The Daily Habits of a 24-Year Old Startup Founder
And How I Maintain Focus
On Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important things in life. You can eat, drink and live all day but if you do not sleep well, it will affect the quality of your life severely. As a startup founder, I am living a hectic lifestyle — traveling, working and dealing with different tasks everyday. I will shut down my laptop at 10PM every night (or I try to) and sleep after that.
I know that there are many other successful entrepreneurs who work on their business until the early hours of the morning (or even all night) but does it really make them more productive? Is it really effective to burn the candle at both ends?
My answer is NO. Your body needs its rest to rejuvenate itself and recuperate from the day’s stress. If you do not sleep well, you will be prone to health problems and your productivity will be affected negatively as well.
I believe that 8 hours of sleep is the perfect number for me to function at my best. I wake up at 7AM and sleep by about 10PM every day. I usually get a sound sleep and am able to wake up in the morning without feeling groggy or tired.
On Hydration
When I was younger, I used to drink very little water. As a result, I would get headaches when I wake up in the morning. My body would feel dehydrated and sluggish as well. When you are not hydrated well, your organs such as your brain will not function properly and your concentration will be affected.
I have tried drinking 4–5L of water every day but this resulted in getting frequent bathroom trips and feeling bloated. It was quite an uncomfortable feeling so now I stick to drinking 2L-3L of water every day and it has been working well for me so far.
On Reading
Reading is one of the best ways to grow yourself as a person. You can pick up new ideas/concepts from what you are reading and apply them to your life/business to see if it works. Books can also give you ideas for new business ventures or inspire you to do something that you have never thought of before.
In the past, I would pick up a book and start reading it but would not finish it at all. Maybe I’m too lazy or have a short attention span, I don’t know. Nowadays, I try to read a chapter in the morning and another before going to sleep. This way, I am able to finish reading books quite easily. It does not take me long to finish a book because of the small chapters in each book (I like books that are split into small chapters). Books are great for learning new things and growing as a person.
On Meditation
Meditation helps you to focus better and be more productive throughout the day. It reduces stress levels in your body by calming you down. You will feel more relaxed after doing some meditation exercises and should be able to sleep better at night as well.
I started off with just 5–10 minutes of meditation every day but now have increased my time up to 20 minutes every day. Once you get used to meditating everyday, you will begin to see the benefits of it — less stress levels during the day, better focus, more positive energy and so on. Meditation has become one of my most important daily routines now (along with exercise).
On Consistency
I feel that it is really important to maintain a good daily routine for myself. Consistency is the key in achieving success in whatever you do in your life. I believe that my regular daily routines have helped me to become successful in the business world. They have helped me to be more productive and positive, even though I am under immense stress on a daily basis.
About the Author
I am the Founder of Cudy Technologies (www.cudy.co), a full-stack EdTech startup helping teachers and students teach and learn better. I am also a mentor and angel investor in other Startups of my other interests (Proptech, Fintech, HRtech, Ride-hailing, C2C marketplaces and SaaS). You can also find me on Cudy for early-stage Startup Founder mentorship and advice.
You can connect with me on Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderlhk) and let me know that you are a reader of my Medium posts in your invitation message.
