Create a Healthy Work/Life Balance (Part 3)

In the final part of our ‘Health Life Balance’ series, we will look at how to create a healthy mental attitude for a busy work life. It’s important to get the job done, but you don’t want to burn the candle at both ends and end up so stressed that you are no longer productive.

Here are a few ways to get more done each day, leave work on time and go home satisfied you've achieved a huge amount without being frazzled at the end:




1. Set realistic, manageable goals.
We all have a ‘bucket list’ of dreams and goals we want to achieve. This is a great strategy for thinking of the big picture, but for day to day life management, it’s easier and more rewarding to set smaller goals. You will feel a sense of accomplishment when you tick the items off your list and track your progression.




2.  Set time limits 
Rather than starting a task and allowing it to take as long as it takes, decide in advance how long you are willing to spend on each activity. If you’re clear with yourself with what time you want a job completed by, you’ll focus and avoid distraction to make sure it’s done in time. Emails could take no more than 5 minutes; calls no longer than 10 minutes and meetings no longer than half an hour. If you don’t set time limits you can find yourself at the end of a day still trying to complete something you started first thing. 




3. Take breaks 
If you arrive at work in the morning and the day stretches out ahead of you as one big block of busy-ness, you can feel overwhelmed. Planning regular breaks means you’ll work effectively in short sharp bursts of productivity punctuated with slots of doing something that takes your mind off work and clears your head ready for the next round of activity. 




4. Move on quickly 
One person we worked with had a 40 minute time limit for everything he did during a day. Whether it be proposals, costings, meetings or lunches; whatever he was doing, he’d move on to the next task after 40 minutes. He claimed that after this time he stopped having useful thoughts on each task so he’d move on to re-energise his brain. He also built in a slot during each day to return to any tasks with thoughts that came into his head while he was thinking about other things. 


The key to success with getting more done is to maintain energy and focus throughout each day. This is best achieved by making progress so always keep in mind how each task you take is moving you forwards. If at any stage you feel you’re not making progress, your energy and motivation will wane and results will slow.


You're at work to get things done and achieve a something, but you don't want to spend all your time there and hours thinking about the office when you get home. 


Do it, Get it Done, Get home.

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Create a Healthy Work/Life Balance

When I am coaching clients in the corporate world, I often come across a common complaint: “I have lots of good intentions, but I just can’t seem to find the time to create a better work/life balance”.

Unfortunately, this is a result of working in a fast paced career environment. We know we need to eat healthily, exercise and reduce stress levels, but it won’t happen without some planning. 
Here is the first part of a series of tips on how to manage your time effectively, so you can lead a healthier lifestyle and still have energy for fun without burning out.

1) Decide what you want

People often speak of things being out of balance but don't often take the time to understand what balance means for them.  Set aside time to make a plan of what a good week looks like including work hours, time for exercise / activity, healthy eating, family time, sleep and socialising.

Here are some questions to ask yourself when putting your plan together:

•  How do you want your life to look?
• Who is important to you?    
•  Which activities do you enjoy?

If you thrive on adrenaline and need exciting hobbies to energise you, make sure you put that in your plan. If you prefer a more relaxed approach, make it a priority. The more focused you are on achieving high priority items on the list, the happier you will be with your choices. If something is low on your list, you may need to consider eliminating it all together. When you focus on the goals you really want to achieve, you will feel a greater sense of accomplishment and you’ll enjoy life more.

  

2) Take instant action

Highlight one area of your plan and take action today to making your desired balance a reality. This could be taking some exercise today, eating differently, drinking more water or taking a time out.  Just do something positive for yourself today.

You may find it helpful to use an online planner to keep track of your goals, or if you are a visual person, you could invest in a small dry wipe board to hang above your desk or in your kitchen.

It’s far better to take baby steps with new goals, than to be over ambitious and abandon the whole plan because it’s overwhelming.  The goal is not to over schedule  yourself, but to lay a clear path to living the life you really want. Once you start to make small changes, these will build up over time and before you know it, you will have more control over what you do with your time, and it will give you a sense of satisfaction.

