Guerrilla Social Media Marketing: Engagement is Key…Simple Enough?
August 17, 2010
By Laura Thomas, Intern at Australian Businesswomen’s Network
Do you think of yourself as a Guerrilla Marketer? During the 3 August BOOKED for Lunch webinar, Guerrilla Social Media Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson and Shane Gibson expanded on how social media is changing the game of guerrilla marketing, how to measure your return on investment of social media and four important weapons for social media marketers.
Over the years, guerrilla marketing tactics have changed and evolved. Television was the beginning of guerrilla marketing tactics, then came the Internet, and now social media. Guerrilla marketing tools work at an accelerated pace with social media. Two very strong concepts for using social media as a tool for guerrilla marketing are patience and imagination. Without both, companies will find their results from using social media are disappointing.
Most people believe social media guerrilla marketing is mostly about marketing, but those people are wrong. 90% of social media marketing is about listening and engaging with the community, while the other 10% is about actual marketing. Social media marketers are leaders that know how to build a community.
Do you want to measure your return on investment (ROI) of social media to make sure it is worth all the time and energy spent on it? To begin, start by looking at the number of hours put into social media tools. A tool that can help you measure the effectiveness of social media tools is Google Analytics. Of course, any ROI can only be identified in time (it takes 18 months on average to measure ROI), so be patient. If you have been consistently engaged with the community, you should have nothing to worry about.
If you are completely lost about where to start, Guerrilla Social Media Marketing, by Jay Conrad Levinson and Shane Gibson, has an equation for measuring the return on investment of social media.
Social media marketers need to remember and use four important weapons:
1. Information – understanding guerrilla tactics for yourself and your competitors is crucial.
2. Imagination – you have to stand out to be recognised. Remember: if you sound like everyone else, you’re not a leader.
3. Innovation – realising how to market better and more efficiently is the key to cutting costs.
4. Community – (MOST IMPORTANT) engaging the community is vital because they are the ones who build up your brand.
I have given you a very brief (and I’m not exaggerating when I say brief) overview of the wonderful advice from Jay Conrad Levinson and Shane Gibson. To listen to the whole recording from 3 August BOOKED for Lunch, click here.
See Jay Conrad Levinson LIVE in Australia!
Jay Conrad Levinson joins a team of international marketing legends at the Wealth from Marketing event in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in September. Presented by Universal Events, this one-day program is valued at $597, but yours is free: http://www.wealthfrommarketing.com.au/?af=CLS1043088
MORE GREAT BLOG POSTS BY LAURA THOMAS
Asking the *Right* Questions to Get the *Right* Answers
August 16, 2010
By Cat Matson, Alito
We ask and answer questions all day, every day. “How are you?” “How was your weekend?” “How’s business going?”
Most of these questions call for superficial, polite answers – “Well thanks”; “Great, how was yours?” and my favourite “Really busy”. 
Different types of questions, of course, need to be asked if we’re going to get meaningful answers. Women have long learned NOT to ask ‘What are you thinking?’ of their men if they want an insight into their mind … but have we learned to ask the ‘right’ questions of ourselves when it comes to our business?
Performance questions are essential to ask on a regular basis:
- What was our revenue this period?
- What was our profit?
- What was our return on time, effort and financial investments?
- What are the trends?
And then to maximise the power of those questions, you need to ask:
- Is that good enough?
- If yes, how do we maintain or improve that performance?
- If not, what needs to happen differently?
- How do we do it differently?
It’s also useful to ask personal effectiveness questions:
- What will I do more of?
- What will I do less of?
- What will I stop doing?
It’s also important to have the right questions asked of you by other people. One of the most valuable aspects of working with a thoughtful business advisor, mentor or colleague is the insights gained from answering the ‘right’ questions. These are the questions that go beyond the transactional ‘what, where and when’ but push through questions of ‘why, how and what if?’
