If you run your own business, there is every likelihood that you work well over 37.5 hours a week, and probably 50+ hours is the norm. Whether you do affiliate marketing, online sales, web design or whatever, having your own business means that there are always things you can be doing.
I love programming websites, or getting websites to “work” for me. From my previous posts, you can see that I’m trying the “minisite” concept to get recurring revenue without doing “much”. I also run a web design company which has numerous projects from standard content management or ecommerce to complex bespoke solutions. So there are always things that I can be doing to extend these projects, or even something more mundane such as getting information together for the book-keeper to do our VAT return.
The one thing that I have done for a few years now is to work less, and try and work smarter. Up until my daughter was born almost 7 years ago, I used to exercise 3-4 times a week (on a rowing machine) and from my log, I can see that stopped when she was 1 week old. Since then, I’ve started sporadically for a few days or weeks here and there over the last 6 years, but never stuck to it.
From around summer 2008, I took up rowing again on my Concept 2 rower. The first few weeks were crippling and extremely hard work as I didn’t realise how unfit I was. Since then, I’ve steadily extended what I do, and now do about 50Km of rowing a week, split into 5/6 sessions of 35-40 mins a time.
There is one problem with this though, and that is that I prefer rowing in the evening, but whenever I row, the endomorphins come flooding out and it can take 5-6 hours for me to feel “tired”. So take now, its 9.30pm and I’ll row after typing this blog entry, have a shower, do a bit more surfing or programing and then go to bed at about 2-3am and then be up about 7.30am to get my children ready for school.
But… for me, there are several benefits to doing this exercise.
1. I physically feel better for it and after the age of 30 you realise that your body is a lot less responsive to change, unless its to expand if you eat too much.
2. I need less sleep and when I do sleep, I close my eyes and wake 4-5 hours later feeling refreshed and ready to get up.
3. While your body is doing the exercise, I find that its a great time for your mind to think things through and reflect. I’ve quite often think of solutions to problems which I’ve been stuck on for ages earlier in the day, or had Eureka moments.
Even if you work a normal office 9-5 job, but don’t exercise, I’m sure you would feel the benefits of doing regular exercise - you’ll feel better for it, you’ll look better for it and you’ll have a sharper and more focused mind as a result.
Several people I know (males) play 5-aside football once a week, or alternatively you could try a Concept 2 style rower, join your local gym or even just going for a long walk!