Arianna Huffington Admits She Would Rather Maintain 'Joy' Over Extreme 'Productivity' When Navigating Her Work-Life Balance

Arianna Huffington makes her happiness a top priority.

Despite founding one of the biggest media companies in the world, the businesswoman, 74, has put more value on taking care of herself than working endless hours a week.

"The barometer for how I’m doing is joy, not productivity," she explained during a recent appearance on the "Giant Ideas" podcast. "We got it all wrong when we thought that New Year's resolutions are the way to change behavior. The way is to really build on these daily incremental small changes that we call too small to fail.”

Huffington emphasized how daily self-care is imperative to building a fulfilling life. "Health is what happens between doctor visits… our health is really driven by these five daily behaviors: how we sleep, what we eat, how much we move, how we manage our stress, and how we manage our connection with ourselves and others," the author noted.

The executive knows that the best way to enact change is from the top down. "When leaders themselves model this behavior, it has a huge impact in accelerating cultural transformation," she added.

Huffington has always been a champion for ensuring people are focused on the things that matter in life, even going on to start the Thrive Global company, which provides behavior change technology.

"People are incredibly stressed. Everybody has more demands on them. But that’s why it’s all the more important to take care of ourselves—so we’ll be more effective and productive in everything else we’re doing. It’s like what they say on airplanes: secure your own oxygen mask first," the media mogul said in a 2020 interview.

"In fact, we have created Microsteps specifically to help people navigate this new normal," she said of the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. "The best place to start is with sleep, which is the underpinning of every other aspect of our well-being, including our ability to manage stress. My personal favorite is to escort my phone out of my bedroom before I get into bed. Our phones are repositories of all our projects and problems. Disconnecting helps us sleep better and wake up recharged to meet the next day’s challenges."

Huffington also noted that practicing gratitude is another helpful way to curb anxiety. "A great way to do that is through habit stacking, which is a proven and efficient way of building new habits by 'stacking' a new behavior on top of an existing one. So, for instance, when we’re washing our hands, we can think of three things we're grateful for. It’s an easy way to boost positivity — and well-being — without having to find any more time in your day," she said.

Forbes conducted the 2020 interview with Huffington.