You Owe This To Your Clients

When you’re a solopreneur, it’s all on you—managing all the administrative aspects of your business and serving your clients.

That means you need to be as close as possible to the top of your game at all times.

The one sure-fire way not to get there is by neglecting your own well-being.

I know far too many small business professionals who do that. They eat junk, don’t exercise, and rarely get a good night’s sleep.

According to 2013 CDC (Centers For Disease Control and Prevention) data:

• Nearly 30 percent of adults in the United States are obese.
• Over 22 percent of adults eat less than one serving of vegetables daily.
• Over 38 percent eat less than one serving of fruit each day.
• Only 20 percent of U.S. adults meet aerobic and muscle strengthening guidelines.

Yep, a lot of people don’t take such good care of themselves. Are you one of them?

If so, realize it’s not only bad for you; it’s bad for your business, too. And it’s doing your clients a disservice.

Eat better to work better.

According to the World Health Organization, “Poor nutrition can lead to reduced immunity, increased susceptibility to disease, impaired physical and mental development, and reduced productivity.”

Reduced productivity. That means if you’re eating crap all the time and billing your clients on an hourly basis, they’re probably getting shortchanged. And you’re likely hurting your business’s bottom line in the process because of not having the stamina to take on and accomplish more billable work.

Engage your body to engage your brain.

Numerous studies have shown that exercise improves cognitive function. Physical activity helps you think more effectively. That ability to focus more fully on your tasks can translate into delivering higher quality work more efficiently.

Make yourself a complete package.

This infographic by Hubspot shares some interesting statistics that show the strong link between nutrition, exercise, and job performance. A few to pay particular attention to include:

• Workers who eat healthful foods all day are 25 percent more likely to have higher job performance.
• Workers who eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables at least four times per week are 20% more likely to be productive.
• Workers who exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight are absent from work 27 percent less and perform their jobs 11 percent better than non-active, obese peers.

And don’t dis the importance of catching your Zs.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends that adults get between seven and eight hours of sleep daily. Yet a survey by the CDC found that almost three in ten adults (28 percent) average 6 hours or less of sleep each day.

Sleepiness can severely thwart our ability to do our best. It slows down our ability to think things through, it impairs memory, and it makes it more difficult to learn new things. And it tends to make most of us moody—certainly not an attractive or beneficial side effect when collaborating with clients.

Do right by yourself and your clients.

What you do or don’t do to take care of yourself is your business—but realize that your habits can have a profound impact on your business as well. You can’t give your clients your best work when you aren’t at your best.

Your turn! How do you keep yourself near the top of your game? What could you do differently to be there more often?

Like this post? Then you might want to check  out these, too:

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