As an entrepreneur, website designer, and cycling coach, my days are spent staring at a screen. Many professionals are on screens all day from work, school, meetings, to social media. To unwind or take a ‘break’ from work, you may find yourself engaging in social media and flipping through the apps on your phone. In order to fully give that brain its needed recovery from a load of stimulus, we have to put a focused effort into taking breaks. Until I suffered from a brain injury this past year, I had no idea how much stress we put on our brains from screen time. I found that by taking frequent breaks from screen time, my brain was able to work more efficiently and by the end of the day, I was feeling much more level-headed.

When you are working on a project, it’s easy to get in the ‘zone’ and lose track of time. You may have a proposal due, or a project deadline, and taking a short break seems counterproductive. However, do you find yourself slowing down or feeling ‘cross-eyed’? Does your stress level rise? Let’s work more efficiently so you can still meet those deadlines with confidence and have an increase in your brainpower for that project.

When I first implemented this strategy of taking screen-time breaks, I set a timer for every 30 minutes. When the timer went off, I would stop and close my eyes for just a couple of minutes. The results for me were staggering! I went from being a cranky mom at the end of the day to a more laid-back mom. Think of how your muscles function – can you do 3 sets of 10 squats easier than 30 squats in a row? Of course, you can! Or have you ever overworked a muscle to the point of cramping? That is our brains on screen time!

Respect your brain just like you would a muscle by giving it frequent breaks. You should find yourself functioning better, feeling less stressed, more level-headed, and overall more efficient in your productivity.

Being the best in any given market can come down to your strategy and how you can stand out from the crowd. Oftentimes, it’s easy to get caught up in all of your competition – but the real question is: How are you different? Do you offer services or expertise that is unique? How can you differentiate yourself so you can stand out?

If you are a runner or a mountain biker, you may have experienced this first hand where you participated in an event with very little competition and finished at the top! I remember going to my first Xterra event at the Deuces Wild in Pinetop, Arizona. In many of the women’s categories, there wasn’t a big field, so the chances of making the podium were much higher. Given my strengths as a cyclist, mediocre runner, and ability to push through a lot of pain, I was able to use those strengths to help me finish on the podium!

James Clear, author of ‘Atomic Habits’ writes, “When you can’t win by being better, you can win by being different. By combining your skills, you reduce the level of competition, which makes it easier to stand out. A good player works hard to win the game everyone else is playing. A great player creates a new game that favors their strengths and avoids their weaknesses.”

Business is similar to sports in that everyone likes a winner. When have you ever heard someone ask, “Where can I find a mediocre restaurant or mediocre massage?”? What you hear is, “Where can I find the best burger or best massage?”. With this in mind, how can YOUR business stand out on its own?

“Anyone who is going to hire you, buy from you, recommend you, vote for you, or do what you want them to do is going to wonder if you’re the best choice. Best as in: best for them, right now, based on what they believe and know. And in the world as in: their world, the world they have access to.” -Seth Godin, “The Dip”, pg. 10.

Be strategic and minimize your direct competition by standing out. Then follow with first class services and you will be successful!