When I tell people my morning routine, they gawk at me — but it’s not for the reason you’d think.
On a regular day, I’m up by 6AM. After making a coffee and cuddling with my puppy, I fire up the computer to write and plan out the day. Around 7AM, I transition to exercise mode. I spend between forty-five minutes to an hour working out. It’s an early start, but an important one.
By the time most people arrive at their desks, I’ve gotten in a few hundred words, deflected various emails, and worked on my fitness pretty intensely.
What people don’t usually realize is that choosing to get up early to write and work out in the morning isn’t a huge shocker. Most gyms are packed before work hours start, right?
What’s shocking to people when I share my routine is this: for the rest of the day, I absolutely never feel tired. Fatigue isn’t something I ever experience.
The reactions I get lie on a spectrum between “That’s impossible” to “Wow, how can I do that?” It’s hard to believe that someone who wakes up earlier than ever before, has never worked out in the mornings, and struggled to keep a writing routine could suddenly become practically impervious to tiredness.
The ways I created this fatigue-free lifestyle are simple, and they’re probably not the ones you’re imagining. I’ll let you in on my simple tricks, and I hope you’ll share your own in the comments.
Avoiding Fatigue — Your Action Plan
1. Prize rest above all else
As entrepreneurs always vying for one more client or an exciting new feature, rest can sometimes fall as low as last place on our priority list. For those hardcore ninjas out there who put sleep last, I ask you: how good can the features be or how good can your client work be if you’re running on empty?
Executing this in real life, as we call it, is difficult, but I find that tragic memories of dreary mornings and umpteen cups of coffee keep my rest in check.
From the time I was a little girl, my guiding motto is this: There is nothing like the fear of an exhausting day to get me in bed well before my bedtime.
2. Choose fuel over comfort
Our entrepreneurial projects survive on the fuel that our staffs provide. A good project means a good staff. Likewise, our bodies survive on the fuel that our meals provide. A good body means a good meal — day in and day out.
Eating whole and healthy foods may be a bit too foreign for you to really adopt, but there are times when the body switches your taste buds on you behind your back — no effort required. When I took up exercise as a new habit, I found that my body craved healthier foods.
As a person dedicated to my fitness, I try to remind myself of this: My workouts are practically in vain if I follow it with a cheeseburger and birthday cake.
3. Measure your energy levels
Have you ever had one of those days when people look at you a little funny and say, “You look tired. What’s wrong?” When the fatigue is visible enough for people around you to notice and make a comment, you’ve got a major warning sign on your hands.
When possible, I try to set my own agenda and become in-tune with my own energy levels. I will confess this: my husband doesn’t really appreciate my 9PM bedtime, but I respect my body’s call for rest whenever it comes.
As an entrepreneur, waking up early is important to starting my day off right. My routine keeps me feeling energetic and alive all day long, even if I end the day much earlier than I used to. With so much newfound energy, my projects always feel awesome and rewarding, instead of draining.
It keeps my entrepreneurial life vibrant and successful. It helps me the best I can be.
Let’s hear from all of you, too! Are you suffering from fatigue and putting way too much energy into your projects? What keeps your energy levels from falling too low?
Most importantly, what can we do to have a more energizing balance?
When Marcella Chamorro decided to quit her job to live every day as if it’s a vacation, she turned her attention to creating a lifestyle that is both meaningful and exciting. Now (as an author, entrepreneur & speaker based in Nicaragua), Marcella guides those who want to quit their jobs, live their dreams, and live a vacation that never ends at The Perpetual Vacation.
