Business Education

Entrepreneurs Can Use These 5 Tricks to Fight Drowsy Days

Everyone pushes through drowsy days. In fact, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals 35 percent of adults ages 18 through 60 do not get the recommended 7 hours per night. That leads to a perpetual sense of tiredness. And, if this affects you, you know full well it’s not good for your productivity. But, if you’re unable to get a decent night’s sleep, you’ll need ways to cope to get through the workday.

5 Ways to Beat Drowsy Workdays

There’s a lot you can stop doing to be successful in business. When it comes to sleep, you can also stop doing a few things. First and foremost, give yourself some tech-free time in the evening, particularly before you go to bed. About an hour before you go to sleep, turn off or silence your phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, and other devices. Also, get in a routine. Go to bed and wake up at the same time.

We live in a fast-paced world where everything is quicker and more urgent. In leadership, in business, and in life, it seems we’re always behind: It needed to be done yesterday! It needs to be done now! Why isn’t it already done? Our days are hectic and our nights are busy. We constantly have to be on and available. Unsurprisingly, the side effects of this constant rush include an epidemic of fatigue. —Inc.com

When you’re an entrepreneur, you work long, hard hours. And, it’s not easy to just relax and unwind at night when you have so much idle time. It’s natural to mull over the day and to plan ahead for tomorrow. But, you need a good night’s rest to be your best. However, you can’t let go and toss and turn through the night. Now, that familiar mid-afternoon 3 o’clock yawn grips you. What do you do? You need to make a good impression when you have a face-to-face meeting. Even if it’s just another day, without a big agenda, you might still need to fight fatigue. Here are a few helpful suggestions for beating those drowsy workdays:

Leave your workspace. Being in the same environment for hours can easily lead to boredom (especially if you’re already tired). So, do yourself a favor and get outside. A walk around the block. A trip to the nearest mall for some quick window shopping. Just get out of the office for 15 or 20 minutes.
Have a quick, healthy snack. Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are excellent sources of nutrition. And, some even help perk up your blood sugar levels. That’s enough to give you some more energy. It’s also a great way to counteract the effects of a big lunch that bogs you down.
Do a little exercise. You don’t necessarily have to go outside to reinvigorate yourself (although it does really help). You can exercise right in your workspace. Do a few stretches and follow-up with some simple calisthenics.
Tackle a few no-brainers. Tiredness can also be made worse by staying on a difficult task. One solution is to go with a few mundane chores. Take out the trash, clean the kitchen, organize your desk, anything that doesn’t require a lot of concentration will do the trick.
Play some music. It’s a well-known fact that music stimulates the brain. And, it also impacts the body itself. So, put on some of your favorite tunes and get into the rhythm. Your attitude will quickly improve and you’ll feel reinvigorated.

What do you do to power your way through a drowsy afternoon? What methods allow you to cope the best? Please share your thoughts and experiences by leaving a comment!

Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

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You Don’t have to Meet a Politician to Find a Hypocrite — Your Mirror Might just Reflect One