3) Set aside time to review your plan regularly

The more often you engage with your plan and take action towards your ideal situation, the quicker you'll find that you experience a sense of balance.

It’s all too easy to ‘fall off the wagon’ or ditch the new healthy eating regime when temptation strikes, but if you consult your plan on a daily or weekly basis, you can keep track of your progress and make changes to suit you.

Don’t feel discouraged if you stumble along the way. Changing a lifetime of bad habits is not easy, and you can always start over again, or tweak your plan to reach more realistic goals.

Stay tuned over coming weeks and we'll help you fine tune each element of your plan.

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3 Ways to Stop Falling Asleep at Work

How did you sleep last night? Badly, tossing and turning and mulling over the state of your bank balance? Well, according to a new report, 75% of workers aren't getting enough sleep and bringing their tiredness to work with them the next day. They blame it on the Credit Crunch - the most depressing and overused term of the last year or so. But worrying about money (or lack of) and the cost of commuting which is now even more expensive thanks to fuel prices and job security can feel very real at 2 in the morning.

So what can you do to stay awake and alert in the office after a rubbish nights sleep?

Sleep is so important to every organisation whether they acknowledge it or not. Your workforce is only as productive as the quality of their sleep. We work with a few organisations who are on top of this - usually because they have a lot of shift work which disrupts even the best of sleep patterns. We help them by showing their staff how to manage their state of mind and be able to relax when they need to. We spend a lot of time helping them understand how to focus and be effective when they're busy and then also how unwind and still the mind when they need to focus or recharge their batteries. 

Here are 3 key themes we teach:

1) Breathing and stretching techniques to invigorate the body and sharpen the mind for the day ahead.

2) State management strategies to help busy workers move between a variety of daily tasks without losing focus

3) Relaxation techniques to clear and refresh the mind during the day and aid quality sleep at night

What do you do to help yourself focus when you're tired and relax when you need to?

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How to cope with a negative appraisal

It's that time of year for many organizations - appraisal time. The very thought of it is enough to make most people feel like they're 10 years old again. But worse still, what if the appraisal throws up some negative feedback you weren't expecting.

There isn't one of us who likes to hear negative things about ourselves because I think fundamentally, we're all people pleasers. And why not?

So how do you cope with hearing things that sting? How do you not take it like a personal attack and how do you learn to accept it as constructive, address it and move on without being paranoid your boss doesn't like you? Here are some tips that may just help.

1. It's a 2 way street
Appraisals are not just for you to hear what your boss thinks but for your boss to hear how you're feeling. If the issue raised by your boss is one that you think can be explained, this is the time to be open and explain what you think might have happened. Bosses can't read minds and it's a wonderful opportunity for them to hear what's going on with you so don't waste it by thinking it won't matter anyway.

2. Be Positive
Rarely will you get a 100% bad appraisal and still be at your company. They'd have fired you a long time ago. If you have a couple of issues come up, then don't ignore all the other great things that have been recorded and look at the wider picture. Feel good about the things you have excelled at and the progress you have made at work and don't lose sight of this just because 2 things were less good. You're only cheating yourself.

3. Be Honest
Unless you have a genuinely unethical situation going on, your boss' feedback is probably relevant. before you fly off the handle and bitch to you co-workers about what's been said, think about it. have you been late maybe a few too many times? Have you been slow to hit deadlines? Have you made no sales when everyone else has succeeded despite the current climate? Have an honest moment with yourself and then vow to make it right.

4. Get Competitive
The way negative feedback has made you feel should encourage you to make sure you this doesn't happen to you again. Apply yourself fully and move forwards giving everything you can to make sure your boss is left impressed with your attitude. Don't ignore any issues that have been raised - make them history. If you see a deadline approaching that you can't make, let your boss know in advance with clear explanations. Raise your game and get competitive with yourself.

