Hustle Less, Play More: Get Back in the Zone

In a world of nonstop noise, stimulus and busyness, it’s easy to get lost, scattered and on the verge of mental and physical burn out. Add in the typical insatiable drive an entrepreneur has or rather needs to succeed, and we’ve got a recipe for disaster. You and I know when we’re pushing hard and need to finish a project, task or milestone yet are running on empty. But what if instead of more work and hustle, we changed our environment, created space and experienced more energy, creativity and focus later on?

In this post, I’ll share my favorite practices to make this happen and ensure not only a higher level quality of work, but more fulfillment as we enjoy the other parts of life.

Shift Your Environment

As productive entrepreneurs, we can get stuck in the same routines, habits, and environments that have worked for us in the past. But too much of a good thing can kill our creativity, and leave us feeling depleted and exhausted. One of my favorite practices is to pick one day of the week where I leave my co-working space and instead hit the town, go to a couple coffee shops and spend the day working out of there.

The shift in an environment can open up your creativity, create a new connection and get you back in the zone if you’ve been on overdrive.

Create Space

The physical and mental benefits of meditation are endless and are a core practice of some of the world’s most successful people. In Tools Of The Titans, Tim Ferris says over 80% of the people he studied have some type of mindfulness practice, and for good reason. Using meditation during times of high stress, even for 5-7 minutes, can be extremely beneficial to shut off the monkey mind and go within. Use box breathing to calm your nervous system during times of stress or anxiety and watch what happens when you come back to your work.

You’ll be more focused, relaxed and clear headed as you continue your workday.

Schedule Play Time

I was at the amazing Thrive Conference in San Diego last year with some of the world’s most inspiring entrepreneurs, including Jack Canfield, Lewis Howes, Cole Hatter, Grant Cardone and many more. One of my favorite speakers at the event were Preston Smiles and Alexi Panos, who advocated the power of play. As entrepreneurs, especially male entrepreneurs, we tend to take things too seriously and forget to have fun in life. By scheduling times of play—activities we love doing—they argued we come back to our work with creativity, curiosity and a youthful enthusiasm.

Be Social

One of my favorite ways to create a break in work is to connect with someone and schedule a lunch session that opens and expands my mind. Getting into a social mood releases all kinds of feel-good chemicals, and a great conversation can be the catalyst to a new perspective that opens up the floodgates of creativity and fulfillment. As entrepreneurs, we can get so focused on our work that we forget about cultivating and nourishing key relationships in our life.

Floating

To date, I’ve had the pleasure of spending 53 hours in a floating—or what people call a sensory deprivation tank. This tool has been used since the 1970’s, but has only recently gained traction with those looking for mental, physical and spiritual regeneration. In this space full of thousands of pounds of Epsom salt, you’re completely stripped from all your senses for 60-90 minutes in a dark chamber.

The benefits are endless, but I’ve used it to recharge and restore after periods of intense work, or when I felt stress and anxiety.

Make It Your Own

The above has worked wonders for me during times of great success, such as launching a new book, but also times of stress where I’m questioning it all.

Whatever you do, develop your own system of activities and strategies you can fall back on, and see how they affect your creativity, focus, fulfillment, and productivity as an entrepreneur.