First, you write a list of all the things you need to do either in a day or a week - choose a time frame that suits you depending on the degree of repetition you have in your life.  For most people a week will work well.

​Choose how you wish to break these tasks up.  You may choose - research, reading, action tasks, phone calls, social media, advertising, employee management - whatever works for you.  You may choose to break things up according to where you do them - say kitchen tasks (where you cook, empty the dishwasher, do food preparation etc), office tasks (where you sort papers and do research), dining room tasks (where you make phone calls and plan / organise.  You may choose to use your school subjects to break this time up.

In a week calendar broken down into segments (I suggest hour segments) place all your non negotiables.  Rule out your ideal sleeping time, put in your dinner time if you have a specific time that works for you, if you have to pick kids up from school put that in.  You are planning any time you have available in your week to make the most out of it.  This includes planning for fun time with family or friends, exercise time as well as your work time.  It is entirely up to you - you may just use this technique to make your work hours more efficient or to optimise 3 hours of study after school - how far you take it is your choice.

On the physical level - I suggest you use different colours for each type of activity as you have broken them down for yourself.  It helps your brain to recognise the patterns.

​​As mentioned in a previous post - I suggest you study or work in concentrated blocks of 45 minutes then have a "rest" period of 5-15 minutes to move, stretch, get fresh air, water and / or a healthy snack and organise for your next concentrated time block.  This may involve switching books, tidying your desk to start fresh or gathering the materials you will need for your next stint. All these activities should be considered preparation for your next stint (including the exercise, stretching etc) and should allow you to get straight down to the nitty gritty when start your timer. 

Time blocking and including "rest periods" after each time slot increases your efficiency as well as improves the way your body and brain work allowing for more sustained periods of pain free and constructive work in the long run or greater amounts of free time at the end.

The contents of your child's school lunch box can make a huge difference to their concentration, behaviour and energy levels.  Every school lunch should include the following 4 things.

1. Fresh vegetables - the more variety and different colours the better.  Carrot sticks, celery sticks, green beans, snow peas, cucumber (especially the baby ones), capsicum and cherry tomatoes all travel well and taste delicious.

2. Healthy protein - for sustained energy and to keep them full.  Hard boiled eggs, left over chicken, roast beef or turkey, ham, tuna, silverside, cheese, youghurt or even cold sausages.  Nuts are fantastic too if your child's school allows them.  In the hot weather make sure to either include a frozen drink ir ice pack to keep things cool or put their lunch boxes in a cooler bag.

3. Healthy fats - for growing brains.  Avocado particularly as guacamole dip for the fresh vegetables is great, olives, once again tuna, hard boiled eggs or cheese, coconut oil treats (paleo protein balls are fantastic) and nuts or nut butters particularly macadamias and walnuts if your child's school allows them.

4. Water - even mild dehydration leads to impaired concentration, tiredness and everything just seems harder.  Wherever possible avoid plastic bottles.  Even BPA free plastic bottles are now being shown to contain chemicals equivalent to or in some cases worse than BPA.  In my opinion glass is best however in schools this may not be the best option.  In this case stainless steel is a great alternative.  To give a plug to a local company (I suspect they won't mind) - check out Earth Bottles.  Their bottles are double walled so they keep liquids cold for 24 hours or warm for 12 hours.

Bonus: Fresh fruit - strawberries, blueberries, nectarines, apricots, apple, pear, mandarines, kiwi fruit (make sure you cut it and include a spoon) and the list goes on.  There are so many to choose from so mix it up.  The more varied the diet, the better the range of nutrients your child will get.

This is particularly important for kids but also applies to adults so remember to include all 4 items in your menu for the day as well.  It helps give you all the nutrients you require to keep your brain and body in tip top condition. Enjoy!

​~ Bel