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3 Ways to Make Your Office Better

Office life, when it's fun and productive, you don't mind being there at all. And you're earning money as a bonus. When it's tense, boring or worse, bitchy, it can be hell on earth. And no amount of salary can make it feel OK. 

So what can you do to turn your office into a more appealing place to be without firing the boss and all the people you don't like?

Here are the 3 most successful methods we've used to turn the atmosphere and productivity of an office round in the past. With advice on how you can do it for your work space.

1. Start a Softball Team / Soccer Team
We introduce team sports to office and organize tournaments. Softball is usually the most successful because unlike other sports, not many people are 'experts' and it is as inclusive for men as for women. It's a fun game which means that although it gets competitive, there is still lots of laughing and camaraderie. We manage the whole even for organizations but if you were to try this in your office, the key to making these tournaments work is appointing someone in the office to be the Chief Tournament Officer. They put up the print outs detailing game dates and league tables etc. There is always someone in the office who loves a bit of a spreadsheet! Bosses love this because it creates a unity amongst staff, it's a real leveller - CEO plays alongside junior exec etc. and it promotes a feeling of loyalty to the company.



2. Relaxation Sessions
We usually train staff to get fitter and help them to unwind and manage their sleep and stress. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how well stressed out (men in particular) take to the relaxation and yoga sessions we offer. We learned pretty early that by labelling the sessions as yoga, the employees would always arrive skeptical about it all. When we called them Relaxation sessions, everyone was motivated to give it a go. Despite it being the same thing. The most successful has been sessions the day before employees have to do presentations or run important meetings. It seems to take the nerves away and leave a sense of calm. So perhaps try organizing these in your company the day before a pitch or AGM.

3.One to One Sessions
OK - these tend to be a more costly benefit offered to lucky employees but they are hugely effective in helping employees increase confidence, self esteem and balance home life and work life so much better. most people get pushed and pulled in all areas of their life and always feel that something suffers. It doesn't have to be this way and simple coaching techniques and analysis of their current situation often leads to a light bulb moment for people. They rarely slip back into their old habits.
If you were to try and do something similar for your office, perhaps start mentoring programs that deal with life as a whole and not just career progress.

I hope you get to try one of these options - or all of them - with your office and I'd love to hear your questions and feedback. Every office can be made better - I haven't come across one yet that couldn't.

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How to Deal With Low Self Esteem at Work

Having a negative self image is a really distressing state to be in. You feel isolated and insecure, paranoid and angry all at the same time. The worst place for low self esteem to rear its head can be in the office where you can feel most vulnerable and judged by those around you. It doesn't always have to be this way you should not accept living with it. It takes time to change your mind about yourself but once you do, your life will be so much easier.

Here are some tips to help you cope with your negative self image. Give them a go rather than dismiss them because you think you may have tried everything. Being open to a solution is the first step to getting past your self esteem problem.

1. Support Network - Think about all your friends and work colleagues. Write down a list of those who make you feel good about yourself and those who you're friendly with but they always make you feel bad about yourself. As difficult as this may be, try spending much less time with those people who bring you down. Toxic Friends or Toxic Work Colleagues are plentiful - most people have them and sometimes you just need a clean out. Spend time with people who are positive and you can start picking up their good habits.

2. Don't Overreact - you'll need strategies in place that will help you to put things into perspective. You can't crumble everytime a colleague is rude or the boss is dismissive. Try asking yourself questions about what's just happened so you don't automatically take it so personally and use it as an excuse to out yourself down. What's going on here? Why is this happening? What does this mean? If your boss has just snapped, it could be that they are under pressure themselves, they may be distracted by something in their personal lives, you may have interrupted them when they were trying to get some work done. Focus on the FACTS and not the FICTION in your head.

