Entrepreneur UK Staff
To celebrate the United Nations International Day of Happiness, seven leading experts share their top tips on how to not only be a happy entrepreneur, but also create a happy working environment for others:
One thing at a time
In today's digital age many entrepreneurs will feel pressure to be connected at all times, whether that is with their teams, customers, stakeholders or just to know what is happening in the world that could impact their business. It leads many of us to worry about just how much time we are spending on our smartphones.
However, the underlying issue, according to mindfulness and digital habits expert Menka Sanghvi, is not how much time we spend on our phone but how frequently we check them. "Research reveals that the average person touches their phone every 4-6 minutes – it's like a metronome piercing our attention throughout the day! From a neuroscience perspective, multitasking is a myth, and the longer we attempt it the more our attention gets fragmented. This can lead to burnout, anxiety, poor sleep and lower self-esteem."
"My advice for happiness is to respect your mind and embrace single-tasking, focusing on one thing at a time," says Sanghvi, whose new book, Your Best Digital Life: Use your mind to tame your tech is due to be published in May 2025. "If you're replying to emails, stay in your inbox doing replies for a while (a technique called task batching.) If you're in a meeting, put your phone away to fully engage. If you're checking the football score, just enjoy doing that! It's a tough practice for anyone – but your mind will thank you for it."