Do you find yourself always being tired and feel as if you are in a constant cloud? In this post, you will discover how to be more productive by taking care of yourself mentally and physically so you can start to sell more art.
How To Be More Productive By Taking Care Of Yourself Mentally And Physically
One way you can assure that you will be more productive is by taking care of yourself mentally and physically.
Yes, you will be more productive by taking care of yourself mentally and physically.
When I started selling art online I was teaching one on one guitar and bass lessons to over 75 students a week as well as performing in local clubs 3-6 nights a week.
As my art business grew I found that I was waking up earlier just to try to keep up with all of the custom orders coming in.
After some time I started to feel like a zombie and I felt like I couldn’t make wise decisions. Projects were taking longer to complete and I was making more mistakes which led me to work more hours just to fix the simple mistakes I was making.
I remember someone asking me how many hours I was putting in a week.
I calculated the numbers twice because I could not believe what I was coming up with.
I was averaging between 110 and 120 hours a week. I also worked 7 days a week for at least two years.
Something had to give. If I didn’t make adjustments soon I knew I would jeopardize my health as well as a six-figure art business I built.
Today I am happy to say that I only work 15 – 16 hours, 5 days a week and I devote Saturdays and Sundays to my wife. That only adds up to 80 hours a week, which is a lot less than I was putting in.
I don’t have to work all of those hours to survive but the work I do I truly love doing, so I don’t really see it as working. I am fortunate to be able to help support my family from my art business and music business.
Listen To Your Body
Your body is a smart machine and it will tell you if you need more sleep, more activity or if you have to eat a healthier diet.
You know how much sleep you need to feel good the next day. That magic number is what you should be shooting for every day.
If you feel healthier, more energetic and more focused with 7 hours asleep, make sure you plan for 7 hours of sleep.
If you get less sleep than the amount your body requires, you will make avoidable mistakes, be sluggish and make bad business decisions.
What should take an hour to complete will take you two hours to complete.
Get the amount of sleep your body requires.
Get Up And Move
Our bodies are built to move.
Schedule in time every day to exercise.
This is especially important if your occupation and craft are sedentary.
Let’s say that you work 8 hours a day sitting at a computer, sit down and create art for an hour or two a day, sit down and blog for a half hour a day and promote your art on social media when you are watching television.
If we add just those hours up, you are sitting for ten hours, this does not include sitting while you are driving and eating.
Most of the day will be in a chair.
If this is the case you have to prioritize exercise.
You do not have to sign up for an extreme exercise routine but you do have to get up and move.
Go to your local gym and spend an hour performing a cardio and strength training routine. Maybe you would enjoy Yoga or hiking. Find an exercise that you will enjoy and get your body moving.
Action Step:
Take a few moments to put on your daily to-do list time for exercise and what time you will be calling it quits to get a good night sleep.
What you didn’t finish today will still be there tomorrow.
You will start to see some drastic changes in how you feel and operate.
You will become more focused and more productive with all of the tasks you are working on.
You will even have extra time at the end of the day to enjoy the activities you like.
Conclusion:
Sleep and exercise give you energy.
Energy supports your productivity.
You will be more productive by taking care of yourself mentally and physically.
You might also be interested in:
- Planning Your Day: For the Working Artist
- What is Your Main Goal for Your Art Business
- How to Stay Creative and Productive as an Artist
- 10 Easy Steps to Become More Productive with Your Day
- 19 Productive Tips for the Selling Artist
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