I’m curious … what is the best business question you’ve ever answered? What insights did you gain, and why was it such a potent question?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY CAT MATSON
- What Every Business Plan Should Have (But Most are Missing)
- Half-Time Address
- Can a Mumpreneur Really Crush It? 5 Tips to Myself.
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Cat Matson - Alito
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| Phone: | 07 3289 7055 |
| Email: | cat@alito.com.au |
| Website: | www.alito.com.au |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/catmatson |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/AlitoFusion |
| LinkedIn: | www.linkedin.com/in/CatMatson |
| Blog: | www.alito.com.au/blog |
| Member Profile: | See Cat’s Member Profile |
The Business of Busyness
August 13, 2010
By Alycia Edgar, Coastal Accounting Services
How do you keep track of your projects and tasks? How do you get to the end of your day and make sure that you have accomplished your goals for the day? How do you make sure you haven’t been fluffing around being busy but not accomplishing anything? It’s so easy to get stuck in the business of busyness, doing those tasks that are ultimately not important.
Brian Tracey introduced us to the urgent vs important matrix.
From this matrix, you can see that our number 1 priorities should be urgent and important tasks. These are tasks that can have serious consequences if not completed.
Interruptions, emails and the like that appear to be pressing, although urgent, are not that important in driving your business forward as shown in Sector III in the matrix. This is the big busyness sector, when you can appear to be super busy but not really accomplish much. You know this sector, you’ve been there before. I know I have. How do we stop? Delegate.
Sector IV in the matrix relates to all those tasks that are neither urgent nor important, so you shouldn’t be doing them. Get rid of them all together. They are not helping you focus on your goals.
Sector II is not urgent but important. This is the area where business growth occurs and you make time to work on your business. This is where you can truly start to leverage your efforts. Time spent here has a tremendous impact on your business in the long term.
So what should be your focus? Definitely the urgent and important tasks as they have serious consequences attached if not completed. Then, you need to make sure you schedule time to work on the important but not urgent tasks. They drive the business forward and assist you in achieving your goals.
Anything that doesn’t fall into the above two areas should be deferred, delegated or dumped entirely. Rid yourself of the unnecessary tasks that do nothing to fulfill you or your business.
How can you do this? Brian Tracy suggests asking these questions regularly:
- What are my highest value activities? What are the things that contribute the greatest value to my work?
- What is the most valuable use of my time right now?
As a business owner who is constantly fighting the “busyness” disease, I have found the questions above and the matrix very useful in keeping me real and on track. I am fine-tuning my delegation skills, eliminating that unimportant stuff and focusing on the growth aspects of my business. Am I seeing the rewards from this focus? Absolutely!
So tell me what are you doing to keep focused on the important aspects of your business. Have you used any of the tools above? Or do you have other tools you have used to maintain that laser focus?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY ALYCIA EDGAR
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Alycia Edgar - Coastal Accounting Services
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| Phone: | 0403 983 529 |
| Email: | alycia@coastalaccounting.com.au |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/alyciaedgar |
| Blog: | www.numbersarelife.com |
| Member Profile: | See Alycia’s Member Profile |
Half-Time Address
July 8, 2010
By Cat Matson, Alito
I know, I know. Technically, we’ve just ‘closed the books’ on the end of the financial year and started a new one. But if you’re anything like me, the end of the financial year isn’t anywhere as significant a ‘line in the sand’ as the Christmas/New Year break. For me, 30 June represents the ‘half-way’ mark in the year.
And what does any good coach do at half-time? Delivers a rousing half-time address.
Here it goes …
How are you traveling in this game called your business? Two quarters played for 2010 … are you happy with your score? The ground has been rougher (for some) than first expected, and well-thought-out strategies may have given way to rough-and-ready (scrappy) tactics. But that’s OK, you play the best game you can with the players you have in the conditions of the day.
How does your game plan need to change for the second-half? Do you need to rotate players or change your plan of attack? Is it time to stop playing defense? Remember, the second half of the calendar year always goes faster than the first (much, much faster), so if you need to change strategies, you need to change NOW.
