Hugh's Blog

I’ve just returned from six days on the road, including four cities, three media interviews, six separate, custom presentations, and running a half marathon to boot. And I feel great!

Being on the road for work or taking a vacation with the family can take a toll on you. Unfamiliar food, long periods of sitting and waiting, different beds-after a while you miss the familiar comforts of home.

Do you feel beat up after a road trip? Maybe you can benefit from what I do.

Hydrate

No question, this is the first habit to improve. You body is 60% water and you need to actively stay on top of refilling it on the road. On your flights, in your room, and in meetings. Less diuretics, like tea and coffee, more water and your body will thank you.

Movement

Let’s face it: very few people exercise when on the road-just visit a hotel gym in the morning and you’ll see what I mean. So I’ve been recommending movement instead. It works like this: keep you large muscles (legs, back, and arms) working by walking, lifting, carrying, moving, etc. and you effectively keep the body exercising. So take the stairs, carry your bags, and frequently stand and move on flights.

Sleep

I blogged on this recently, and here are the tips: stop eating early in the evening, stay off TV and Internet (they stimulate your brain)-instead read, and make a list for the AM. The pay-per-view might be tempting you, but sleep is a much better investment.

Plan

Free time on the road is different-it’s all yours, so make it count. Schedule your work-outs, catch up time with clients and the office, meal time-everything. Don’t let email, TV, and surfing the web control your time; design a balanced day of work, relaxing, learning, catching up, exercise, and sleep.

It’s often not ideal and it certainly isn’t home, but time on the road can at least be highly effective.

Tags: accountability, business, commitment, culver, decisions, effectiveness, freedom, leadership, promises, time management

Have trouble getting your eight hours a night? It seems that far too many of us are sleep deprived and operating on half-charged batteries.

For years I prided myself on how I could scrim on the zzzzz’s and get more done than most. And then it started to catch up with me.

I noticed that I didn’t feel as creative or quick when presenting, mid-afternoon I was groggy and my evenings were a blur of time waster activities. Fortunately, I was still remarkably good looking (that was a sleep deprivation test just of you).

There is lots of valuable advice abound on how to correct sloppy sleep habits. Check out Stephanie Silberman, Ph.D’s great synopsis “6 Mistakes That Can Keep You Up at Night” http://fwd4.me/02ah.

Here are the techniques I use (please adopt as you see fit):

• Choose non-stimulating activities. TV, YouTube, email, movies, exercise, and learning how to macramé all fire up your brain and make it harder drop off. Instead have a low-stimulating routine you follow in the last 30-60 minutes before your lay down, like: music, reading fiction, art work, or journaling.

• Stop eating. Snacking for comfort or to stay awake less than two hours before bed is a bad idea; your body isn’t metabolizing as much and your innocent snack heads to the parking lot at the waist and you feel full in the morning.

• If you take naps, limit them to 15-20 minutes. Naps are fantastic and they can compete with needed sleep time.

• Write down what you want to do in the morning. This gets your “To Do’s” off you mind and encourages you to be effective as soon as you rise.

Tags: accountability, business, business growth, commitment, effectiveness, freedom, health, productivity, time management, travel

Want to watch less TV? Read this.

“I don’t know what to do, so I watch TV.” says Theresa. I’m sitting at a booth at the Saskatchewan Marathon race Expo and wondering how to respond. Theresa had heard my interview with Jeff Rogstad on the local CTV show, called the station, tracked me down, and was now telling me this.

The problem, of course, isn’t the TV. TV is great if that is all you want to do.

The problem is when it doesn’t fulfill you. You watch one hour, maybe two, or three. And then feel hollow, kind of bored, and distinctly unfulfilled. That’s the problem.

And there is only one solution: have something you want to do more.

No self-respecting parent ignores their kids when the kids need attention. And no committed artist skips their evening of painting, music, writing, or dance. Why? Because they want to do these things more than the alternative.

Want to watch less TV, eat less, procrastinate less, watch less YouTube videos? Have something you want even more and then do that instead.

But here’s the catch.

Every time you are tempted by the lazy alternative you have to make the better choice. Don’t slip, don’t choose the ‘someday’, ‘soon’, ‘next time’ alternatives. Do it.

You brain loves patterns-so create a great pattern it can follow.

Tags: accountability, business growth, commitment, entrepreneurs, freedom, human resources, leadership, motivation, organization, productivity, promises, time management