Zerodha's Nithin Kamath stops all work chats after 6 pm; here's why

Zerodha founder and CEO Nithin Kamath on Saturday said he stops all work chats after 6 pm and keeps all devices aside one hour before sleep, and this has helped him the most. He said this while sharing his thoughts on how and why one should focus on his or her health.

Kamath, who keeps sharing mantras from smart investing, said in chasing money goals, it is easy to forget that all the money in the world can't buy good health. "As we grow older, our health determines the quality of life, not money," he said in a LinkedIn post.

The young entrepreneur further said good health also means the ability to bounce back faster if unforeseen incidents occur. Health goals should be about how one feels, not how one looks, he said.  

"Wanting to look a certain way, influenced by celebs and influencers who fake it with lights and photography, use performance-enhancing drugs, or hit the genetic lottery, is a recipe for unhappiness."
 
Kamath said sitting is the new smoking. Setting simple activity goals in terms of how much he moves and reminders to stand up every 45 mins has had the most impact on him. The current health challenge in Zerodha is to set a daily activity goal and try to reach 90 per cent of the time, he said.

For Kamath, sleeping by 9 pm and getting a workout at 5 am has been very helpful. He said sleeping early reduces the chances of bingeing when one is drained and has low self-control at the end of the day. A workout in the morning also increases the odds of making healthier choices throughout the day, he said.

"Sleep has to be, by far, the most underrated aspect of good health," Kamath said, adding that sleeping less and working more is glorified. He said life is like a marathon, "if you run too fast and don't pace yourself, you can burn out, and you probably won't be able to finish strong".

Kamath said keeping all devices aside one hour before sleep, stopping all work chats at Zerodha unless critical after 6 pm, and spending time doing what is most relaxing just before sleep and on weekends has helped him the most with sleep.