My aim in writing this book was not simply to reinforce everything we already know. We all know we should eat healthily, move more, sleep more and do work we love. These messages are delivered to us through newspapers, television, the internet and the conversations we share. I can recall sitting in a cafe writing on my laptop (thank you cafes with free wi-fi, by the way, you rock!) when the table next to me was taken by a group of mums with their small children, all (mums and children) dressed head to toe in activewear. They parked their prams, extracted their children and sat them at the smaller table next to theirs. They proceeded to hand each child a tablet (the computer kind) and offered them the choice of a babycino, smoothie or juice.
As a side note, I can remember in my pre-children life being appalled by the idea of a babycino — who would give their children coffee, even a small one? — before I learned that a babycino is actually not a mini latte but simply frothed milk with a sprinkling of cocoa on top, or if you're lucky a dash of chocolate topping.
The mums duly placed their order, and once the three two-year-olds were happily (and silently) playing Candy Crush on their own iPads, one of the mums opened the conversation: ‘I can't believe how tired I am!'
So started a half-hour, three-way conversation on the pitfalls of motherhood, coping with small children at home, trying to stay fit, finding time to hang out with friends and grappling with the challenges of starting a business. Yes, I was eavesdropping, because at the time I was writing about the very things they were talking about. Between their sips of coffee and iPad sounds, what I was really hearing was the common challenge of how to integrate all the things we know we need to do into our busy daily lives. They knew they should be encouraging their children to play together, but at least the tablets kept them occupied and quiet. I wasn't about to pass judgement on them — as a mum I have used the iPad as a babysitter at strategic times — but if we know we should be encouraging our children towards active play and real social interaction with other children, why don't we?
It's one thing to know what to do, but it's quite another to know how to do it. Part III is about how we can take what we know about slowing down and apply it in our life — day in, day out. When life is so busy, how do we make this work? How can we switch off and still get done what's needed? Here we'll look at some practical ideas and strategies on the most effective ways to flick that switch. So together let's turn you off!