The YoYo: The Entrepreneurs Most Powerful Tool

Ok… here we go. So this is a funny article name, and a bit of a weird habit but I started doing this a little while ago and I’m really glad I did. This is a great way to relive stress, clear your head, live longer, be healthier and make more money. And the only thing you need is a 50 cent YoYo.

When I was a kid growing up I used to love playing with YoYo’s. It was a hobby I had and I wasn’t half bad at it either. I brought it to school and other kids started playing too. It was fun.

So when I was going through a box of old stuff a few months ago and came across the old red yoyo I had, it put a smile on my face. I took it out as a “keepsake” and put it on my desk… not really thinking much about it.

A few days went by and of course I went back to work. I’d occasionally glance over at my red YoYo and think about past days when… you know, I’d actually have time to play with it! Ah… I’ll get around to it later. Back to work.

Well… back to work caused a lot of frustration that week. Tech problems, setbacks… Murphy’s law was in full swing! So out of sheer frustration…

I sat back and said “Screw It!”

And walked away. I picked up my red YoYo & started playing.

It took a bit to get back into it, but I was “walking the dog”, doing loops and all sorts of cool tricks in no time. And when I say no time… I mean it!

In less than 5 minutes I had completely forgotten about my worries, I had got up & walked around, I had got a drink of water, relaxed my brain, made myself smile and basically re-set my grumpy, frustrated mood.

All because of a little 50 cent red YoYo.

If it wasn’t for that YoYo I would have ruminated over the crappy “tech support” for another 3 hours and not gotten anything done and stayed frustrated for the day.

This was one of the best “state breaks” I ever discovered. Here’s why.

1. By picking up a toy & playing with it I was getting my mind off work. Your brain can’t actively think for an answer while you’re asking it a question. Stop asking it the question you want the answer to and you’ll get the answer. Forcing yourself to “walk away” does this. Playing with a YoYo makes you stop thinking about work.

2. Sitting all day is one of the worst things you can do for your health. It can literally shorten your lifespan by DECADES! Standing and walking around least once an hour fixes that. A YoYo requires you to stand and walk around.

3. It reminds you to “take breaks”. Concentration is a muscle. And it’s VERY hard to keep flexing that muscle for hours on end. So, believe it or not, but you’ll work faster, smarter and get more done… if you just take a 10 minute break every hour to walk around and clear your head. A YoYo is a PERFECT tool for that.

So next time you’ve got a few minutes or you’re feeling frustrated. Stand up, stretch, grab a YoYo & start goofing around. You’ll be surprised at how refreshed and productive you’ll be when you get back to work again! Just don’t play for too long 😉

Cheers
– Adam Nolan