Create Your Own Limitless
The unavoidable things you must do to maintain your productivity
There’s nothing like the feeling of getting stuff done. It’s like something clicks. You know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it.
Whether or not you’re an entrepreneur, content creator, freelance worker or employee — we all know the feeling of putting your head down at night, knowing that you could not have done more that day.
You feel like Elon Musk working away as you achieve milestone after milestone. You feel unstoppable. You really do feel limitless. Why can’t every day be like this?
If it were I’m sure we’d have much more innovation and success stories. While we can’t have every day like this, we sure can improve our ability to work at a high level more often just by making sure we hit everything on this list.
Water.
It shocks me how many people don’t drink enough. Water is just as important as oxygen. Imagine not getting enough oxygen.
Water boosts energy by delivering important nutrients to all of our cells. Your blood, which contains a lot of water, carries oxygen to all the cells of your body. Without oxygen, those tiny cells would die and your body would stop working.
If you’re not drinking enough water, your energy levels can plummet and you could experience fatigue and brain fog. So the next time you reach for another cup of coffee, grab a glass of water instead.
Sleep.
Specifically relating to productivity and your ability to work, sleep deprivation can be fatal. Sleep is paramount to maintaining your energy levels throughout the day.
During sleep, the body repairs cells and restores energy. Without enough sleep, your body won’t be able to perform its duties needed for you to function properly.
A lack of sleep will cause trouble with concentration, creativity and problem-solving skills. If you want to increase the quality of your work ethic, increase the quality of your sleep cycle.
Eat.
And eat well. You don’t need to be a nutritional scientist to know what foods are, on the whole, good and bad.
Avoiding bad foods is a great way to improve your productivity. Poor nutrition can contribute to stress, tiredness and our capacity to work.
Equally, food is literally the thing the makes your bodywork. Carbohydrates are the main fuel your body uses to keep the muscle and brain working.
The food you provide your body is what your body will use to give you and your muscles energy. Provide your body with good food, and you will be provided with good energy.
Exercise.
The benefits of basic exercise are immeasurable.
Exercise increases energy levels.
Exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lung health improve, you have more energy to tackle daily chores.
Exercise promotes better sleep.
Regular physical activity, regardless of whether it is aerobic or a combination of aerobic and resistance training can help you sleep better and feel more energized during the day.
Exercise can improve brain function and thinking skills.
Exercise improves blood flow to the brain and helps brain health and memory. It can also stimulate the production of hormones that can enhance the growth of brain cells.
Read.
This is doesn’t directly improve your energy and productivity levels, however, it is still a major part of improving your work functionality.
Reading strengthens your brains connectivity, improves your comprehension, reduces stress and also aids in sleep readiness.
Overall, reading helps with your cognitive ability, problem-solving skills and general concentration. This will all assist in improving your productivity.
Laugh.
Laughter really is the best medicine. Laughter definitely has some positive benefits that will aid in your productivity.
A good, hearty laugh relaxes the whole body, relieves physical tension and stress; leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
Laughter actually helps you recharge — increasing your energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
Rest.
Not sleep, but rest. By rest, I mean having time during your wake hours where you are doing nothing and have no obligations.
While the purpose of this article is to try to improve your productivity and ability to work to a high standard, but rest cannot be forgotten. Your ‘off’ days are needed, and you don’t need to beat yourself up about them.
When I have more productive days, I find that I can appreciate my ‘off’ days more, because I know that I’m working hard enough on my ‘on’ days — subsidising my ‘off’ days.
Burn out is real and it must be avoided. Maintaining a slow, steady but constant momentum for 10 years is much better than going all out for 3 years and getting burnt out.
You cannot go very long without rest. Make sure you have at least one day per week where you don’t have to do a thing.
The Takeaway
Limitless is achievable. With this list, you can make sure that you are getting the most out of your ‘on’ days:
- Water
- Sleep
- Eat
- Exercise
- Read
- Laugh
- Rest
Simply put — productivity is much, much harder to attain if you don’t get an adequate amount of each point mentioned above. It’s a careful balance, one you will struggle to adapt to at first.
But once you do, you will learn exactly what your body needs and your body will reward you for it immensely.
Sources:
Water.
- https://www.uchealth.org/today/five-reasons-water-is-so-important-to-your-health/
- https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/water.html#:~:text=You%20need%20water%20to%20digest,by%20each%20cell%20to%20work.
- https://www.henryford.com/blog/2020/05/side-effects-of-not-drinking-water
Sleep.
- https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#Causes-of-sleep-deprivation
- https://www.healthline.com/health/why-do-we-sleep#why-do-we-sleep
Eat.
- https://blog.edx.org/body-brain-5-ways-food-improves-overall-health
- https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/healthy+living/is+your+health+at+risk/the+risks+of+poor+nutrition
Exercise.
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389#:~:text=Regular%20physical%20activity%20can%20improve,energy%20to%20tackle%20daily%20chores.
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-exercise#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8
Read.
- https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-reading-books#takeaway
- https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-everyday.html
Laugh.
