don’t fall into a habit working all the time. Focus on efficiency, and show up as your best, most productive self.
Don’t add any extra pressure. Just plan and make good choices.
- Make conscious decisions to eat right and on schedule.
- Drink your water.
- Exercise, avoiding late night workouts.
- Watch caffeine and added sugar, avoiding caffeinated drinks in pm hours.
- Stick to a consistent sleep schedule, even on the weekends.
- Avoid napping during the day.
- Get your body and brain ready to sleep. Stop working. Stop swiping.
- Do relaxing activities such as reading or something pleasant.
- Keep a pad of paper and a pen by your bed. If you must, write brief reminders in the dark and handle the issue tomorrow.
At your desk, use and incorporate the following suggestions into your day.
- Use ergonomic hardware.
- Stand regularly.
- Elevate your feet.
- Do breathing exercises.
- Perform light stretches and exercise.
- Meditate.
- Practice visualization and relaxation techniques
- Stay on schedule.
Coping skills matter at every age. Balancing your time restores your body and mind.
If you haven’t learned to relax already, now is a great time.
Eliminate anti-rest habits.
Use innovation or delegate – whatever helps you maximize recreation and get enough sleep!
As the world got smaller and time ran faster, we started running a race against ourselves.
Chronic stress manifests when you live each day in a state of fight or flight. Remaining ready for action sounds like an over achiever’s mantra but it’s unhealthy.
When you operate in this state, your nervous system never stops to properly rest; as a result, it doesn’t relax. The nervous system stays in an ongoing state of high alert. Therefore your body doesn’t move into the state of rest to receive the many benefits. As you move out of your workday and into recreational time, prepare for your evening.
- Fight insomnia. Know your triggers and stop them. There ARE solutions so be open to suggestion.
- Stop the late night exercise, alcohol, swiping and running scenarios over in your mind.
- Set yourself up for good nights of sleep. Not “a” good night of sleep – many, ongoing nights of decent sleep.
Put that old saying of “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” to work and incorporate setting boundaries with yourself as part of your business planning sessions. Taking care of you invests in your future. When you take a day and take moments to step away it’s fulfilling an obligation to yourself.
Respect your need for relaxation and sleep. Successful young entrepreneurs do not underestimate the importance of this time. Work your big ideas around the needs of your body and brain – make it about business and be selfish.
Your business needs you. You need to show up today.
Don’t even joke about it. Creating balance is as much of a key to your success as is business planning. Without your focus and ability to see it through, your business goes nowhere. Entrepreneurship and rest need to work hand in hand. Relax. Sleep well. Every Day. You got this.
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