Do you have a routine or a way to approach your day? Setting the tone for your day has a massive impact on how much you accomplish.
This month I will be showcasing the routines of several boss ladies who work on the continent. Learn how they balance working hard with staying on top of their physical and mental health.
By sharing our experiences, learning from others and deciding what works for us as individuals, we all can have a good life.
Ethel Cofie has always admired people who had multiple jobs. She has multiple interests and is involves in several companies.
Her work fits within three main buckets: women in leadership, entrepreneurship, and technology. In addition to having personal consulting work, running a technology company focused on digital strategy and transformation, she also runs an organization that empowers women around the world in the tech space.
How does she stay on top of her work and make her health a priority?
Ethel, constantly tweaking her approach to her professional and personal life, let me in on her secret to staying motivated.
[bctt tweet=”To stay healthy and avoid binge eating, @ethelcofie travels with her own snacks and even hits the gym during work trips. ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Know what motivates you
Like many entrepreneurs, Ethel describes herself as ‘uber-competitive,’ but at the same time, no one tells her what to do.
She is always trying to be more effective, efficient and productive.
If you enjoy keeping track of your professional and personal goals like Ethel, you should consider using software like excel to keep track.
Ethel uses a spreadsheet to make sure she is on track with her goals and scores herself. Monthly she gives herself a score and daily she creates a to-do list that has up to 3 priorities.
All her workouts are tracked in Apple Health so she can maximize the 30 minutes she dedicates to running each day.
Visualize your success
Success means different things to everyone but being clear on what you want will make it easier for you to attract it.
Ethel takes this one step further by spending a few minutes each day before she starts work to visualize things that she will be able to do when she achieves her goals.
Recently, Ethel has been spending time imagining how much fun it would be to take her immediate and some of her extended family on holiday. This keeps her motivated and focused.
Make your health a priority
The first thing that Ethel does in the morning is put on her running clothes. Once she has them on, she is ready to go. She swears she is not a morning person, but that she has just adjusted.
She is just as dedicated when she is traveling. The first thing Ethel does when she gets to a hotel is asking where the gym is.
She tries to keep her workout routine similar to what she does at home. She spends about 30 minutes running on the treadmill and about 20 minutes doing weights.
Learn from others
Find people to look up to online and offline. Ethel gives credit to productivity books for ‘curing’ her of wanting to do everything.
She recommends starting with reading Essentialism – The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown or Radical Focus: Achieving Your Most Important Goals with Objectives and Key Results by Christina Wodtke.
Online she tends to focus on accounts that are effective in spreading knowledge and provoking conversations like Dr. Ola Brown (Orekunrin) and Victor Asemota.
Concerning working out, Ethel is inspired by Michele Obama’s arms.
[bctt tweet=”Find someone that you look up to or inspires you to keep you on track with your goals – @ethelcofie ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Make the most of your trips
Ethel packs last minute for trips but plans out almost everything else including snacks. She tries to get in touch with people who will be at the conference she is attending.
About a week before the event, she will get in touch with other speakers and schedule meetings. If she is speaking, she starts practicing about a week before as well.
To keep herself from binge eating, Ethel travels with her own snacks. If she is not able to get the cereal or energy bars she likes, she brings along milo. Eating these snacks keeps her from eating unhealthily and drinking coffee.
By keeping track of her progress and planning ahead, Ethel is able to make the most of her time. Even if you don’t like using elaborate excel sheets or tracking software, just knowing where you started can keep you moving forward.
How do you plan to push yourself? Do you do anything to hold yourself accountable? Read our Good Good Living Part 3 series w/ Maya Horgan Famodu
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