Yes, Your Health Matters
If you are in any job that involves sitting at a desk, this article is probably for you. And for some of you, this might be the most important piece of advice in this whole series: yes, your health matters.
As much as you might think that periodically walking from your desk to the coffee pot is sufficient exercise, I have unfortunate news for you: it’s not.
Fortunately, however, the issue is simple (though not necessarily easy) to solve. Go for a jog in the morning, stop by the gym on the way home from work, or challenge yourself to hit your 10,000 steps a day—your body will thank you for it, and it is a habit that you can begin to implement like you would any other habit.
Sure, it might be tough at first. But with determination and consistency, you can start a fitness habit that will pay dividends. For those of us who spend most of our time in the knowledge work sector, exercise ensures that we remain healthy and able to function well in the long-term. Besides the obvious physical benefits, however, are the mental ones. Consistent exercise has been shown to help with memory and other cognitive tasks.
But exercise isn’t the only thing—diet plays a very significant role in your overall health. The old saying rings true: you are what you eat. And for knowledge workers, this is especially true. While I’m not qualified to give nutrition advice, there are some generally agreed upon principles that you can follow to begin to clean up your diet. For one, eating fewer processed foods can go a long way towards cultivating a healthier lifestyle. Eliminating excess sugars and going on fewer carb binges can also help to decrease feelings of brain fog. It is also important to stay hydrated throughout the workday since this can increase your focus and alertness. But, like with any health advice on the internet, talk to a doctor for more information.
Finally, if you’re anything like me, the chances are high that you’re not sleeping enough. This can be hard to remedy, especially for those who always seem to have packed schedules. But do your best to avoid making excuses—pay attention to how you use your time, especially during your downtime. While it can be very tempting to stay up into the late hours of the night, binging your favorite show or doomscrolling on your social media of choice, consider doing your future self a favor and going to bed at a reasonable hour. Consider using a sleep tracking app to get some data about the amount of sleep you get on average—this will help you to measure whether you need to start going to bed a little earlier.
For knowledge workers, physical health can often go on the backburner. We prioritize our minds over our bodies, optimizing for greater efficiency and producing as much profitable work as we can. But ironically, this is counterproductive. We aren’t brains on sticks, and how we treat our bodies can powerfully impact our mental output. So choose to invest in your health—it will make you feel good, and you just might become a more effective worker because of it.
