Two weeks ago I put out my post on the dream I’m going to complete by next September 1st. I wrote out 10 things to consider while going for one’s dream, but I want to concentrate on this one for the moment:
 |
4. Define when I’ll work and rest. This one’s important because I don’t take enough time out to rest or workout or even eat, and if I don’t take care of me, I won’t be able to take care of anything.
I put this one in because there are a lot of motivational business books on the market that say if you want to be successful in business you have to be willing to put in more hours than anyone else. Some books actually advocate working 16-hour days even on weekends. Foolishness!
Sure, you have to work hard, and you have to be willing to commit to putting in more time if your goals are really that important. But if you work yourself sick then you’ll have to shut down, and at that point there’s nothing you can do to move forward.
There has to be points where you rest your mind and take care of your body. It’s also especially important to know yourself and be honest with yourself about your patterns.
Here’s my tale.
Many of you know that I’m diabetic. This means that when I’m not in good control of my glucose, I can have bad days and sometimes I can go into a depression if it stays high for a long period of time.
What this means is that I need to try to make sure I eat when I should, watch what I eat, and watch what I eat at certain times. This one is strange to some people so let me explain.
I’m not a morning person. This means that I don’t do my best work most mornings. I’m also not one of those people who can eat when I first wake up; often I’ll wait 4 or 5 hours before eating my first meal of the day, or anything for that matter. That includes even drinking anything; not good.
I also can’t eat certain foods early in the day, and that includes either breakfast time or lunch time. And I can’t overeat either, which is a misnomer because I don’t always eat until I’m full. If I do any of these things, I tire quickly and need a nap, otherwise my head is fuzzy. And sometimes, if I eat the wrong stuff without thinking about it, I’ll nap for hours and wake up feeling horrible, if I can move at all; that’s not good either.
But I can eat anything after 5PM or so, including late into the night, and it doesn’t make me tired at all, unless I stuff myself. Also, my best time of working if I need to produce things is between 9PM and 11PM: go figure.
Add to that this leg problem I have, called sciatica, which is supposedly related to my back. This means I have to do at least stretching exercises to help my leg feel a little better, and when it gets cooler again I’ll go to the gym & do strengthening exercises as well.
I gave you all of that to show that you have to know yourself well so you can plan your time to fit everything in, including the time to take care of yourself. On September 4th I started scheduling my work days, which includes evening hours. I start my mornings with the back exercises because I know that if I don’t do it then I probably won’t do it later.
I give myself the first 45 minutes in the day to get that done, get online to check email & social media, and then it’s time to get into the work day, no matter what I’ve planned. Then I break at noon to see what’s going on in the news and, once again, to tell myself to eat. I do this because I know I probably haven’t eaten earlier, but now it’s around 2 or 3 hours, depending on when I’ve told myself to get up, and at least I’ll be feeling the stirrings of hunger. The thing is I can’t take any medication until I eat, so that’s important.
 |
I plan breaks during the day. I diversify the projects I work on during the day. If I finish something and have time left over before the alarm goes off, it’s fun time!
Yes, I do have evening hours as well. But I work for myself, so since I’m home, that’s fine. The past 2 weeks have been amazing for me because of the scheduling. I know some people say they can’t work that way, but for me it’s perfect.
And because I feel better, my mind works better and helps me stay on the path towards my dream. Of course, my little vision board doesn’t hurt either, and maybe one day I’ll show you that.
Make your health as much of a priority as you make everything else. You don’t have to overdo it; just be cognizant of it and don’t hurt yourself. Be honest with yourself; you deserve it.
Congratulations on taking steps toward better health for yourself. Your honesty and willingness to share will probably be helpful for a lot of people. So often, we get caught up in working to achieve success and it can be easy to put health and nutrition on the back burner. Like you pointed out, though, all the success in the world will do you no good if you’ve become sick or weakened by not taking good care of yourself.