3. Pass the Buck Buck- Don't accept responsibility for everything. Feel free to pass it back to others when it needs to be. If you're having work dumped on you, say you're too busy, politely point out that it's theirs to do. Stop helping people out in the office all the time because you want them to like you. You have all the rights in the world to be there and you don't need to keep apologising for it. Look at how much work your colleagues (whom you respect anyway!) do and compare it to your load. Now feel confident getting on with what you need to.

4. Try Something New - Take on a new hobby or have something else in your life apart from work to keep you busy. Life is so much more than just work but most people fall into the trap of letting work consume their minds. Be different and take up kick boxing or dancing or commit to a 10k run. Do something that you can focus on and you'll fantastic once you finish it. You'll realise that you could do it and start to feel good about yourself.

5. Set New Rules - Smile instead of getting cross; Ask questions instead of storming off to moan about what's just happened; From this moment on, you are not allowed to say I Can't....it's a forbidden sentence starter; People judge you by the way you judge yourself so don't put yourself down and say how rubbish you would be at something because then they will think the same about you. Just as putting yourself down is a bad habit, 'bigging' yourself up is a good habit and one you need to get into.

These tips are straight forward but with practice and a little time, you can start to feel better about yourself. You are as good as everyone else, it's only you that doesn't think so. Remember that next time you lay into yourself.


Photograph by xoxoryan (Flickr)

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Why Your Boss Should Let You Work From Home

Today is National Work From Home Day and it’s estimated that 5 million British workers will be avoiding the commute and the constant interruptions in the office by sitting down to some power working from the comfort of their own home.

As we pointed out earlier this week, many people claim to be far more efficient when working from home despite the fact that the term ‘working from home’ is still often accompanied by a wry smile or a cheeky wink.

So why do so many people work more efficiently away from the office and how can some of that efficiency and positive energy come back back into the office with them? The answers aren't always as obvious as you'd think.

1) Working in your pyjamas
For some people simply getting dressed for work can be stressful. Putting on their ‘uniform’ means getting ready to brave the masses on the journey to work and then go into combat with a day of meetings and projects. The occasional break from getting ‘suited and booted’ can change your outlook completely, allowing you to tap into the creative side of your brain rather than the business-like logical side you use for following routine.

Try This:
Pyjamas don’t work very well in the office but Dress Down Fridays or Dress Up Fridays do make a difference to the atmosphere of many businesses. Allowing staff to dress appropriately for each day’s working requirements will change the way they view their working day and can improve their performance.

2) Being the Boss for the Day
Nobody likes being told what to do or when to do it and a rigid structure can stifle the performance of many workers.

One company director I spoke with told the story of how his staff were complaining that their working hours were too long. He listened to their observations and implemented a new strategy whereby those who worked longer hours from Monday to Thursday could take Friday off or, if they chose to work on Friday, would be paid for it as an extra day. The result of the scheme was that most of the staff chose to work on Fridays and actually ended up working more hours in a week than previously. Clearly their original issue was nothing to do with the number of hours they worked and more to do with it being their choice to work these hours.

Try This:
Working from home provides more freedom for workers to plan what they do and when they do it. This is a strategy that bears fruit in the workplace too. Just because someone can be seen in the office doesn’t mean they need to be managed too closely. Allow people to take responsibility for their own workload and you may be pleasantly surprised at how they perform.

3) Taking regular breaks
People in offices are wary of being seen to be taking breaks but the natural daily rhythms of your body mean there are times for performing with maximum efficiency and times for slowing down a bit. When working from home people are much more comfortable with taking a stroll, flicking through a magazine, watching TV News, taking time out to exercise or prepare a healthy snack, running an errand, or even taking a short nap. These short bursts of different activities keep your brain fresh throughout the day.

Try This:
Allowing people to take catnaps in the office may seem like a step too far – though it does exist in some offices – but being creative about how workers can divide their day up leads to better time management and increased productivity. Establish the rules of give and take and everyone knows what's expected of them.

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How to Deal With Your Annoying Co-Worker

Hell is other people. Or the person in the next cubicle who talks so LOUDLY on the phone!

