In the life of an entrepreneur it sometimes feels like you are constantly putting out fires when you would rather be coming up with the next big creative idea to take your company forward.

Things are happening at a rapid pace and you may fear you cannot take a break without things falling into chaos. Working at a fever pitch can take a toll on your mind and body and, if you don’t give your mind a rest, the overwhelm will cause your productivity will decline.

Running an internet-based company, I spend a lot of time in front of the computer and simultaneously working on a few projects at once. I used to feel like taking a break was wasting time when I had so much to do.

Here is a quick 30-second meditation that I learned from the Yogic tradition that helped me tremendously from going into mental exhaustion. You can do this anywhere give your mind a break and reset yourself so you can get back to your genius work with more clarity and focus.

Stop everything you are doing and close your eyes.

1.     Inhale to the count of four.

2.     Hold your breath to the count of four.

3.     Exhale to the count of four.

4.     Hold the exhale to the count of four.

5.     Go back to number one, and repeat.

This should take about 32 seconds. You may find just by doing this short exercise you will feel more focused and centered. A good way to follow this is to imagine a square and the corners of the square are where you hold your breath and the long lines are where you inhale or exhale. Just trace the square in your mind and you know you are done.

After a few times of using this exercise you will be craving more by doing more repetitions and practicing more often. A great place to do this is also the very first thing in the morning as you awaken before the frantic thoughts of the day come flooding into your awareness.

The most effective entrepreneurs are those who know how to manage their thinking and stress levels. I found that taking the mind breaks throughout the day has increased my creativity, lightened my mood and helped me to feel a sense of calm even in stressful situations.

You don’t have time to go to the Himalayas to reach an enlightened state of mind. Just take some meaningful breaths and you will find yourself in nirvana, even for just a few precious moments.