The number one thing business owners neglect is themselves. Their physical and mental health often sits at the bottom of a long list of urgent priorities. The irony is that without your health, all the “priorities” become irrelevant. I’ve seen this time and again as I’ve coached entrepreneurs. Issues that come up are general health, exhaustion, no exercise, not taking prescribed medication, not taking time to go to a doctor, becoming overweight and feeling ashamed of it, no sleep, self medicating with illegal or over-the-counter medications, and just not taking time to play.

Business owners who spend the better part of their lives working to increase their financial wealth at the expense of their health often turn around and spend their accrued wealth to heal their bodies from the damaging effects of stress and neglect of their fundamental needs. They may even be running inefficient companies in the meantime, businesses which suffer from their lack of energy and focus. Their best employees may leave them as the owner becomes bitter and resentful toward their own staff for making demands on their time. In the worst cases, when the health bills come due, they may have no one to turn to because they’ve already driven everyone away.

Healthy business owners, on the other hand, have more energy, are more focused, and make better business decisions. Their business runs more smoothly over the decades, and they don’t have that unexpected medical expense down the line due to years of medical neglect and high stress.

So how are you doing? “I’m fine, really,” won’t cut it. Let’s take an assessment to find out the truth.

Your Self-Care Assessment

Are you taking care of yourself the way you deserve? Answer these questions—“Y” for yes or “N” for no.

• I eat breakfast most days.
• I eat 5 cups of fruit and vegetables every day.
• I exercise regularly including strength training.
• I meditate daily.
• I sleep seven to eight hours per night.
• I experience little or no negative stress.
• I am happy most of the time.
• I see the doctor at least once a year.
• I am happy with my weight.
• I have a positive, loving relationship with my partner.
• I spend time with my family.
• I stop working when I’m over-tired.
• I drink enough water to be well-hydrated.
• I have someone to talk to about my business challenges.
• I have enough money in the bank to not excessively worry.
• I most often cook meals at home.
• My alcohol intake is low to moderate.
• I have time for friends.
• I manage my negative emotions well.
• I spend some time doing what I want.
• I make time for my hobbies.
• I say no to unhealthy foods.
• I keep my promises to myself.
• I feel good about my body.
• I take my medication as prescribed.
• I seek medical care when I have a health issue.
• I take time off when I’m sick.

Add up your answers. How many yes answers do you have versus no answers? The no’s you see are places you need to improve. If you’re mostly no, consider this your warning.

To arrive at the place where you feel free to enjoy life and control your schedule requires structure. You are already working hard, so put yourself first on your list and work hard for you. Think of what you need to be healthy and happy.

Stuck? You’re not alone. Most business owners I work with have no idea how to begin. So I’ve compiled a massive list below of places to start, things to consider, and areas you can improve your health starting today.

Suggested Self-Care Systems

• Schedule your next vacation and put a line item on your budget for the owner’s vacation. 
• Freedom might even start with simply taking a proper lunch break while someone else answers the phones.
• Focus on results, not the work. There may be places to cut corners without cutting quality.
• Do one task at a time, prioritize what needs to be done first, and stay focused.
• Huddles or ten-minute daily meetings with your team are better than lengthy monthly meetings and can help you learn about problems faster. Your team can also help you solve them.
• Don’t overbook. Be aggressive about protecting your calendar and your time. In the same way, practice delegation so you’re not doing everything yourself. 
• Establish a routine so you never wonder what you need to be doing. Build a rhythm that makes sense and that refreshes you throughout the day and week. 
• Engage in physical activities. A sedentary life can kill you, and it will make you miserable the whole time. Make sure you’re getting some exercise in your life. Even if that’s a ten-minute walk during lunch. And stand up more often than sitting down. .
• Create urgency to get tasks done faster instead of drawing them out and feeling stressed over them. Use deadlines, even if you have to create them for yourself.
• Divide and conquer big jobs. That means breaking tasks down into smaller components, but also delegating out pieces to other team members so you’re not working alone. 
• Have a scheduled “quiet time” to think. How can you assess your business if you never get a spare moment to think about it? You’ll be amazed at the insights you receive just from taking a few scheduled minutes to ponder your life and business. Protect these times with a “do not disturb” message or a gatekeeper who deflects attention-seekers.
• Schedule phone calls so they aren’t constantly ambushing you throughout the day. Set one designated time to be on the phone and arrange your calls accordingly.
• There’s an old saying: “If you have to eat a frog, do it in the morning so you don’t spend all day dreading it.” Don’t postpone your “frogs.” Get the bad stuff out of the way first. Then spend the rest of the day recharging instead of dreading.
• Take a lunch break. This is huge for most business owners. You need time to rest during a long day or your second half will be terrible. Take your rest on purpose. Use this time to stretch and to think. 
• Know when to stop working. You need a shutoff time where you’re not available to customers. This ensures you’re available to yourself and your family. Otherwise your entire life is work.
• Figure out your best hour of the day and maximize productivity in that hour.
• Establish and commit to a note collection system like Notebook or Evernote so it’s easier to document things. This will stop you from keeping a hundred mental notes open in your brain and feeling exhausted just trying to remember details.
• Your phone could be ruining your life. Turn off device alerts. You don’t need to see every text message the moment it arrives. Schedule times to check your phone and free yourself from electronic distraction.
• Use your values to filter commitments. What deserves your time? What needs to be done? And what will get sacrificed if you overcommit in the wrong areas?
• Remember that “no” is a full sentence. You don’t need to explain every decision you make. Learn to say “no” and move along.
• Make sure you’re eating and sleeping appropriately. These are the building blocks of your health, but they’re usually the first things to get sacrificed when business owners get stressed. Focus on repairing these two issues and you’ll find you have a wealth of new energy and focus like never before. 
• Fix your desk and workspace. Clutter means you’re going to stress out about the mess. It also means you’re likely to misplace important documents. That could cost you even more money down the line. Invest in an organizational system and learn to prioritize using it even when you don’t feel like you have time to file a letter. Or get someone to help you with this.
• Drink water. Lots of it. 
• Start asking if you’re happy, and what would make you more happy. Make sure you’re getting time with the people you love. If you’re not, what’s the point? And make sure the people who love you are getting your undivided attention. If they’re not, how will they feel about you? Make sure you aren’t losing them as you provide for them.

Do these sound like hard work to implement? Well, they sort of are. They’re definitely going to require energy to start doing. Consider the alternative—reach out if you need help.