One of the most common issues for employees around the world is dealing with office politics. At some point in their career, most people find themselves spending more time and energy working the system in their office than working at their job. Every office has one, the annoying co-worker who can get under your skin and adversely effect the atmosphere of an office. These problems in an office are not only stressful but they are costly. For those who get to work from home occasionally or from a different site report getting twice as much work done with half the stress when they are away from their usual environment. But what if you can't escape the office?

There are a few jobs that are totally self-sufficient and allow complete autonomy and responsibility. Most people need to be able to work as a team player. The majority of workers want to do their best and feel they are making a valuable contribution when they are at work so if other people are getting in your way and preventing you from achieving this, each day can be very frustrating.

Even the most efficient businesses and people can have periods where office politics take their toll. Here are 4 examples of how we work with our clients to minimise the possible impact of tension between people.

1. Get Active
If people are regularly frustrated at work their stress levels will rise. Feeling stressed releases adrenalin into the system and if this happens repeatedly, they run the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. Employees who have the opportunity to regularly take walk breaks, attend lunchtime exercise sessions, or head to gym after work are able to use the adrenalin in their system to fuel their activity which prevents their stress levels building over time and helps them maintain their calm in awkward situations.

2. Eat Right
What you eat really does impact on how you cope with stress inducing people. Too much caffeine and sugary snacks create energy peaks and troughs and low energy troughs can make it difficult to deal with other people. If you’re feeling tired and sluggish in the office, it’s because your blood sugar is low. If someone does something to upset you at this point, chances are it may tip you over the edge. To stabilise energy levels, limit caffeine to two drinks per day and snack on nuts, seeds, dried fruit or chopped vegetables. You will be able to cope with so much more if you're in control rather than wired.

3. Breathe
Learning to master your mind and manage your mental state is a valuable workplace skill. You need to be able to stay focused and effective no matter what’s going on around you. Workers who have access to techniques such as yoga and meditation have consistently lower levels of stress and better coping strategies than those around them. Have you ever noticed how some of your colleagues just let annoying things in the office wash over them? They very likely have their own coping mechanism - it's time you got yours.

4. Get Busy
If work is all you do with your life, then when things aren’t going your way in the office, you’ll feel that your whole life is out of control. Make sure you have plenty of things on your schedule that aren’t work related. If work is just one part of a varied lifestyle, you’ll be better positioned to deal with office based challenges. Make time for family and friends, hobbies, gym going, quiet time and have plenty of things in your weekly schedule that you really enjoy.

Take a look around your workplace and look at the fittest, healthiest person you know. Chances are they’ll be taking these measures and as a result they’ll have fewer bad days at the office than anyone else.

Stress is caused by feeling out of control but with tried and tested plans for exercising, eating well, managing your mind and living a varied lifestyle you will always feel in control of your situation and will be able to deal with anyone no matter how awkward and frustrating their character or personality.



Photograph by passiveaggressivenotes (Flickr)

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Avoid Office Burnout

Blogging yesterday about the benefits of making workplaces healthier and the impact that has on the corporate bottom line as well as the...erm, employee bottom line is nothing new to me. It's what I do in my day job but it's always great to see the message being spread elsewhere too. I read this article last night and it completely backs up everything I wrote in my post.

More and more companies, both large and small are finally realising that they need to address the problem of their staff health. Its fine to expect staff to work hard and deliver for you but that can come at some cost if they feel burnt out and stressed. So much absenteeism is as the result of musculo-skeletal damage and stress from working in highly pressured environments and sometimes dysfunctional atmospheres. This can be addressed in different ways depending on the exact needs of that company.  For example, some of the clients we work with in highly pressurised industries have wanted us to teach their employees how to relax & focus their minds during the day and unwind after work (yoga/relaxation sessions).  Others have opted for a broader approach to health and wellbeing in their workplace and we've run nutrition workshops and food diary analysis alongside group fitness courses which help their staff eat and feel better.   This always raises energy levels and morale but staff loyalty increases too and so staff turnover drops.  

