Ironing out a daily routine and then sticking to it is hard enough for many entrepreneurs, but Virgin founder Richard Branson wants you to shuffle things around to make sure your day always include some “you time”.
In a blog post, the popular entrepreneur and businessman said he was “fortunate to live a full and varied life” with enough time to “live in the moment”, a concept he believes is very important.
“There’s always room for a bit more adventure in our lives and our loved ones always appreciate spending more time together,” Branson wrote.
Penning the blog post from his home in the British Virgin Islands (of which he owns two), Branson discussed the importance of spending time with friends and family, and referred to research from his business Virgin Trains which suggests half of British people wish they had more free time – business people included.
“It’s important to build some “you time” into your daily routine, even if it’s just 15 minutes of doing something that you love. I really enjoy kitesurfing when the wind allows, playing a game of tennis, jumping on my bike or simply going for a walk,” Branson says.
“Even entrepreneurs need some downtime and taking some time out can actually boost creativity and helps you take a step back and look at things with a fresh viewpoint.”
Branson’s usual day begins at 5:00am, giving him time to exercise and spend time with family before getting down to business, usually responding to emails “before most of the world logs on”.
In between emails and phone calls, Branson reads the news and writes blog posts, and sharing his thoughts on social media, which he believes “has opened up the world, and given the public the power to really have a say – it’s a wonderful thing”.
The rest of his day is filled with meetings (which he likes to keep informal) and an perhaps alarming 20 cups of tea. After dinner, he heads to bed at about 11 pm, catching 6 hours of sleep before getting up the next day to do it all again.
So while taking 30 minutes to play tennis or go windsurfing on your private island might be out of the question for many entrepreneurs, Branson suggests taking a leaf out of his book and and penciling in some “me time”.
Never miss a story: sign up to SmartCompany’s free daily newsletter and find our best stories on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Dominic Powell is a journalist at SmartCompany and a tech and music geek. When he’s not writing, you can find him reading or browsing record shops.
