https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BfBvhh2KQQ

Location: Home Office – Reading / Viewing Time: 4-5mins

As entrepreneurs its sometimes hard for us to switch off and recharge our batteries. But, we must. I recently posted an article on My Top 10 Entrepreneurial Health Tips and after getting feedback on the relaxation side of things, I felt like I wanted to elaborate on it a little – especially as I was recently in Miami and did a LOT of relaxing (or chillaxing, as my daughter tells me!), as you can see in the quick video I shot, above!

The fact of the matter is that business owners are a pretty strange breed. We want to be the boss, to work for ourselves and to be able to have people work for us. We want to call the shots and obviously have the ‘power’ to be able to work as and when we feel like it. However, as the world becomes a tougher place to do business in and the market place (regardless of what industry you are in) becomes more competitive, chances are you are working way too many hours – much more than you should be, and more than is actually required to be productive.

Relaxation is as important to entrepreneurs as it is anyone else.

If you’re a regular to the blog, you’ll know that I do a fair amount of video posts. After I shot the one above, on South Beach, I watched it back with my wife, and she pointed out something that I hadn’t actually realized when I was filming it. I am REALLY relaxed sounding in this clip. Usually I am full of energy and pumping out tips and tactics, etc., but in this clip you can easily see and hear how chilled I am. I guess the Miami ocean air really got to me – which is a GREAT thing!

Here’s a few tips for launching into quick relaxation mode that will invigorate, de-stress and get you ready for ‘work’ all over again:

• First up – don’t work any more than 9 hours a day. Its tough sometimes, and the odd ‘late day’ might be required, but don’t make a habit of it. Its been proven that business owners are basically not productive after 9 hours of ‘work’ in a row.
• Spend time with your kids. If you’re a parent you’ll know how awesome it is to spend time with your children. However, if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ll also know that you’re more likely to spend more time with your CPU’s monitor, than your children. So, take time out, enjoy being beaten up and laughed at, and put it all down to ‘love’. Plus, I promise, the kids will love it too!
• Even seen ‘Die Hard’..? The scene where Bruce Willis is walking around, scrunching his toes into the carpet to de-stress, before things all go pear-shaped…?! It works… Try it.
• Read a book. A simple one, I know, but reading (at least for me, anyway) is an unbelievable techniques for relaxation. Whether its fiction of a business book, the bottom line is that you’re switching off and concentrating on something other than work.
• And here’s a great one. Probably the best one of all..!!! Get close to the one you love. Intimate contact of pretty much any kind (including just holding hands!) has been proven to provide immediate relief from stress! So, cuddle up, people.

Relaxing, switching off, chilling out – whatever you want to call it – is something that, as entrepreneurs, we should all embrace. Just as we embrace the networking opportunities presented to us, the chance to do business with new clients, the opportunity to save money on staffing or running costs, etc.

Got any cool tips and ideas on how to slow things down and chillax…? Great – let us all know by commenting below.

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