Read the article if you get a moment but this particular comment I felt was worth mentioning.
Ben Wilmott from Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says

"Employers shouldn't try to get into the leisure industry, it is about communicating the message and providing opportunities."

This is absolutely right - workplaces are for working but without offering an opportunity for staff to recharge and unwind, productivity will only ever decline. 

It depends whether businesses want to have it all or if they want to keep pushing and pushing and dealing with large employee turnover.


Photograph by meyshanworld (Flickr)

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How Fit is Your Office?

Look around your office right now. How do your colleagues look? Fit, toned, energized, 'match ready'? And what about you? You feeling fit and healthy at the moment and on top of your game?

Chances are that the answer to these questions is no. But it's not a gym so what does it matter what shape your office in.?

Well, that's where you're wrong.

Businesses lose billions each year because of poor health amongst their employees either because of rising absenteeism or because of the increased cost of providing health care. In short, the less healthy your employees, the more likely they are to away from the office (costing businesses money). But people get sick sometimes, that can't be helped. What can be helped is making changes in offices to help people deal with stress and other ailments that lead to absenteeism and bring those numbers right down. Not wishing to simplify this complex issue too much, small changes can make a huge impact to businesses if employers engaged a little more with their staff.

Try these suggestions out on your employees:

1.Introduce sporting events that are inclusive and not just 'all about the boys'. Think beyond soccer tournaments and get mixed teams together. This really brings out the healthy competitive spirit amongst staff, promotes loyalty to the company and energises the workforce. Try buying a company Wii Fit and start a tournament and see how quickly people get into the spirit.
2. Supplying a daily fruit bowl in the office - small thing but it sends out the message that your employees health is your concern and you want them to eat well and be well and you're paying for it.
3. Reconsider some of your current employee benefits and perhaps shift the budget into more useful areas. Subsidised on-site back massage; personal training sessions for groups; installing a bike rack and showers to encourage staff to get out of their cars.
4. When working with our clients, we always try to do one-to-one consultations to get to the root of what each employees life is like beyond the office. Then we can suggest quick fitness and relaxation tips that fit around their busy lives rather than dump them with an unrealistic plan that will never work in the long term. Listening to employees is key to making the changes stick.
5. Offer yoga or relaxation classes - these have a HUGE effect on eliminating staff stress and sends the message that you take some of the responsibility of helping your staff unwind after work.
6. Be authentic. Gimmicks always sounds like gimmicks and employees see right through them. The company should embrace and support healthy changes they introduce and managers should drive these forward. Be flexible with employees so they can take part in the schemes you set up. Perhaps reward a day off for winners of a tournament.

These changes may not sounds revolutionary but they will have a positive effect on staff attitudes, attendance and productivity. Your company is only as fit as your workforce after all.


Photograph by Joe Hoover (Flickr)

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Hunchbacked at your computer? Try this.

When I saw my client Simon last week and he told me he was becoming increasingly worried that he was getting stuck in what he called 'the hunchback' position at his desk simply because he spent so much time working at his computer. He felt he never quite got properly straightened up, felt lethargic as a result of this and often suffered back pain.

As part of his programme I showed him a quick chest stretch that he could do throughout the day that would fix this.


Simply stand upright, wedge one arm against a wall or a doorframe and twist your body away in the opposite direction. Then repeat on the other side. The stretch opens up the chest and the front of the shoulders, both areas that get tight when we work at a desk or spend a lot of time driving.

When we met up again this week, Simon was full of praise for the stretch (well as much as you can be for a stretch!). He claimed that of all the exercises in his routine, this one makes the biggest difference. By practicing the stretch throughout the day he feels taller, energised, more focused and much more comfortable.

Try it for yourself and see how it feels.




Posted originally at instantfeelgood

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How Do You Cope With Work Related Stress?