Thanks Elena Anne. I try to point these things out so that other people will think about them for their own lives. I’m really trying to treat myself better so that when I reach my dream I’ll feel good enough physically to exploit it.
You have to look after your health Mitch. You don’t say if you’re type 1,2 or 3 diabetic but I always recommend cinnamon as a great way of resensitising the insulin receptors. If you haven’t checked out the qualities of cinnamon it’s worth Googling it. I take it every day just because I think it helps anyway.
Roz, I’m type II, and I had tried cinnamon some time back until a report came out saying cinnamon really doesn’t do much. Lately it seems studies are showing that most supplements, including omega-3, aren’t all they’ve been expected to be.
Hey Mitch, there has been double-blind studies done on Cinnamon so you can know that there’s a little bit something going on there. 😉 I wouldn’t change whatever the doctor gave you but I do believe nutrition and natures’ herbs can help heal and nurture us.
We all are very unique, ways that suit us will be nightmarish for others. So we must not ever compare ourselves with others as it won’t be of any help. So we all must remember out stereotypical habits and must not take our health so lightly as to risk it. We all have a dream and we all need to work hard to make it come true but this does not give us the liberty to risk our health. So you must know the way your body works and must take care of these or else you would not be able to do anything other than resting at home.
You’re totally correct on the need for all of us to know our own bodies James, and then to listen up well. Of course, my body sometimes acts like a Monday morning quarterback. lol
Again you are right, Mitch. Many people forget about health when concentrate on work, especially people that work from home. Often I feel exhausted and my proper diet and lifestyle are completely destroyed, just because I have to finish my work, be on schedule and always trying to make an extra mile on a daily basis.
I thought about you some while writing this Carl. You’re like me in a way, and that means we both have to find time to step away and relax, and especially you so you can enjoy time with your son.
I always ask colleagues how they manage work life balance. Honestly, I enjoy working very hard, but for sure I have to learn to manage my time much better and spend more time with my family. I definitely changed my lifestyle dramatically few times in the last decade and right now I am afraid to change it again and spend more time for myself.
Carl, I’d like to know what work/life balance feels like as well. I wouldn’t mind being busier or earning more from the work I do, and once I get to that place we’ll see where balance comes into play more often.
I’m so happy to hear that you have a better schedule lined out Mitch. It sounds like it’s working a lot better for you and you seem to be much happier with the way you feel and what you’ve been able to accomplish.
I have several friends who are diabetics so I know that they really have to watch what they eat. I can’t even imagine what you must go through.
I was overweight as a kid but lost it in my mid 20’s. I’ve kept it off all these years so the only time I overeat is when we go out to eat and it’s something that I’ve just been craving for a long time. Other than that I bring leftovers home.
You definitely have to watch what you eat in order to remain healthy because you really aren’t any good to anyone if you are sick. I agree with you that others will tell you to work day and night to get your business in order but if I’m worn out then I’m definitely no good to anyone.
Schedule your time and you’ll be better for it.
Thanks for sharing this Mitch and glad to hear all is well with you.
~Adrienne
Thanks Adrienne. I do feel better for the most part but I still need to find ways of sleeping more because that’s my biggest problem. And of course fighting too much of things like grits, which of course is corn based and thus makes me want to go to sleep within an hour of eating it. Still, having times for breaks helps me out and keeps me going, and the exercises help as well. It’s all part of the change, and if I can stick with it I’ll be both physically and mentally healthier as I push forward.
Good health is not something we all have. We have to maintain a routine to have good health. But what most of us do is to neglect our health. Everybody’s health is unique in itself which reacts to things in a particular way. So if we think that just because others can live on junk food we too can, its a mistake. We must remember we should not try to disturb the natural state of things. If we cant improve our natural health, then we should not even try to hamper it.
Thanks Peter. If we’re motivated we work on trying to stay healthy enough to be able to do whatever we want in our lives, and since I have a specific goal, that’s what I’m shooting for.
Hi Mitch!