March 1, 2019 No Comments

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just moved into a luxury apartment in Washington D.C. It doesn’t contain one affordable housing unit. In fact, the complex doesn’t even comply with D.C.’s Affordable Dwelling Units program. This, after campaigning on a platform which included “Safe, affordable, adequate housing for all.” George H.W. Bush infamously said, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” LBJ promised the country not to escalate America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. George W. Bush campaigned, in-part, against excess government spending. Then, expanded several federal programs. How Hypocrisy Hurts Businesses The list goes on and on and on. Bernie Sanders, who rails against wealth inequality, owns three houses, has a net worth of about $2 million, and earns a six-figure salary. You get the idea. And, these are just a handful of politicians. It doesn’t include entrepreneurs, celebrities, professional athletes, and other public figures. As a business owner or manager, it’s important to practice what you preach. If you require employees to be available 24/7 while you’re MIA, or you’re constantly texting on the job while you prohibit employees from using their phones, for example, your hypocritical behavior is sending the wrong message to employees, and they may resent you for it. —Business News Daily Of course, hypocrisy is everywhere. When it occurs in a business environment, it’s very harmful. Hypocrisy undermines your ability to lead. After all, it’s essentially telling your employees to literally do as you say, NOT do as you do. You lose respect. It compromises your standing. Plus, it makes it very difficult for others to even work with you. 3 Key Ways to Avoid Hypocrisy as a Business Leader Hypocrisy is a dangerous trait. It essentially subverts morale and threatens the very viability of a business. It can even go so far as to cause a self-inflicted implosion. So, just how do you avoid being hypocritical? Here are a few helpful suggestions for how to avoid hypocrisy as a business leader: Practice self-awareness. You might call this “practice what you preach.” It’s an obvious reminder but one definitely worth mentioning. Every day, you should stay vigilant and stay self-aware about your own behavior. While it’s not rocket science, it’s quite difficult to put into practice. Be consistent with decisions. It’s almost impossible not to have or even show bias. We all do it in a variety of ways. You might treat team members differently due to your own personal biases. When making decisions, consider all sides of the equation. Actively solicit constructive criticism. It’s always good to encourage feedback from your employees (as well as your customers). And, doing so could reveal hypocrisy you commit but don’t consciously act against. What other advice would you give about avoiding hypocrisy? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Can Hanlon’s Razor Help Your Business Cut to the Core or Nick the Quick?

December 12, 2024 No Comments

There’s certainly no shortage of tricks to use to get at the heart of a matter, Occam’s razor being one of the most famous, it’s a principle that states the simplest explanation tends to be the right one.

Now is the Perfect Time to Plan for the Next Big Disruption

July 13, 2020 No Comments

Pandemics, natural disasters, and other unfortunate events might be a rarity, but they do happen. While it’s certainly possible we may not experience a major event in the near future, it’s irresponsible to ignore the possibility. After all, there’s an undeniable truth to the old adage, “Better safe than sorry.” Even if it is only a minor occurrence, being prepared is just plain smart. Fortune Favors the Prepared You’ve no doubt heard the expression, “Fortune favors the prepared.” The reason it’s been around so long, is because it’s proven true time and time again. When you have a plan in-place, you’re much less likely to panic. Stress and anxiety are very powerful emotions which can cause you to make rash decisions. And, everyone knows that making decisions in a rush often leads to worsening already bad situations. Today’s business landscape has several unique features, which will add new complexities on top of the historical playbook. This makes it important for business leaders to prepare for the specific circumstances of the next downturn, as well as exploiting the right lessons from the past. —Harvard Business Review So, knowing what you’re going to do in advance provides you with an immense advantage. You’ll be able to follow along a predetermined path. At the very least, you’ll have parameters in-place to help guide you, should your plan not be totally applicable. Planning for the Next Big Disruption We’ve already gone over some of these points before, but most, if not all, warrant repeating. When you prepare, it’s much easier to take decisive action, virtually eliminating the need to debate a course of action. Here are some helpful tips for how to plan for the next unplanned event: Ready your team for truly remote capabilities. When the impact of the novel coronavirus was foreboding and uncertain, precautionary steps were the only responsible thing to do. If you allowed your employees to work from home, they did so on the fly. And, since reopening, might have returned part- or full-time to the office. However, they probably did not have and still don’t have all the necessary resources to truly work remotely. Put those tools in place now and this will offer you a more seamless transition if needed in the future. Prepare your place of business. We previously discussed protecting a business from vandalism. Although this is unpleasant to think about, it is something that you should plan for. Having the right security and structural preparedness is a necessity to limit damage caused by vandalism. Additionally, you should have prevention and recovery tools in place for other events, like natural disasters, criminal activity, and other unfortunate events. Streamline your organization. Due to the global pandemic and subsequent shutdowns, many businesses furloughed or outright terminated employees. But, expenses remained, despite a marked decrease or near complete cutoff of earnings. While you may have made some temporary adjustments or even cut some expenses out altogether, now is an ideal time to re-examine your operations, pinpointing duplication, inflated expenses, and other unnecessary elements. The overall point being, even if you managed to pull through this last disruption, you may not be able to do so again. Now is an ideal time to plan ahead put in place measures so they are ready to go at a moment’s notice. What other suggestions do you have getting prepared? Please, take a moment to share your thoughts and experiences by commenting and benefiting others! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.