This Was What I looked Like From Not Taking Breaks!
When I first started out in the industry, I would work my full time job, come home spend time with my family, and then work 4 hours on my home business. Guess how many days a week I did that? You got it 7! Keep in mind I did this for months on end, and you can imagine I became mentally exhausted. I was doing this because I thought it would make my home business take off that much faster, so I could quit my full time job. You see I have 5 year old twins and I wanted to be home when my kids were done with Pre-K. After months of doing this I came to the realization that it was time to make some changes. You know the saying " Work smarter, not harder". I have great news for you! When I made the changes the changes to work smarter, I wrote everything down and now I am going to share with YOU! Before we get to the changes, let's go ahead and discuss some of the signs of you needing to take a break. Are you ready to get going?
Warning Sign #1: Headaches
I would get awful headaches out of the blue, and it turns out my brain was telling me it needed a break. This one definitely caught me off guard. I had no idea my brain needed to take a timeout if you will. Take a Break.
Warning Sign #2: No Exercise in Months
When I was at my best, I was exercising for 30-45 minutes a day, 5 days a week. As soon as I started my home business, I stopped doing my workouts. My excuse was I needed all the time I could get to build my home business. Take it from me, skipping exercise was an awful idea. I was constantly feeling tired, cranky, my diet was awful, etc. What I do now is workout from home, and if you want to see what I do go here Workouts .
Warning Sign #3: Constantly On Your Smartphone
Picture me with my Android phone using it constantly. I was using it at the dinner table, sitting on the couch, in my bed when I was getting ready to go to sleep. The first thing I would do when I woke up was check my Facebook notifications, and see how many unread emails I had. This also lead me to neglect my wife, which is never a good thing to do. Take a Break.
Warning Sign #4: Social Life Is Zero:
It has been said that the number one regret of a person on their death bed is not spending enough quality time with their family and friends. If you are missing your kids events or your family hasn't seen you in months, it is definitely time for a break. You definitely don't want to be one of those people who regrets not spending enough time with your loved ones on your death bed, do you?
Warning Sign #5: Constantly Needing Caffeine
I would drink 5 cups of coffee a day when I started my business. The worst part about that besides being bad for your health is that wasn't enough. I was still feeling extremely fatigue after that much caffeine. Pretty crazy I know. Maybe you are a soda drinker, but the concept is the same. If you have that feeling after having that much caffeine, it is definitely time for a break.
Cure Being Burned Out With These Suggestions:
- Take one day complete off each week to recharge yourself: If you are not comfortable taking an entire day off, take at least an evening off. This way you can take your family out to dinner. No cell phone!
- Subscribe to the 60-20 rule: Work for 60 minutes at a time, then take 20 minutes off to get up and stretch out. You will be amazed at the increase in your productivity after taking these 20 minute breaks.
- Set Office Hours: My biggest problem when I started my home business was I didn't set any work hours for myself. I would come home from my job, eat dinner, and then right away get into building my business. Your local grocery store has set hours, and you should too.
- Create A Healthy Work-Life Balance: Schedule time to spend with your family and friends. I understand you want to build your home business, but with some trial and error on your part, you can make it happen.
- Get A Hobby: Pick up a creative activity that doesn't have any goals associated with it. This will be something that you enjoy doing, but doesn't have any deadlines attached to it.
Closing:
As I always tell you, don't try to implement all of these suggestions all at once. I recommend starting with the taking a day off each week to start, and then go from there. If you found this article helpful, please share with your family and friends on your favorite social media platform. Have a great day!
To Your Success,
Steven Thompson
P.S. If you haven't already let's connect on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/coachsteventhompson
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