Mitch you really care about of your health .health is very necessary with the work.because if your health is out of order then you can’t work or not take a interest in doing your work.anyone said true that ‘Health is Wealth’.i like your post.
True anshul; if you don’t feel well you can’t work well.
You hit that nail straight on the head Mitch. No work, no matter how important it is, should take priority before out health. And our health is not just related to our eating habits. We need to fix our lifestyle. We need to determine our sleeping times, our meal times so that our body gets used to a fixed pattern and does not crave any unhealthy stuff. Usually when people tell me that when you work for yourself you need to work double the hours to achieve you goals, I scoff at them. The whole point of having your business is that you can make time for you and your family. If that is not happening, then what is the point of entering self-employment?
Good stuff Lina, and yet I haven’t come close to living like that in the years I’ve worked for myself. But I’m working hard at changing that, being more consistent with some of my efforts, to make myself both healthy and wealthy.
I’m admiring that you do your back exercises early in the a.m. I do a pretty good job with my diet. And I’m really active. I just can’t seem to get it from my head to my schedule that if I don’t do my yoga-for-back exercises, I’ll be sorry. Thanks for the reminder.
No problem Mother. The stretching doesn’t quite feel like a workout, but I know it all helps.
You have my utmost sympathy with regard to the Sciatica.
I had a major attack in June that lasted to almost the end of July.
Because the company doctor felt that this would re-occur, I was dismissed from my job.
So, now I work from home and I am my boss 🙂 so if I have another attack, it will make no difference to my employment status.
I am like you, with regard to not being able to eat first thing in the morning and have to remind myself to do so toward lunch time.
But, it often happens, that if I am busy, I will forget to eat and will only have a meal in the evening.
Not good for my health, so I think I need to really set a schedule, as you have and stick to it.
I didn’t know that was the reason George. If you lived here in the States they can’t fire you for that sort of thing; against the law. I can deal with pain fairly well but it’s irritating, and the back exercises help a lot, though they don’t eliminate anything. But scheduling time to eat is imperative, especially since I can’t take medication until I do. Just so goofy though; you’d think we would all eat when we get hungry, but that doesn’t always seem to be the case.
Good going on working out a schedule that helps you instead of hinders you. Especially when you work from home it’s easy to feel like you have all day to do something and not prioritize.
I’m definitely not a morning person either! Never have been, and never will be. Since I already dislike the mornings anyway, I tend to complete those tasks that I don’t like or find distasteful right away in the morning.
As for health, right after I finish those unpleasant tasks, I go out and take a walk down the local path near my apartment. It clears my head, gives me a nice bit of exercise and gets me ready for the next stage of the day.
I cut out the majority of all the soft-drinks I used to drink during the day. It was to the point where I might have one at lunch, one for my drive home, one for dinner and one later in the evening to stay up late and work on stuff. It really took a toll on me.
A few years back I stopped drinking it cold turkey. Do NOT do this. If I had known how seriously it was going to affect me I wouldn’t have done it. But I suffered through it for a few weeks and I didn’t even have the cravings anymore.
Now I might have one or two per week. The downside is that caffeine hits me REALLY hard now. I can’t drink one after 6 cuz it might keep me up all night.
Anyway I’m glad you’re taking this seriously and feeling good, man!
John, it’s funny but caffeine doesn’t affect me one way or another. What I get a rush off is the carbonation, and of course cold drinks, as I always ask for extra ice And yes, I have worked on establishing a routine to help my body and my mindset, and for the most part it works. I now have to get ready for that next step. I like that you take a walk near the apartment. I used to take my neighborhood walks but there’s a school at the end of the street and these days people are, well, you know.
Hi Mitch
I agree that if someone is not health and he won’t have dream.So hope you can keep it off and reach your dream with a healthy body.
Puck
Thanks Puck; gonna try for sure.