We entered this business year amongst a bit of nervous confidence (we were supposedly coming out the other side of the GFC), and we’ve been playing in that context now for more than 6-months … we know the state of play. The question is, are you playing the best game you can in that context, or are you still using last year’s plays?
Now is a great time to take stock, review your business performance and chart your course of action for the next six-months. The end of the financial year is a great opportunity to look at the financial score (resist the temptation to *not* do your numbers until tax deadlines or your accountant requires them). While you’re at it, look at other key indicators in your business, and determine if you’re on track to reach the targets you set for yourself at the beginning of the year.
Do you need to adjust the targets? Do you need to change the tactics? Does the overall strategy need some work?
Tell me, what will you be saying to yourself/your team in *your* half-time address?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY CAT MATSON
- No. The shortest word to write; the hardest word to say
- The Power of a Robust Conversation
- The Curse of Mediocrity
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Cat Matson - Alito
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| Phone: | 07 3289 7055 |
| Email: | cat@alito.com.au |
| Website: | www.alito.com.au |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/catmatson |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/AlitoFusion |
| LinkedIn: | www.linkedin.com/in/CatMatson |
| Blog: | www.alito.com.au/blog |
| Member Profile: | See Cat’s Member Profile |
Work Smarter, Not Harder: How to Achieve Balance
July 6, 2010
By Nerida Gill, Admin Bandit
Small business owners are suckers for punishment … at least that’s what I’ve decided after reading a few statistics on the ABS website.
Did you know that almost half of us work at least an extra day a week more than “regular” people? In fact, a crazy 20% cram up to two weeks worth or work into just one tiny week.
That’s serious double duty and, to be honest, I’m as guilty as the next person.
Photo: Tim Ellis Photography
The problem is, like the majority of small business owners in Australia, I don’t directly employ staff, which means there’s no one to share the workload — put simply, if there’s a job to do, I’m the only one. Plus, almost 7 in 10 of us run our businesses from home, which means our work is always on hand. I don’t know about you, but I’m often at my computer well after 11pm.
This year, however, after having time and space to reflect on a few things during my recent holiday, one of my goals is to seek balance. I know I can’t survive long-term in overdrive mode, so I’ve been looking for smarter ways to keep growing my business while taking better care of myself.
Manage Your Time
Being busy doesn’t always mean you’re achieving anything. In fact, sometimes it’s simply a sign that you need better time management skills. What can you do to get your daily tasks done in less time?
- Write a “to-do” list everyday and prioritise the most important items. It’s okay if you don’t get them all done. Realistically, you can do no more than five significant things each day.
- According to Pareto’s Principle, 80% of results come from just 20% of your effort; so determine what you really need to do and forget the extraneous stuff.
- Beat procrastination. As Angela Booth says in Better Time Management in 21 Days, no task is so onerous that you can’t do it for just 20 minutes. It’s amazing how much you can achieve in short blocks.
- Play to your strengths. Delegate the tasks that can be done by other people (dare I say it, perhaps more efficiently than you).
Get Organised
Studies show being organised saves you up to an hour a day. What’s more, it promotes creativity and helps keep stress at bay, so why not try one of these this week:
- Spring clean your office. You’ll see huge results from even 10 minutes a day.
- Get a big wall calendar (the kind that allows you to see the whole year at a glance), and use it to mark important dates, set deadlines and make goals.
- Schedule a regular time to do your accounts, and reward yourself when you keep it.
Keep Work and Home Separate
When you run a business from home, the lines between work and leisure blur all too easily and you run the risk of working too hard or not hard enough. Find your equilibrium by creating physical and psychological boundaries.
- Dress every day as if you are going to a meeting. Track pants and pyjamas may be comfy, but they’ll make you feel unprofessional and unmotivated.
- Don’t share your workspace and equipment. Have a desk, computer, email address and phone line that are only used for work.
- Turn your computer and mobile phone off at a set time each day so you won’t be tempted to answer just one more email or call.
