Healthy Brain, Healthy Business

Is your New Year’s Resolution for 2025 to get healthy?

Many people think about health in terms of physical health: to get stronger, be able to climb stairs, lose weight, run a marathon, etc. All good goals, especially kicking them off in January, which is National Staying Healthy Month.

But good health isn’t just physical. It’s mental and emotional too. Some people think about spiritual health, and I think that can be a part of emotional health. Either way you look at it, there’s more to being healthy than “just” having a healthy body – which is also important.

But what does that have to do with productivity and a healthy business, you ask?

What is productivity?

There are probably as many definitions of productivity as Alaskans (supposedly) have words for snow. 

Some people see productivity as efficiency: getting as much done as possible. These are the ones who talk about getting up at oh-dark-thirty so they can cram in as much work as they can. They have elaborate rituals, especially in the morning. They memorize a vast array of keyboard shortcuts to take a half a second off their time here and there.

My issue with this definition is that it doesn’t always allow for a life outside of work. A 14-hour workday every day is possible with this definition. But this kind of work is not sustainable and often leads to burnout.

Not to mention that it doesn’t discriminate between tasks that are necessary and important, and tasks that are unimportant, even if they’re urgent. You can be very busy with this definition of productivity and not achieve anything worthwhile, but you’re doing a lot of stuff.

My definition is closer to effectiveness: completing the necessary tasks to move you closer to a goal. That means doing the right tasks: as a business owner, you’re likely the one who’s generating leads and closing prospects. Not busy work, or endless emails.

This definition of productivity also means working with your brain instead of against it – literally working smarter instead of harder. Brainpower and energy fluctuate throughout the day, and so does your ability to do certain tasks. 

For example, right after lunch is a bad time for most people to do their “thinky” work: number crunching, spreadsheets, strategizing, and planning. But it is a good time to make calls and check emails.

Waking early in the morning works for people who naturally wake up early, but not necessarily for everyone else. Some people do their best thinky work in the morning, others later in the day.

You’ll be most effective by matching the time for thinky work when your brain is best able to handle it, not scheduling it willy-nilly throughout the day (as you might if you were trying to be efficient.) And by taking care of emails, calls, and admin tasks during downtime, not when your energy is high.

Effectiveness also takes into account the fact that the brain is a wondrous organ but not a machine. Allowing it to rest and recharge is what helps you sharpen your saw.

For example, suppose you have five minutes because a call was cut short. You might be tempted, in the name of efficiency, to check an email or make a call or do some admin tasks. (Often this results in being late for the next item on your calendar because it takes longer than you think.)

But in the name of effectiveness, you might decompress for five minutes instead. Get a drink of water, pet the cat, look out the window to give your eyes a break from the screen, or whatever. This brief break helps your brain recharge. That’s how you stay productive: by working with a refreshed and recharged brain.

Physical health and improving your productivity

It’s clear that most of us use our brains as a primary tool for business. That’s what knowledge work is about. If you’re an entrepreneur or business owner, no matter what your business happens to be, you’re using your brain when you create marketing plans, run your numbers, consider hiring, etc.

Physical health, the kind many people are thinking of when they make their New Year’s resolutions, supports your brain too. That’s why exercise is important, even if you don’t need it to maintain your weight. It brings oxygenated blood to the brain, which is important for thinking.

It also helps battle inflammation, which leads to a variety of diseases and illness. Apparently, this includes neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s too. Although there are genetic components to both as well, regular exercise seems to help prevent or delay these issues.

Eating nutritious food also battles inflammation and supports the immune system. You know what that is – not the typical American diet of ultra-processed food.

Physical health is necessary, but not sufficient, for productivity.

Supporting your brain supports being productive in the workplace

Also great for brain health (and thus productivity)? Things that don’t fit with traditional workplace culture such as… having fun. Your brain likes it when you do things that are fun for you!

Obviously fun differs from person to person. I’d rather spend an evening cleaning out kitty litterboxes than go to some place like Dave & Buster’s, but others love that place. Whatever you find fun is good for your brain (as long as it’s not destructive like overdrinking, overeating, etc.)

Spending time with actual people is also very good for the brain. (We introverts need fewer interactions, but we still need some.) I say actual people because texting doesn’t count and neither does commenting on your friend’s “social” media post. Your brain doesn’t recognize keyboard-based interactions as socializing.

Spending time with people you like and doing things you enjoy supports your mental and emotional health. Taking time every day to let your brain rest and recharge is not efficient in terms of working, but it does increase your effectiveness and productivity at work. 

Recap (tl;dr)

Health isn’t just about physical health, but mental and emotional health too. If you think of productivity in terms of being effective instead of just efficient, you’ll see where things that support your brain and your health make you more productive as well.

Want help building a sustainable, thriving business that doesn’t burn you out and allows you a life outside your firm? Let’s talk. Click here to set up your complimentary consultation.

Photo by Tim Mossholder via Unsplash.