Health & Wellbeing

There is a critical component to running a business that not many of us consider nor is it in mainstream business books.  Without it all your plans, successes and hard work go away. And that one component is your health.

For many small businesses, the owner is central to the income generating activities. This is the lifeblood of a business. Sometimes I think we forget how important it is to take care of the person behind this role because if they are not well enough to do it the whole process grinds to a halt.

In business, we track our metrics and our KPI’s. How many of us track our health and wellbeing?

It became apparent to me recently that despite my best efforts there were a few things that I was not focusing on with my self-care and it was starting to impact on my energy levels.  The reason this matters to me is that to be my best in business I want to be in the best physical condition possible.

Am I there yet? Not even close, but I started to track my sleep, energy, moods, food intake and exercise…. just as a routine part of tracking my daily work commitments. I measured them the way I would my business dashboard so I could optimise my energy and get the most out of my workdays.

As a result, I made a few simple adjustments. The three key things I adjusted to improve my self-care also impacted favourably, as it turns out, on my efficiency as well. They are.

1.     Sleep

Yep, I read the 5am Club too and it was great. But getting up at 5am did not give me enough sleep and in fact made me super anxious about getting to bed in time to get enough sleep!  So, I get up at 6am so I get 8 hours because that suits me. You cannot ‘hustle’ your way through growing your business by working late into the night without it eventually coming back to bite you.

2.     Exercise

If there was an Olympic sport for taking a walk and looking at people’s gardens, I could have won gold. That had to change because it wasn’t enough. Exercise plays a huge role in maintaining mental health and managing stress, so it is now in my calendar as an appointment. I wouldn’t skip an appointment with a client so I’m not going to skip an appointment with myself. I still walk but I also do HIIT sessions I find on Pinterest. I am starting to see the changes physically and a 10-minute workout can completely turn your mindset around.

3.     Get your team together!

When was the last time you had a check up? Most of us book in our car service without a second thought but wait until something goes wrong to go see a doctor, dentist, or allied health practitioner. Make yourself a priority and manage your health like you would a business project. Book it into your calendar and include it in your regular planning.

Perhaps this sounds delightfully indulgent, but I am going to put it out there that as the most important person in your business, your health and wellbeing is a priority above all else. What do you need to do today to care of yourself?