MORE GREAT POSTS BY NERIDA GILL
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Nerida Gill - Admin BanditNerida Gill is the creator of Admin Bandit, a web-based accounting package designed specifically to make keeping the books easy for volunteer treasurers in community groups. After winning numerous business awards, Admin Bandit is in a growth phase after recently attracting external investment.
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No. The shortest word to write; the hardest word to say
June 19, 2010
By Cat Matson, Alito
I’m frequently reminded of the importance of saying ‘no’ in favour of giving space to the things I want to say ‘yes’ to … but I do find it quite challenging. Particularly when so many of the things I say ‘yes’ to still fit within my strategic focus. It’s easy to say ‘no’ when you’re clear that something doesn’t get you closer to your goals… but how do you say ‘no’ when it’s something you really want to do?
In a recent blog post, Scott Gould provides what he calls ‘a lesson in no’ via Rich Quick (as an aside – is this guy destined for greatness with a name like that or what?!?).
Rich’s key point is that he often wants to say ‘yes’ to help out a client or friend, to get a sale over the line, or ultimately to be nice. I relate to that. Big time.
The problem is, when you say ‘yes’, the things that are already on your plate often suffer. An existing project is delayed, you compromise your service delivery or prices, or, more often-than-not in my case, I end up working too late into the night, affecting my sleep and therefore mood, tolerance, productivity, and worse-of-all, my relationships.
As Rich argues, when you say YES to things you should say NO to, you let people (or yourself) down.
Saying ‘no’ to everything that isn’t 100% ‘it’ for you right now is a powerful way to deliver quality … and to maintain your own personal sanity.
Saying ‘no’ then also needs to include saying ‘no’ to the parts of your business that aren’t your core strength. Up until now, I’ve always written all my own marketing copy. I think it’s good … and many people tell me I write well. But I’ve recently hired a copywriter to re-write my website copy. Oh. My. Goodness. The difference she is making is extraordinary and makes me realise that whilst I may be ‘good’ at something doesn’t mean I am the ‘best’ person for the job.
So how do you know what to say ‘yes’ to in your business?
- Develop what my colleague, Robin Dickinson, calls a ‘Diamond Focus’ for yourself within your business. What is THE thing in your business that YOU do best and that yields the best return on investment?
- Get very clear – crystal in fact – on what that thing involves. If it’s writing, for example, writing what? when? for whom? where?
- Recognise that all other things fall outside of that diamond focus… and therefore, need to be treated with appropriate ‘lower-priority’. Outsource or delegate as much ‘other-stuff’ as possible. What you can’t, deal with it as effectively and efficiently as possible to minimise ‘lost’ time.
How then do you say ‘no’?
- Practise. Yes, for most of us it’s awkward to say ‘no’ at first but we can get the hang of it. I’m often reminded of the clarity of intent of a toddler. When asked to do something that doesn’t suit him right now he has no qualms with saying ‘no’ (repeatedly in fact). As frustrating as those ‘nos’ are for parents, we would do well to learn from them toddlers are VERY reluctant to let anything distract them from their ‘current’ priority.
- Offer other options. Recommend another provider, suggest another solution, or, if it is something you can do but you can’t do it ‘now’, offer an alternative schedule – “I’d be happy to help you with that, however, my schedule is full for the next 3 weeks.”
- Be clear on your scheduling comittments. A friend recently started adding appointments to her diary not only for the actual meetings she needed to attend, but also preparation time and ‘action-time’ afterwards. Knowing that out of any meeting would arise a series of tasks / follow-up, she now blocks out the time in her diary to do that at the time of scheduling the meeting. That means she can’t get so booked up that she doesn’t have time to ‘do the work’ that arises from the meeting.
Ultimately, saying ‘no’ requires clarity – clarity of intent, clarity of available resources and clarity of what you’re willing to do (and what you’re not willing to compromise on).
As a friend recently put it to me, as I was contemplating saying ‘no’ to something I felt passionate about yet still felt conflicted about the time committment required, “Who would you prefer to be letting down? Those particular people or yourself and your family?”
