Daily Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs

[vc_empty_space height=”20px”]Starting a business or multiple businesses requires discipline, commitment, and productive habits. Many of these daily rituals and routines revolve around health and others around mental preparation. 

Living a life of consistency and healthy choices gives entrepreneurs the edge they need to grow into the future. 

How Do Entrepreneurs Live?

A lot of online pseudo-business gurus will tell you that one of the benefits of being an entrepreneur is that you get to be your own boss and set your own hours. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Successful entrepreneurs are often working or on call for their business every waking minute of every day. Sometimes, the business controls them and not the other way around. There are some habits that entrepreneurs add and subtract from their daily lives to keep themselves sharp and ready to go. 

Morning Routines

If you’re going to start a business, you better get used to seeing sunrises. A common trend with successful entrepreneurs is waking up way before the crack of dawn. Reason being that there are only so many hours in the day, and they can’t afford to waste any of them. 

Another commonality is physical exercise in the early morning, but not for the reasons you’re probably thinking of. Working out is, of course, good for you and can prolong your life and the quality of it. As far as health goes, it doesn’t really matter when you work out as long as you do it. 

Entrepreneurs pump iron and go on runs before the sun rises because exercise wakes the brain up and makes you become more alert. Exercise is an entrepreneur’s pre-game. Business owners can’t be dragging their feet to the office half awake. 

Reading and responding to emails is commonly the first work-related thing entrepreneurs do in the wee hours. They need to be sharp and have their minds focused in order to convey messages and absorb information crucial to their business goals. 

Most of us have had one of those days where you walk into the office still yawning and hazy.  However, that isn’t an option when you’re trying to keep a company afloat and ensure that other people keep their jobs. 

Eating Habits

Entrepreneurs go beyond just eating healthy. There are a few tips and tricks on how to eat right for the entrepreneur lifestyle. One of the key reasons some types of food are avoided by entrepreneurs is inflammation. 

Inflammation can cause mental sluggishness and affects your ability to concentrate. Here is a list of common foods that can cause inflammation:

1. Anything with processed sugar
2. Vegetable and seed oils 
3. Alcohol
4. Processed meats
5. Artificial trans fats

Some foods can help reduce inflammation, like berries and leafy greens. Basically, eating healthy is a necessity to keep the mind agile and energized. Entrepreneurs can’t afford to feel sluggish and bloated.

Another common thread between many business owners is skipping breakfast. Studies have shown mixed results on this idea. “The most important meal of the day” may not be quite as important as our culture has convinced us to be. 

Water and Coffee

Water is life, and entrepreneurs crave it. Believe it or not, water is pretty important. If you’re the type to get your hydration from energy drinks, sodas, and flavored waters, you’re actively hurting your ability to be your best. 

Not properly hydrating throughout the day can result in a slew of side effects like nausea, headaches, and dizziness. Successful entrepreneurs don’t have time for that stuff. Coffee, on the other hand, is a little more complicated. 

Caffeine isn’t actually giving you energy; It allows you to borrow it in a way. Adenosine is a chemical that builds up naturally throughout the day that makes you sleepy. Caffeine blocks the adenosine receptors in your brain.

Basically, your coffee is giving you the illusion that you’re not tired. You aren’t getting energy from it. Typically, entrepreneurs don’t drink coffee with added sugar or cream. Black coffee does have some health benefits, but those benefits are negated with additives. 

Some studies suggest that coffee has a number of health benefits, like lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes and containing vital nutrients. However, there are some negatives depending on the individual and their sensitivity to caffeine. 

Too much coffee, usually more than two cups per day, can cause sleep problems and increase your risk for anxiety issues. The key is moderation and paying attention to how your body reacts to the coffee you drink. A good rule of thumb is to not drink anything caffeinated after noon. 

Water and coffee are probably the only beverages entrepreneurs drink on a daily basis. Other stuff, like juices and alcohol, don’t add anything but sugar and bloating. Stay hydrated and moderate your caffeine carefully. It might be best to only drink black coffee and limit yourself to two cups per day, maximum. 

Personal Philosophies

Hustle culture has convinced us that entrepreneurs have all the right answers and ingredients for success. The people we usually don’t hear from are the entrepreneurs that have failed. 

The thing is that both the successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs have common habits they stick to for optimal outcomes. 

It Followed Me Home…

People who work typical nine to five jobs may not own their own businesses, but at least they get to leave work at work (usually). Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, bring work wherever they go on their phones and laptops. 

So, how do they get a break? Recently, meditation has become a popular trend among entrepreneurs. It’s used as a focus tool and a way to alleviate stress. Most of the time, they have a quick morning and evening meditation session that lasts anywhere between ten and twenty minutes. 

Meditation can also boost creativity. In the age of constant momentum and perpetual change, entrepreneurs need to keep up with the latest trends and news on a daily basis. This can take a serious toll on people and can be mentally exhausting. 

Entrepreneurs are not superheroes; they need rest just as much as anyone else. Meditation is like a nap but more productive. You might be thinking that not working or thinking about something is the opposite of productivity. 

However, our brains are like computers, and we have limited RAM. Meditation is a way to free up memory and allow for more focus on important tasks. This isn’t just a fad with entrepreneurs that will eventually just fade away; it’s a quintessential tool in the arsenal. 

You probably meditate daily without even realizing it. Most people picture someone wearing yoga pants on a mat, burning incense when they’re thinking of meditation. None of that stuff is necessary. 

Going outside without your phone and just staring at the trees blowing in the breeze for a few minutes is a great way to clear the mind and refocus. The key is to find a place either in the home or outside to be alone for ten to twenty minutes. 

Note Taking and Calendars

Building a business requires good organizational skills, and there is no way around it. Entrepreneurs are usually good note-takers and have detailed calendars. These tools are essential to making ideas become concrete instead of stagnating in your imagination. 

The whole point of keeping track of ideas and events on paper or on your phone is to lighten your mental load. Entrepreneurs can’t keep everything in their heads. They put ideas on paper and go back to them when they can apply real time to them. 

By having a detailed calendar, entrepreneurs can more easily accomplish their goals. They don’t just keep track of things like meetings, deadlines, and dental appointments. They schedule time for creativity and personal pursuits. 

Keeping a calendar is your accountability chart, and if your calendar on your phone is empty, it might be time to make a change. Having a notebook on you is also a great way to keep track of your business ideas and thoughts.

Clocking Out

Daily routines can have extraordinary benefits to an entrepreneur’s drive and success, and non-entrepreneurs can learn a thing or two from their daily habits. However, things like eating healthy and regular exercise are merely the foundation they build on. 

It’s a support structure, not the structure itself. That comes with the drive to push further into an industry and to innovate. Daily habits build up to better focus and health in the long run, thus supporting a business. 

Without structure, an entrepreneur is just a person with aspirations and no plan of action.  

Sources: 

10 Proven Habits Of Successful Entrepreneurs | Forbes 

12 Habits of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneur 

How to Meditate | Mindful [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column]