Productivity enemy #1: poor health

There is an enemy of productivity that slips under the radar, wreaks havoc right under everybody's noses. 131 million days were lost because of it in 2013, in the UK,  and it cost the US 227 billion dollars.
Do you think the culprit is procrastination? Laziness? Lack of motivation? Incompetence? Well those have been named, shamed and dealt with all over the interweb. But what about this one?

Sickness

"Cough, Cough"! My boss is coming down with the lurgies. Yes.I still got a boss (well, several but they don't own me as I'm self-employed).  This boss has the weight of the whole enterprise on his shoulders if his partner is on holiday. And that's exactly what the situation is right now. The way I see it, he can't even afford to be ill as the whole operation would collapse.

Doesn't that show the truthfulness of this statement?

It does not matter your skill or savviness, your health is your most important asset.

Without good enough health, you have nothing.Your health is your wealth

Let's get the elephant out of the room:
We all know that smoking, alcohol, and recreational drugs all have an adverse effect on our health. Also, we can't expect to function long if we constantly deprive ourselves from a good 7-8 hours sleep.

But here's more:

I am a body building aficionado. I found that strengthening your muscles also strengthens your health; and although the sport has the side effect of pushing you slightly towards the narcissistic side, it instils in you a truth that a lot of people don't realise: A strong looking (and strong feeling) body is 25% exercise 75 % diet.
Forget the fads about getting amazing arms or abs in a short time just by doing some exercises. You will never look like the pictures on the magazine without a disciplined diet.

OK, you might not want a 6 pack or bulging biceps. Just good health. In that case, a good diet is still crucial.

The importance of a good diet

When my health went pear shape a few years ago, I learned the hard way that I had to eat more vegetables, less salt, little or no processed food or junk food. I talk about it in the last paragraph of this post.
As a society, we tend to go after quick fixes and treat the symptoms rather than tackling the causes of our illnesses.
We wonder why we are so tired, so easily sick and then we prop ourselves up with caffeine and energy drinks. Or we go to the doctor and expect some magic pill.
 But the problem remains if we do not treat the cause which is that our body does not get the proper fuel it needs to function and yet is asked to over-perform.

Prevention is better than cure

Not only a balanced diet is important but supplementation as well goes a long way to keep illnesses at bay. A friend introduced me to food supplements that helped him fend off colds for almost a decade.I also experienced that when I used these, people's colds around me do not affect me.

Now nothing can stand in the way of my productivity ,right?
Wrong!
In my next post, I'll tackle productivity enemy number 2.

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