What do you think? How do you say ‘no’? And how do you know what to say ‘no’ to?
MORE GREAT POSTS BY CAT MATSON
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Cat Matson - AlitoCat Matson ignites the performance of small business owners, their teams and ultimately their businesses through a range of robust mentoring, coaching and education programs. She is a strong advocate for practical, pithy and ‘real’ business advice and loathes the ‘one-size-fits-all’, ‘you-too-can-be-widely-successful-if-you-just-follow-OUR-system’ approach taken by many ’so-called’ business experts. Cat runs Alito with her husband Keith who provides synergistic and smart accounting expertise to their clients who enjoy having streamlined business advice across all key areas. When not working, Cat enjoys spending time with her two young boys and reading interesting business books and biographies.
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Why People Fail: Obstacle 5 — Weak Energy
May 11, 2010
In his new book,Why People Fail, Siimon Reynolds addresses 16 obstacles to success and how to overcome them.
I’d like to look at the 5th obstacle to success that Siimon has identified in Why People Fail.
That obstacle is Weak Energy.
More often than not, success takes lots of energy and hard work. I haven’t met a successful person yet who hasn’t put in the hours.
Energy is really important to success. And, while some of say that we are all about high performance, we don’t give ourselves a real chance to succeed because we don’t do what it takes to support our body and mind to perform at their optimum.
In chapter 5 Siimon looks at the role of your environment, sleep, diet and exercise. What has all this got to do with success? Well, as many of us know unless you take care of some of these elements, you can have all the intentions in the world, but no energy to make things happen.
In this chapter we look at the elements that have an impact on your mood, your well being and your energy.
On the 18th of May, Siimon is my guest on BOOKED for Lunch.
BOOKED for Lunch webinars are free and brought to you by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and GotoWebinar – Webinars made easy.
Register for BOOKED for Lunch with Siimon Reynolds on our website, or call us on 1300 720 120.
I hope you’ll join me.
Suzi
Related Posts
- Why People Fail: Obstacle 1 — Unclear Purpose
- Why People Fail: Obstacle 2 — Destructive Thinking
- Why People Fail: Obstacle 3 — Low Productivity
- Why People Fail: Obstacle 4 — Fixed Mindset
10 Recruitment Tips for the Time Poor Manager
April 14, 2010
By Kristy-Lee Johnston, Footprint Recruitment
1. Know what you are looking for
Nothing can be a bigger waste of time than getting half way through the recruitment process only to realise you really aren’t sure exactly what you want and need from the person you are looking for. Knowing what you are looking for in the person and the role is vital to a successful, pain free recruitment process.
This may include:
- Reviewing what the previous incumbent was doing and assess whether changes are needed to improve efficiency and outcomes from the role.
- Discuss the role with the rest of the team, or the core leadership group. Getting their feedback and commitment to the direction of the role at the outset ensures everyone is on the same page.
2. Write a great PD
Having a through, accurate and detailed Position Description (PD) before you start recruiting goes one step further to knowing exactly what you are looking for. Your position description helps you clarify the parameters for the role and determine the qualifications, skills and experience which are essential and desirable from the successful new incumbent.
3. Write the right ad
One of the key reasons clients come to us to seek assistance in the recruitment process is because they simply don’t have time to wade through the seemingly endless number of applications they receive. Writing an ad that attracts the right sort of candidates, and lets readers know what are the essential components for the role will save you time by ensuring your applicant pool is generally better suited to what you are looking for. To get the best people for your role you will need to sell the role, and the company to the reader, and make it clear what you are seeking in regards to their skills, experience and qualifications.
4. Act fast
The best applicants tend to be the quickest to find new work, so if you take weeks to go through your ad response, chances are you will lose the best candidate for your position.
5. Know your screening criteria
Before you start looking at any applications or resumes, set your criteria by which you will screen all applications. To do this, decide what are the most vital – non negotiable – criteria for the role. Then have a secondary list of desirable criteria, things that you would like the applicant to have, but which are non essential.
