Last Updated on February 24, 2024
Many entrepreneurs and business owners pride themselves on being hard-working and addicted to the grind – and that’s not a bad thing!
Hard work is what makes our businesses possible, and many entrepreneurs get a big jolt of inspiration from putting in a solid day of being productive.
But working hard all the time is unsustainable, unrealistic, and often counter-productive.
If you want to get the best results out of your business life, you need to take care of your health and well-being too.
Here are a few tips for how entrepreneurs and freelancers can get more out of all facets of life by taking better care of themselves:
1. Take A Vacation
It will clear your mind and re-energize you to come back to work with new perspectives.
entrepreneurs are reluctant to go on vacation because they feel like their business will fall apart while they’re out of the office – but the truth is often the opposite! Sometimes when entrepreneurs go too long without taking a vacation, their minds get clogged with mental clutter and mental fatigue, and their business starts to suffer.
It’s hard to be a creative entrepreneur when you never get a break from work or get a change of scenery. Going too long without vacation can be a health risk, too.
Vacations relieve stress and provide fresh inspiration. You might even get some new ideas for your business or achieve clarity on some big business decisions that you’ve been wrestling with for months.
Taking a vacation can also be an ideal occasion to re-connect with family and friends; entrepreneurs often need to set aside dedicated time to spend with loved ones, and getting out of town for awhile is often a great way to accomplish this.
Get a break from work, get fresh inspiration for your business, and build cherished memories with your favorite people!
2. Take A Break From Drinking
Many entrepreneurs tend to adopt a lifestyle of “work hard, play hard” – and it can be easy to fall into a pattern where you’re often going to happy hour after work with your team, or going out for drinks with clients, or having cocktails at industry conference receptions, or having a drink or two on the plane to relax…but before you know it, you might be drinking more than you realize, or more than is healthy for you.
More people are discovering the health benefits of reducing their alcohol consumption. Even if you don’t have a drinking problem, even if you don’t want to live completely alcohol-free, you might be amazed at how much better you can feel if you cut back on the booze or take a month off from drinking altogether.
Going without alcohol tends to help people get better sleep and feel more energized, without the hangovers and carbohydrate bloat that comes with drinking too much.
Taking a break from alcohol can help you be more clear-headed, well-rested, energized, and open to new ideas.
Especially if you have a tendency toward excessive drinking, being sober can help you make better progress in your business as well as your personal life.
Also, an underrated side benefit of taking a break from drinking is that it can help you save a lot of money!
You might be surprised at how much money you can save in one month of not going out for drinks. Healthy living is often healthier for your personal finances, too!
3. Meditate
There are mindfulness apps now that can help you center your mind.
Many creative entrepreneurs and CEOs are getting into mindfulness as a way to feel calmer, stay grounded, and get the most out of every moment of the workday, and beyond.
Mindfulness can involve meditating, breathing exercises, working with a mindfulness guru, taking yoga classes, or just trying a bit harder to notice and appreciate little things in everyday life – the beauty of nature, the love of your family, the joy you find in activities.
Mindfulness is a journey, it’s not something you’re born with or something that happens overnight – it’s a way of re-training your brain and re-focusing your thoughts so you can feel more peaceful and grateful and less anxious, and help life feel more abundant.
All of these feelings are valuable for entrepreneurs, because if you can live in the moment more fully and feel more grateful for what you have, you can make better decisions for your business and for your life.
Entrepreneurs often do their best work when they are operating from a place of gratitude and abundance, not a place of scarcity and fear.
4. Work With A Therapist, Counselor Or Coach
Creative entrepreneurs can often feel lonely, especially if you’re a solopreneur or freelancer.
You don’t often get that daily interaction and feedback from other people at work to help you know if you’re on the right track; there are no easy milestones or guidelines to know if you’re “doing it right” for your career.
Sometimes these feelings can lead to isolation, anxiety and depression.
But even if your mental health is in top shape, creative entrepreneurs should still consider working with a therapist, counselor or coach on a regular basis. Getting therapy or coaching can help you in numerous ways that affect your health and your business: it feels good to have a regular sounding board to share ideas and re-direct your possibly negative or self-defeating thoughts.
It helps you maintain perspective and make better decisions.
Therapy and coaching can help you re-center yourself and keep your business and life on the right path.
5. Walk Every Day
Maybe you don’t have time or budget right now to invest in a bunch of therapy sessions or wellness apps – that’s fine.
If you’ve read this far, there’s one thing you can do that doesn’t take a lot of time or money: go for a walk.
Walking is one of the most natural human activities and it brings surprising health benefits, even just 30 minutes a day.
Especially if you can go for a walk in a park or nature setting, you will benefit immensely from fresh sensations and visual stimulation; walking in nature is a great way to clear your mind and relax.
Being a creative entrepreneur doesn’t have to be a grind.
It shouldn’t feel hard and unpleasant to be a creative entrepreneur, it should feel natural and energizing.
Taking care of your health and wellness, both physically and mentally, is one of the most important ways to invest in the success of your business – and your life!