If you own a small business or are an entrepreneur you know that work can be hard.  HARD. Exhausting. Tiring. Stressful. But, it’s also incredibly rewarding. Which is why you do it!

You might find yourself wondering  how the owners of large businesses do it.  While you might think it’s because they have handfuls of employees doing their work for them, that might only be partially true. Large business owners and successful entrepreneurs use these hacks (aka helpful strategies) to help them AND their successful businesses.

Use these entrepreneur life hacks to help you achieve the most success possible, without burning yourself out in business.

Get A Full Night’s Sleep

Sounds easy right? It isn’t hard to get the level of sleep you should but most people still aren’t. Make an extra effort to get a full night’s sleep. Figure out how many hours you need and make it your goal to sleep that many hours each night.  A full night’s sleep makes you more productive, helps boost your creativity, and all around makes you feel better. Don’t slack on sleep – get what you need so you can power through your life – and business.

Eat Healthy

Fast food might be easy and accessible although it can be detrimental to your production – and your diet.  Eating unhealthy makes you sleepier, unhealthy, and takes away your focus. Try and prep your healthy meals in advance so they’re already available when you need them. If you can’t, find a healthy option close by to grab a quick bite, choose salads and healthier unprocessed foods. Bring fruit and nuts for easy snack foods. It only takes a few times to create a habit of healthy eating and this one shouldn’t be skipped.

Take Breaks

It is important to stay focused on your work but it is also important to take regular breaks.  Breaks allow you to cleanse your mind and come back refocused. To get the most out of your breaks do something active like take a walk. Remember, this is a mental break! Don’t fill your break scrolling through emails or social media.

Decorate

This one can have a great impact on your overall mood and production! Decorating your work space can provide inspiration and good feelings while you’re working. Whether you hang your vision board on the wall or fill your space with motivational quotes, your accomplishment,  and pictures of loved ones, this will definitely help boost your happy. No one wants to work in a bland space where all you’ll want to do is nap. You want to surround yourself with things that inspire and motivate you.

 

Keep Your Workspace Calm

It is important to have a workspace that is conducive to working.  A loud workspace or a place where you will be interrupted regularly will take away from your productivity. If you’re like many entrepreneurs who work from home, find a place in your home that can be your work station so you can be effective while working from home.

Avoid Your Email

Want to know one of the biggest distractions in the workplace?  Your email.  Many people spend their whole morning (and sometimes afternoon) just checking their emails. Don’t go down the black home of email.  Schedule a block of time to check your emails and startwith only the most important ones.  Check the less important ones at the end of the day after you have gotten your work done. If you can outsource your email management, do it! You’ll be amazed how much time you can save and how much more productive and less stressed you’ll be.

Avoid Social Media

Now, I’m the first person who will tell you that social media is crucial for building your business. BUT, it can also be a huge time suck. Scrolling the newsfeed, getting sucked in to your high school friends vacation photos, reading a mindless article,  and don’t forget cat videos. Take control of your social media time. If you can avoid your leisure social media time during the day, you should. If you use it for business, set boundaries so you’re only using social media for business. When you’re off work hours, use it for leisure.

Related: Why You’re Spending Too Much Time on Social Media and What You Should Be Doing Instead

Use Your Voicemail

Just like social media, you have to be in control of your time and that means phone time too. Where text is easy – it also elicits an immediate response time. Remember that you have voicemail and it’s there for a reason.  It’s OK to let calls go to your voicemail when you are busy. I repeat:  You don’t need to answer every call or text.  In fact, callers don’t want to talk to you when you are distracted and will appreciate your time more when you can focus on them.

Chew Gum

Did you know that chewing gum can help you stay focused? It can! Chewing gives your mind something repetitive to keep you concentrated but it’s also because of the cortisol that is released from the gum. Next time you’re at the store, buy a pack of sugarless gum to help you stay focused at work.

Don’t Procrastinate

What do you think is the hardest part of a project?  Some people would say the end of a project but the real answer is the beginning.  Most of the time the reason we fail to start a project is because that’s something we don’t want to do. Whether it’s going to be hard or just work that’s flat out not enjoyable. Most people procrastinate to get started. By forcing yourself to start the project you’re least excited to start, you’ll see how much faster it goes by AND you’ll free up more time to do the work you want.

Drink Water

Surely you’ve heard that you’re supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day. But, are you? According to Boston College, 2/3rds of American’s DON’T drink enough water. When we do get focused at work we tend to get very focused, that means that many of us forget to drink water. And, many of us also love to drink coffee and choose this as our drink of choice which has little nutritional value.  If you want to be more productive and healthy –  try drinking more water at work. Water helps to prevent dehydration and helps you get the energy you need to focus on your work.

Create Goals

You have to know where you’re going in order to get there. Start with your GOALS. Creating goals is one of the biggest ways to stay on track at work, it gives you something to aim for. No matter how large your goals are, write them down. The first step in achieving them is making them something real. You do this by writing it down – it becomes tangible. Write your goals down and hang them in your office to motivate you! And, when you achieve them – you can cross them off your list and feel proud of your accomplishments.

 

Take each one of these tips and utilize them in your everyday life to make the most out of your workday.  They will help you become more successful!