When you start screening quickly look over the resumes, those that meet all of your essential criteria plus some or all of your desirable criteria place in a ‘yes’ file or folder, those who meet most of the essential and none or some of the desirable place in a ‘maybe’ file or folder, and those that don’t meet the essential criteria go in a ‘no thanks’ file or folder.
6. Schedule Your Time
If you go through each application as it hits your inbox you will feel like you are constantly reading resumes and that it is taking up all of your time. Schedule time in your day and week to complete the screening and assessing process and stick to this time.
7. Conduct Structured Interviews
By conducting interviews where there are a number of questions which are set and asked standard to all applicants you will have a common set of responses by which to assess and compare them by after the interviews. You should also allow time for free talk, discussion and questions within each interview to help you understand those non tangible factors such as team fit and personality style. Set a timeframe for your interviews and stick to it, one hour per interview is ample.
8. Reflect on your interviews straight after each one
Immediately after each interview, review the respondent’s answers and reflect on your first impressions. A great way to do this is to have a standard form which you can use after each interview, this way when you get to the decision making you won’t waste time trying to remember who was who.
9. Seek help from experts
The single best way to save time recruiting is to get someone else to help. Engaging the services of a skilled, experienced and knowledgeable recruiter will save you time, stress and ultimately money.
10. Share the decision
Being the sole decision maker in a recruitment process can sometimes be difficult as you spend time thinking over your decision trying to make the right choice. By sharing the decision making process with other team members, managers or even external advisors cuts the time spent doubting yourself and ensures your decision are the best one for you and your team.
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Kristy-Lee Johnston - Footprint Recruitment
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| Phone: | 02 4367 5500 |
| Email: | kristy@footprintrecruitment.com.au |
| Website: | www.footprintrecruitment.com.au |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/footprintcc |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/footprintrecruitment |
| LinkedIn: | au.linkedin.com/in/kristyleejohnston |
| Member Profile: | See Kristy’s Member Profile |
The Fallacy of Managing Time
March 26, 2010
By Cat Matson, Alito
There’s a saying ‘we teach what we most need to learn’. Well, I’m going to confess this couldn’t be truer when it comes to me and ‘time management’. I find myself constantly complaining about ‘not having enough hours in the day’ or wishing for another few (actually, make that 24) hours in every day.
Nevertheless, I KNOW, categorically KNOW there is fundamental paradigm flaw in most approaches to time management. So this article isn’t about better ways to schedule, prioritise or use your diary. Instead, it’s about a different way of thinking about time.
First up, here’s a number.
86,400
What do you think it represents?
It’s the number of seconds in a day. 24 hours x 60 minutes x 60 seconds = 86,400.
At the stroke of midnight, every night, we are ‘granted’ another 86,400 seconds to use. If we put a dollar sign ($) in front of that figure we’d feel rich. If we put a dollar sign in front of it and then realised someone was going to put that amount into our bank account EVERY DAY we’d feel extrememely rich.
But instead, we’re all running around complaining of being ‘time-poor’.
Yes, time is a non-renewable resource – once it’s gone, it’s gone. You can’t ’save’ it in your ‘time bank’ to use the next day … whatever you don’t spend in a day is wiped from your balance at midnight and you start again fresh.
So the fallacy is that it’s manageable. It’s not. Every 60 seconds another minute passes, every 60 minutes an hour passes and every 24 hours another day is over. No ’saving’, no ‘buying’, no ’slowing’, no ’speeding up’. It’s a measurement unit – that’s all.
So for me, it’s not about ‘managing my time’ … it’s about effectively ‘using’ my time. What am I putting into each hour of my day? Just as I make a purchasing decision every time I hand over a dollar, what is the ‘time’ decision I make about ’spending’ this moment of time?
‘how do you want to spend your time today?’
