Tips From The Champ: Serena Williams’ Secrets to Productivity

Serena William’s revolutionary tennis skills have paved the way for her success. At the early age of 14, she became a professional tennis player. After more than 20 years, Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles. However, it was no easy feat for her. Williams had to follow strict training and a healthy diet in order to achieve her success in the sport.

Aside from being known as America’s greatest female tennis player of all time, Williams is also a mother and an entrepreneur. Aside from her arduous workout regimen and vegan diet, Williams disclosed that she has two non-negotiable techniques in order to maintain her productivity. 

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Serena balances being a tennis champ, a wife, and a mother to her daughter, Alexis

Williams told CNBC Make It that one thing she does daily is to completely shut off her brain, which she described as weird since she has plenty of work on her plate, like tennis and her businesses Serena Ventures and Serena Clothing. Still, she said that to keep herself from getting overwhelmed, she just needs to turn off her brain and think about nothing.

Regardless of her schedule, Williams still looks for ways to zone out. To eliminate distractions, she said that she does some meditating, or even plainly watching a silly or fun TV program. 

She also said that Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., her 2-year-old daughter, also helps in her brain rest. Taking care of her daughter makes Williams focus on the moment and not think about other things. She makes sure to manage her time wisely so she can spend more quality time with Olympia. This rest allows her to reset and be more motivated to do her training in the next few days.

On top of the mind-clearing tactic, another strategy that Williams makes sure to always do to be more productive is to drink at least one gallon of water daily, not just during training but also on a regular day.

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Drinking a gallon of water a day is part of Serena’s routine even when she’s not training.

It is a must to avoid getting dehydrated, as it makes a person feel tired. According to Harvard kidney specialist Dr. Julian Seifter, water intake varies from one person to another. For most healthy people, Dr. Seifter recommends drinking four to six cups of water daily.

Venus, William’s tennis star sister, also said in an interview for CNBC Make It that eight hours of sleep and cutting off junk food from her diet is her go-to strategy for optimum performance.