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Consider getting these 4 routines in place.
Published 2 months ago • 7 min read
Hey Reader,
This stuff is hard. Whether you're launching a side hustle or growing a business, or even just starting to dabble in the world of content creation or entrepreneurship, this journey can be lonely, stressful, and take a toll on your mental and physical health.
I've been starting and growing businesses for over 20 years now, and to say I have forgotten about my health from time to time would be the understatement of the decade.
It's tough - when you love what you're doing, when you're passionate about the work, and when it's all on you, it is really easy to burn yourself out, beat yourself down, and keep pushing through until you crash.
I will never claim to be an expert at this part, but over the years I have picked up a few things that have helped me keep my mental and physical health in better shape.
I don't remember to do this things all the time, and I've certainly ignored them completely for periods of time. BUT, when I lean into them and stay consistent, I am more productive, happier, and better at hitting my goals.
Will these all make sense to you? No, most likely not.
Should you do them just because I'm suggesting them? Of course not.
Should you at least consider implementing a couple of these ideas? Yes. I truly believe you would benefit from them.
So here we go. Here are a few of the routines I have found to help me improve my mental and physical health, my productivity, and my overall happiness.
You won't get them figured out in a couple days or even weeks. And you won't get consistent with them for a while. But I believe if you focus on getting a few of these into place, you will find that your health, happiness, and productivity will all improve.
1. Get Into A Proper Sleep Schedule
Sleep in general improves your overall health, helps relieve stress, and increases your overall performance in all areas. Get to bed early. Get good sleep. Wake up early.
Get to bed early.
This one is the toughest for me. I tend to have a million thoughts running through my head in the evening, and I've always been a bit of a night owl. So this is one I am constantly working on, but when I can get myself in bed by 9pm, I feel 10x better the next day - even when waking up at 5am.
Some things that have helped me get to sleep earlier:
I keep my room cooler, so I can get all cuddly and warm under blankets. Figure out what works for you.
Turn my phone on "do not disturb" so no notifications pull my attention.
Do a brain dump about an hour before bed - This allows me to get some of those thoughts out so they do not continue to bounce around in my mind. Gratitude from the day, negative thoughts, random ideas, etc.
Wake up early.
Waking up early gives you a quick win. You're likely already ahead of most people. It also gives you more time to workout, plan your day, do some reading, and get your productivity going for the day.
2. Work Out In The Morning
Not only is this good for your physical heath, but it does wonders for my mental health as well. It's also another win for me every morning, knowing that regardless of what exercise I do, I'm still likely doing more than most people.
You do not need to go crazy on this one. I set a goal of at least 15 minutes of working out. Most of the time I do more than that, but setting it at 15 minutes allows me to hit that target even on days when I'm feeling sluggish.
Go for a walk outside, get in a run on the treadmill, jump on the stationary bike, or hit the weights. Figure out what works for you, what you can physically handle, and make this part of your daily routine.
To have a good mental health, you have to also have good physical health.
3. Learn For 15 Minutes
Our world moves fast and changes faster. The things we need to know seem to be never-ending. Set aside the time to learn something every day. Just like my workout targets, I try to keep this one realistic and fairly easy to hit. 15 minutes is not too difficult to find.
Here are a few ways you can utilize this time to learn:
Read books (or listen to audiobooks)
Watch videos on YouTube (tutorials, inspirational, etc....not cats playing pianos).
Take an online course.
Listen to podcasts.
Read newsletters (I subscribe to a lot of newsletters from people much smarter than me)
Figure out what works for you, but get 15 minutes of learning in every day.
4. Set Up Tomorrow, Today
This one may actually be the one that does the most for me. Before I finish up my day, I take 15-20 minutes to make sure that I am set up for the next day. I update my to-do list, address any emails that need responded to, and clean my desk up.
I also check my calendar and make sure I know what meetings I have, how much work time I will be able to use, and any roadblocks that might prevent me from checking things off my list.
When I do this and get myself set up, the next day runs much more efficiently. When I get to my desk the next day, I am ready to go. I don't need to look through things or plan my day. I can just get to work.
I'm not sure if all of these will work for you, but I am pretty confident that if you get at least 1-2 of them in place, and focus on making them habits over the next 6 months, you'll want to thank me. 😁
When that time comes, I'll be ready for a high-five! 🖐️
FYI: The first 2 mins are ads, so you can skip ahead.
⚡️Things to Check Out
‼️ Taking The Plunge: Turning Your Side Hustle Into Your Full-Time Job
Side hustles have become a popular way to make some extra money alongside full-time employment and provide opportunities to pursue interests and talents if your day job isn’t quite as interesting as you’d like.
With rising living costs and economic uncertainty, for some people finding ways to supplement their income is a necessity. For others it is an aspirational move.
It’s a move that’s not without risk; a side hustle can be tiring, and the distraction and fatigue may lead to a sub-optimal performance in your full-time job, which can be damaging if you decide not to pursue your side hustle.
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The Verge spoke with Gates to discuss what makes him so optimistic about the technologies covered in the series. And we couldn’t resist asking him about his days leading Microsoft, too.
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💡CONTENT CREATION IDEA
PODCAST TOPIC IDEAS (for an episode or whole new show)
These can also be for blog posts or even social media posts.
Narrate yourself doing something
Offer a quote of the day
Look back at past event or topic
Offer multiple perspectives on a topic
Review popular entertainment
Launch industry profile series
Share small town news
Talk about that one horrible boss or job or project
Give a peak behind the scenes of your day
Talk about the latest pop culture headlines
Talk about creating your show
Interview regular people
Teach a basic skill
Talk about your favorite hobby, TV show, movie, or sports team
Share your trial and errors and what you've learned
Conduct interviews at events or conferences
Repurpose your existing content (
Elaborate on a social media post that got decent engagement
Publish a top X list (to 10, top 25, etc)
Share industry news
Happy creating!
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Helping educators create and grow brands to promote a product or idea they want to share with others to better education. Tips, tricks, and resources for educators creating content and/or launching side hustles to share their passions.
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