You are absolutely right. Many people forget to eat or get rest while working, or they simply delay it all the time and then, before they realize, they get sick or they start getting tired real quickly. Also, one should not sacrifice a few hours of sleep for the sake of work all the time.
True Alex. That last one I don’t do intentionally, but I just don’t sleep all that well.
I’m glad your new regime (or not so new regime) is working so well for you, Mitch. It’s good that you’ve been able to work out what is right for you and stick to it.
I started a sort-of better health regime myself a while ago, but what I’m doing is adding something new on to it every couple of weeks as I’m not good at sticking to things, even things I’ve devised for myself. This way I get a couple of weeks to get used to the new thing. (I won’t say what as – like you with your Dream (unless I’ve missed a post) – we both know what talking about something before it comes to fruition can do!
So anyway, I’m spending a little less time online all in one go than I was, am a touch more active than I was, and hopefully I’ll ‘get there’ in time.
As for times to eat… my mealtimes are quite erratic apart from the evening meal and I have non-diabetic hypogycemia, so I should watch my diet just as you do!
Glad you’ve got your own regiment set up Val. Yeah, overall I know what I have to do, but even now there are times when I know I’m eating the wrong thing and it puts me back in bed within an hour or two. That just messes up the entire schedule, but you know how cravings can be. lol But the other exercises… doing the best I can to stick with it; just have to remind myself how important it is.
I’m glad you wrote about this Mitch. I think a lot of people take you very seriously. And if you say you need to take care of your health, I guess more people are going to pay attention to that. I’ve seen people work unhealthy hours. The reason they give is – If I sweat it out now, I’ll have time for family later and I won’t have to cut down on spending on them. They don’t realize these unhealthy working hours will take a toll on their health and the only family time they may get is the one where family surrounds their bed as they lay sick. Thanks for sharing this very important piece of advice, mate.
Thanks for your words Jack; I appreciate them. You know, I’ve put in long hours without breaks except to get something to drink and go to the bathroom and it’s quite tiring. These days I tire quicker, either because of the diabetes or the medication, but I’ll still put in lots of hours. If I don’t eat right I get even more tired, and that doesn’t do me well at all. And if it’s happening to me then it’s happening to others as well. I just want everyone to feel physically well.
‘Health is wealth’- the saying has some element of truth in it. We all try to stretch ourselves in the initial period only to be sorry for doing so at a later point in time. If your health is alright, you feel like working, enjoying yourself, spending time with family and anything else on earth. But if you are not well then none of these will be possible. And yes Mitch, you are right when you say that if you have a goal to achieve then you must stay healthy to work for it.
Thanks for your comment Keith. You’re right, if one doesn’t feel well then they don’t care what’s going on, but when we feel good we have energy and are ready to go for our goals. That’s where I want to be as much as possible.
Great job Mitch on your progress in this area towards your dreams. It is through the things that we neglect that some of our greatest breakthroughs can happen. It is interesting to me that most people do not realize this. By you taking the time to look at what is and is not happening in your life, you have created a better way to take care of you and doing what you need to do to move forward towards your dreams. You show us all that it is possible.
Thanks my friend.
Edward!
Thanks Edward; I appreciate those words. And in my case I do need to worry about it, especially when I’m traveling.
Mitch,
I understand about not eating for several hours in the morning, it’s a pain in the neck going through that ritual, coffee and cigarettes are just fine. The time between 5:00am and noon is my most productive time.
My homeopath Physician has been on top of me like green on grass for the last month. I’ve been reporting when and what I eat to his assistant and the length of my afternoon power-nap. I’m worried about paying a “bag fee” at my next physician appointment; I’ll be taking a guilt trip. The process itself has been enlightening.
Dave
Dave, I was part of a diabetic study and one of the things I said I’d work on during the weekly portion was eating something within the first 2 hours of being awake. That was the only part I failed, but I know I have to eat sooner because that can be an energy booster, but at the same time eating the wrong thing saps my early energy if I have some. Sometimes either way is just a lot of work.