They say it’s hard to get to the top, but even harder to stay there. For successful CEOs and entrepreneurs, this is all too true. The pressures of running a business day-in and day-out are often too much to handle if you don’t have your personal life in order. While you might think that having a strong work ethic can make up for a lack of discipline in other key areas of your life, you’d be wrong.
If you want to avoid burnout and optimize your body, mind, and spirit in order to bring your business as far as it can go, you’ll need to follow a few tried-and-true methods for success. In case you’re a CEO or entrepreneur looking to stay at the top of your game, let’s take a look at some of the most common, routine habits that others like you use to maximize their own potential.
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Waking up Early
Early to bed, early to rise. That’s a very common sentiment you’ll find amongst many successful CEOs and business owners. Don’t mistake this for neglecting to get a healthy amount of sleep every night, though. The most successful among us listen to their body’s internal clock and circadian rhythm, rising just before or along with the sun, and heading to sleep not long after it sets. Whether you need 6 hours of sleep or 10 hours of sleep per night, straying too far from this ideal sleep-wake cycle will lead to fatigue, mental fog, and a host of other problems, while adhering to it will produce the opposite effect.
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Meditation
This can take a variety of forms, but sitting still and focusing solely on your breath for at least 10 minutes straight every day is a good place to start. Most successful CEOs and business owners like to get this done early in the morning to help set the tone for the entire day. However, getting your ten minutes per day in no matter the time is going to produce short-term and long-term mental benefits.
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Exercise
Exercise is something we all need, from CEOs to interns. Daily exercise is best, and you don’t need to overdo it. Make sure to get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes per day to get the blood flowing and prevent yourself from dipping into lethargy. Don’t overthink it. When in doubt, work out.
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Nutrition
This one is simple, eat clean. You can treat yourself to junk sometimes, but don’t make it a habit. Maintaining a mostly clean diet free from sugar, processed foods, bad oils, and anything you might be even slightly allergic to is about the best thing you could do for your energy levels, productivity, mood, and overall well being.
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Keep it Clean
Keep your workspace tidy. Your mental state tends to reflect itself in your surroundings, so keeping yours clean can have the reverse effect of cheering you up and help you think clearer.
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Unplug
This doesn’t mean you can’t take your work home or be accessible to your associated at all times, but you should strive to completely disconnect from work for at least an hour a day. The chances of something catastrophic happening in your 1 hour of me-time are low, and true emergencies can always be dealt with immediately. The benefits of this have never been more valuable to CEOs and entrepreneurs in our highly connected world.
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Create
Paint, draw, sculpt clay, write for fun, or anything else that has you using the creative side of your brain. This will help keep things moving in your brain and prevent you from becoming locked into a certain mind frame 24/7. Letting your creative side out for a bit each day will shake things up and has been known to lead to some of the most outstanding breakthroughs we’ve ever seen in science, finance, business, and many other industries.
Champions Establish Routine
If you want to be great at anything, you’ll need to build a routine for success and stick to it. The best among us in any field know that becoming a slave to your routine is the sacrifice you have to make if you want to outperform everyone else. This means avoiding activities and habits that will derail you, even for brief periods of time. By following the routines in this article you’ll be well on your way to success in whatever you do.
Author bio
Marla DiCarlo is an accomplished business consultant with more than 28 years of professional accounting experience. As co-owner and CEO of Raincatcher, she helps business owners learn how to sell a business so they can get paid the maximum value for their company.