Top Tips

A Spring Clean

With a breath of spring in the air, and the brighter evenings, now is the time not only for a spring clean, but to put the spring back in your step. Here's how.

 

1. Believe in yourself & the possibilities of tomorrow.

We all believe in many things, but do you really believe in yourself? There isn't a skill you can't learn; a task you can't try; a class you can't take; or a book you can't read.

2. Invest more of yourself

You might as well live a little more intensely, turn up the volume and brighten the picture. Invest more of yourself in whatever you do. Step up and play it big. What would happen if you were even 10% more vital and energised.

3. Conserve your time

Sometimes we just need to wake up to reality. People often say I've got plenty of time. Well suppose you love travelling and you go on holiday once a year. If you live for another 25 years, you will only go on holiday 25 more times. Apply this thinking to time you spend doing the things you love and time will seem very short.

4. Take outstanding care of your health.

As the renowned American health author Adelle Davis says “Every day you choose to do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself”. Everybody knows they should eat better foods, get regular exercise and have sufficient rest. So what stops you?

5. Take yourself seriously

You have created the lifestyle you are living today, if it doesn’t excite you, or if you want to change something about it, then it is up to you to change it. What's the decision you have been putting off? Perhaps it is simply to step out of the shadows? Make the decision to start living your best life. Stop fooling around and step into the sunshine.

6. Clean Up

A good clearout deserves a thorough cleanup. Clear your work surfaces and apply some elbow grease. There is little point in re-arranging a dirty or dusty desk. A de-cluttered environment is far more conducive to being focussed and effective. Remember the old saying 'a clear desk is a clear mind!

7. Dump or Store away

If you have hogged papers or files (for ‘just in case’ reasons), ask yourself will I really need them again? If the answer is no - bin them. This in particular is a liberating process. Invest in some storage boxes for those important or legal documents and black pin bags for the rest.

8. Does it work?

Inspect all your gadgets around your office. Do any of them need replacing or repairing? Those half used pens or piles of misshapen paperclips should also find their way to the bottom of a bin bag.

9. What do you need?

What are the materials you need around you on a daily basis? Have the basics for your effective functioning within arms reach.

10. Don’t forget the PC!

We have all spent time searching for that elusive file or document on our PCs. All spring cleans at work these days must include a tidy up of your files on your PC. Use Windows Explorer to sort your file hierarchy. The trick is to treat your PC’s storage system, just like a filing cabinet. Have everything labeled logically. Putting some time aside to complete this exercise, will save you considerably more time in the long run.

 

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