At first this concept can be a bit confronting – notions of a finite resource having to be ‘invested’ in most effective and efficient way possible. But for me it’s actually liberating (when I remember to think of time this way). I choose to live my life the way I do – husband, two kids, own business, regular time at the gym, spending time with friends, directorships and community involvement. If I complain about ‘not having enough time’ then I’m complaining about something I can’t change. If I instead ask myself ‘how do you want to spend your time today?’ then I’m empowered to consciously choose how I ‘invest’, ’spend’ or just ‘use’ that time (but not save it … ).
So with that in mind … ’spend’ the remainder of today being aware of how you ‘treat’ time. Are you constantly trying to ’stretch’ it? Do you ‘complain’ about it running out or wishing you had more? No right or wrongs here … just realise that even the most successful people in the world had exactly the same amount of time as you do each and every day … 86,400 seconds. The question is … how did they use it?
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Cat Matson - Alito
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| Phone: | 07 3289 7055 |
| Email: | cat@alito.com.au |
| Website: | www.alito.com.au |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/catmatson |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/AlitoFusion |
| LinkedIn: | www.linkedin.com/in/CatMatson |
| Blog: | www.alito.com.au/blog |
| Member Profile: | See Cat’s Member Profile |
Boost your brain power and revitalise your memory
March 11, 2010
By Catherine Pritchard, Radiance Healthcare Centre
Your brain is a powerhouse! It requires a large amount of fuel in order to keep it functioning at it’s peak all day long. Stress, poor diet, deadlines and a lack of fresh air can all compromise your brain function. Use the following tips to help keep your brain and memory in tip top shape.
Lecithin granules
Lecithin is rich in phosphatidyl choline which has been found to be beneficial to brain function and memory. Add two tablespoons to your cereal or smoothie at breakfast.
Eat regularly!
Being busy is no excuse for skipping meals and snacks. Since your brain is the greatest consumer of glucose in the body, it is important that you refuel your body every 3-4 hours with good nutritious food.
Fresh air and nature – rich in negative ions
Experience more of the ocean, the mountains and waterfalls as they have been found to generate tens of thousands of negative ions which have a positive impact on mood and brain function. Air conditioning and computer screens emit positive ions which are more likely to contribute to stress levels.
Memory Herb – Gingko Biloba
Studies show that Gingko Biloba helps to increase blood flow to the brain and improves concentration and memory. (Do not use if taking blood thinners or anticoagulant medication such as warfrin).
Good fats
Essential fatty acids are found in high concentrations in the brain and especially involved in our ability to create and maintain memories as well as help to improve circulation. Oily fish, eggs and nuts and seeds are great ways to increase your omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
Antioxidants
Fresh fruit and vegetables are full of antioxidants that help to protect the brain from damage from free radicals which tend to cause damage to cells particularly in the brain. Blueberries, raspberries, brussel sprouts and broccoli are some of the key fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants. The vitamins A, C and E have also been found to protect the brain and green tea helps to prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine which in turn helps to maintain memory.
Replenish lost nutrients from stress
Brain function suffers when we are under stress largely due to the depletion of certain nutrients such as the B vitamins and imbalances in our neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that act as electrical switches in the brain. When you have a memory blank or can’t recall a piece of information it is because there is a short circuit or power failure due to inadequate neurotransmitters. Vitamin B Complex and neurotransmitter precursors such as glutamine, choline, taurine and tyrosine can help to improve memory.
Drink 2 Litres of water each and every day!
Dehdyration affects the ability of the brain to store and retain information.
Meditation
Even 5-10 minutes per day helps to improve brain function.
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Catherine Pritchard - Radiance Healthcare CentreCatherine is a scientific naturopath who is experienced in working with business women to increase their energy, motivation and productivity. Her innovative programs are based on the latest research and incorporate simple dietary changes so that you can get the most out of each and every day. Prior to commencing her career as a naturopath almost 10 years ago, Catherine was an industrial chemist in an oil refinery. Her scientific background caused her to seek out the latest technology to assess your health, energy and vitality. In conjunction with a thorough assessment, these state of the art tests allow her to personally prescribe you the most suitable nutrients that will make the greatest impact on your health and wellbeing.
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