5 Rules, made for your kids, that you need to observe.

Posted by martin.parnell |

Every day the media is talking about rules we should make for our kids, in order for them to have a productive, healthy, organised lifestyle. But, how many of these do we follow, when it comes to ourselves? Maybe it wouldn’t do us any harm to practice what we preach. 

1. Stop playing that video game:

 My friend, Jim Messner, recently told me that he doesn’t look at any emails, until 8.00 am. I decided to adapt that slightly and made my own rule that I don’t look at any emails until I’ve done an hour’s work. I’m surprised at how much I get done, in that 60 minutes.

2. Tidy your room:

 I consider myself to be fairly organised and have learnt that by just setting aside 5 minutes per day to file paperwork and tiding my work-space at the end of each day does make a difference. I know some people revel in "creative clutter". I know I'm not one of them.

3. Do your homework: 

Give yourself deadlines by which to get things done e.g. writing blogs, updating your website, answering emails, reading articles etc. and stick to them. One method I use is a "Rolling To Do" list. Items get added daily as I think of them and are removed as they are completed. Then I'll review the list at the end of the week, prioritize them and tackle the top priority ones at the beginning of the next week. Upon reflection some are not worth doing and are removed.

4. Go outside and play:

 Even if it’s just a few minutes every hour, get up and walk around, take the stairs instead of the elevator (you can always try just walking up one floor and build on that). Better still, schedule an outdoor activity e.g. walking around the block at lunch time. Even a few minutes a day makes a difference.

5. Time for bed: 

An article published by The Division of sleep medicine, at Harvard medical school states that we all have some sense of the relationship between sleep and our ability to function throughout the day. After all, everyone has experienced the fatigue, bad mood, or lack of focus that so often follow a night of poor sleep. What many people do not realize is that a lack of sleep—especially on a regular basis—is associated with long-term health consequences, including chronic medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, and that these conditions may lead to a shortened life expectancy.

 As for how much sleep we need, The National Sleep Foundation Recommends:

  • Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours
  • Adults (26-64): Sleep range 7-9 hours
  • Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours 

 Oh and don’t forget to eat your veggies!

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