The Why Behind the Journey: How Meal Planning and Self-Mastery Shape My Mission
What are you doing?
There’s something I like to remind myself of, and it’s the most important question:
Why am I doing it?
As cliché as it sounds, the "why" is the foundation of your mission. It defines your purpose and keeps you on track, especially when the objective seems far away.
Almost two years ago, when I decided to dive into this creator/educational space, sharing myself on the internet, I had no idea about the psychological challenges that would come with it.
Trends, algorithms, "competition"—and that’s not even counting the new skills I had to learn, from videography to design and marketing. Distractions? Everywhere.
I knew I wanted to be honest and transparent, hence the name of the channel, and to share my knowledge and the journey that got me here. But the noise out there is louder than ever, and gaining clarity became a priority as soon as I recognized those distractions.
You’ve probably heard me say it before, but food has always been just my medium.
There’s so much more behind it when I talk about my philosophy and the self-mastery required to live the good life—or at least my version of it.
That’s what I want to share: the bigger vision, the processes, systems, and tools that transformed my life.
Inspiring and influencing (if you see me as an influencer—hopefully not, lol) is one thing. But empowering is my real goal.
That’s where I place my intention—creating deeper connections and building a community with shared values.
A community of Mensches. Corny? Maybe, but I like it.
This is why you’ve seen me spending less time on social platforms, focusing mainly on IG, and putting TikTok and YouTube on the back burner (I’ll be back on YT soon) also sending you this journal as often as I can—at least once a week for now—but more importantly...
I’ve spent the last five months building something special for you.
To be honest, I crave mental stimulation. I can’t just do what other creators are doing—it gets boring. If I’m not passionate about it, how can I serve you in the best way? I can’t.
I’d rather experiment with my ideas and start new conversations. Consider what I have done on the platform as the icebreaker. Let’s go deeper.
So, what is it?
The first problem I solved in my life was lack of time.
I needed more time to train, work on my business, start new hobbies, read, travel, spend quality time with loved ones, rest, and study—to build the best version of myself.
It’s all a work in progress, don’t worry :)
And that’s the first challenge I want to help you with!
“With food?”
Yes, sort of.
In short, the tools I've developed come directly from my professional career—over the years, I've learned how to streamline operations, manage teams, and execute projects efficiently, and I’ve brought those same principles into my personal life.
Little did I know, I was building compensational tools for what I later discovered to be neurodivergence.
These were techniques I used to bring clarity, structure, and focus into my daily life.
If you're a creative—in the broadest sense of the word, not just the “cool” social media label everyone seems to chase—you’ve likely experienced diverged thinking.
The constant flood of ideas, thoughts, and solutions can be a blessing, but it also comes with its challenges.
And while everyone shout to think outside the box (because that can lead to brilliant, unexpected solutions if you know where to look) the outside of the box is.. BIG AND VAST.
It can be overwhelming, filled with the unknown, and hard to navigate without a system.
That’s how THE BLANK PAGE TERROR was born–and this is where structure comes in.
The blank page terror happens in all areas of life, not just in art or creativity.
And the solution? Put limitations on your creativity—a framework, a blueprint.
It's ironic, but the more efficient you are, (through the self-imposed limitations) the more creative freedom you’ll discover.
So while I recognized familiar patterns and solutions that could be replicated, I pulled them into the box–to focus, narrow down the endless options, and actually start!
Now back to the mission, how do we save time, money and stress?
One problem at a time. (LITERALLY!)
The real issue isn’t time itself. We all have 24 hours in a day. The difference? How you use those hours. Some of us can do more. Not just more—we can do better.
Here’s the thing: My non-negotiable priority has always been health—mine and my family’s. The pursuit of peak performance, self-discovery, and self-mastery all stems from this foundation.
And it all starts with how I fuel my body.
It’s simple: daily fuel and maintenance make the difference.
I can whip up meals fast, but only if I know what I’m doing. If I don’t? My mind drifts.
Suddenly, the fridge looks like some parallel universe. The cabinets? Massive mountains from another dimension. The kitchen? A desert stretching as far as I can see. You get the point.
But let’s cut the fluff.
It all boils down to one word—a word that’s been misused, misunderstood, and ruined by so many who didn’t know what they were doing.
They get caught in unsustainable loops, eventually giving up on something that was meant to be the solution from the start.
I’m talking about Meal Planning. Yeah, technically two words—but don’t roll your eyes just yet. This isn’t the rigid, over-complicated mess you've been led to believe.
It’s not about strict regimens. It’s a system—a flexible and customizable framework that actually gives you freedom. It covers three core aspects, and if you master them, they will transform your life.
Categorization
Scheduling
Personalization
Categorization: This is your foundation. It's what holds everything together.
I learned it implementing and running systems RMS (recipe management software). It's all about finding your “one source of truth,” feeding it the right information, and automating whenever possible.
In life, it’s no different.
You might not realize it yet, but your life is a big operation.
Your body alone burns 80% of its energy just digesting food. Now, think about that for a second. It’s wild. Your machine—the human body—requires serious fuel to perform.
But we’re spending not only our energy but our time on this process?
That’s crazy. I want my time back. I bet you do, too.
Scheduling: This is where we win. We take time to:
· Plan: Use the categories you’ve created, choose your meals, and block time in advance. The blank page syndrome? Gone. You’re walking into the kitchen with a mission. A clear job to do.
· List: Make your shopping list. Think about it—how long does it normally take to do your grocery shopping? It could take much less.
Personalization: Now, make it yours.
Personalization makes the plan stick. If you leave it too broad, it won’t feel like yours—it’ll feel like someone else’s.
Take my recipe, used them first and tweak it to fit your style with time, and now you’ve created something you’ll remember. Don’t forget to credit me, though ;)
Seriously, personalization is the secret to mastery. Think about how we learn from mentors. It’s in our nature, that is what we do since we are born, we look at our mum and repeat, that’s how you learnt how to speak!
Here’s the reality of what you’re saving:
· Time: At least 4 hours. Let’s break it down:
o Meal Planning: Now I bet you can't even quantify how long it takes you to decide for each meal but let's say that you learned the basics of planning and spend, 30-60 minutes per week. Deciding on meals, considering preferences, and choosing recipes can take some time.
But once you get into a rhythm, it’s a breeze. With my tool, an instant!
o Shopping List: 30 minutes at leasy. Compile what you need and what you already have, then knock it out. With my tool? Automatic!
o Travel Time: 15-30 minutes each way to the store.
o Shopping: 60 minutes (if you are lucky) depending on the store’s layout, crowds, and your familiarity with it.
Total? 3/4 hours or more every week. But once you’ve got the system in place, you’ll be able to slash that down to 30 minutes max. If you shop online and get it delivered? Even less.
And that’s not all.
Money: What’s the cost of a meal plan compared to the chaos of random weekly shopping?
Impulse buys drop, you stop overspending, and you only buy what you need.
In fact, meal planning could save you up to 20-30% on your grocery bill. Add it up over a year—that’s a few hundred pounds back in your pocket.
Stress: Meal planning simplifies your life. The "what’s for dinner" panic? Gone.
The blank page syndrome in the kitchen? Gone.
When you reduce daily decisions, you create mental space for the things that really matter. You become more productive, more creative, and more focused.
A BIG Plus: Minimized Waste: Here’s a fact—30% of the food you buy likely ends up in the trash. Crazy, right?
Meal planning directly combats that. You buy what you need, use what you have, and waste less.
Not to mention, you’re saving the planet while you’re at it.
This isn't an impossibility for you.
I hope this helped giving you some clarity and got you excited on what’s coming!
Thank you for reading.
With Gratitude,
Tomaso