Stress is a very broad term and heavily used especially when it comes to talking about work. But what is stress and how can you recognise it and most importantly, how can you get rid of it quickly?

The most common symptoms of stress include:
*depression
*exhaustion
*frequent headaches and aches in the neck and shoulders
*aggression
*paranoia
*apathy
*increased absenteeism
*restless sleep or insomnia
*increased alcohol intake after work.

Sound familiar?

Naturally, these could also be symptoms for other things but if you feel these things whilst you're in the office or when you think about the office, here are some tips that will help you manage your stress and get rid of it.

1. Change The Situation
Identify what it is that causes you the most stress and do something quickly to avoid it.
If it's another employee, avoid spending anytime with them or near them if you can. Limit how much you have to deal with them. Change your daily habits in work and perhaps go out at lunch time to have a break from the office.

2. Change Your Attitude and Approach
If you are stressed, whatever you are doing now is NOT WORKING so something has to change. If your issue is with your lack of assertiveness, practice standing up for yourself every day and try saying 'No' sometimes. You can always be polite but firm. Find a colleague who is good at doing this and mimic the way they do it. Don't worry that people will be offended - if you think you are being reasonable, then go ahead. If you tend to get upset at situations in the office, stop. Find a way to react differently and don't allow yourself to keep feeling bad. This sounds impossible but it can be done if you develop a zero tolerance rule on yourself about feeling upset.

3. Write a Journal
It only has to be short but everytime something happens that make you feel stressed, note it down. After a week, you should be able to see a pattern and spot what your stress triggers are. Now you know what you need to work on and what you can cut out of your life by avoiding. If you find the office gossips bring you down, make an excuse to leave the room when they start.

4. Start Regular Exercise
Many clients I work with always reach the same conclusion after they start running regularly. They all reckon it's natures anti-depressant. Going for a regular jog or run will not only make you fitter and healthier but it's an excellent way to forget office stress and focus on positive thoughts. You're not only looking after yourself but you are adopting a great new habit that will help you bansih stress. Try a short jog and build up from there rather than just say 'Oh I can't run' and then shutting the door to it.

5. Eat Better and Sleep Better
When you are stressed, you tend to let your healthy diet slip and eat foods that ironically enough make you feel even more stressed. Whether you forget to eat or you binge on coffees and fast food, you're making it impossible for your body to function well and wind down sufficiently in the evening to help you get a decent nights sleep. Stop. Here are some tips on how to to eat better to help you sleep better.

6. Book a Trip Away
Having something in the diary in a couple of months time to look forward to can really help you get through dark days. Don't wish your life away but filling your diary with great things to look forward to is such a boost and when you get back from the holiday, book another weekend away or a trip. It's a very healthy cycle to get into.

7. Corporate Health and Wellbeing Programmes
Find out what your company offers in this area. Some companies offer great staff benefits that could include discounted massage treatments, yoga classes, Gym membership discounts, Fit Days. Its worth checking with your HR department.
I think that the role of the company is to help employess to rid themselves of work related stress. Its fine to expect employees to deliver 100% all the time but if you're going to pile on the pressure, you are obliged to help staff get rid of it where you can.

8. Is This The Job For You?
Sometimes, no smount of stress busting can help because perhaps you are not in the right type of position for your personality type. Its a hard admission to make but one that will make you so much happier once you have made it. Again, writing a journal should throw up some home truths for you to think about.

Good Luck.


Photograph by rick (Flickr)

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How Can You Keep Your Employees Happy?

Weekly bonuses and 60 days paid leave!

No seriously, how can you give employees a benefit that will actually make them more motivated, focused and ultimately, loyal to the company? As part of the research that we do as an organisation we witness businesses spending an enormous amount of time and energy trying to tackle this and many times, they get it wrong. Sometimes, giving people more 'stuff' doesn't motivate them. It has to be the right sort of 'stuff'.

We use various methods but here's 3 ways you can get started:

1. Speak to your employees. Ask them what will make them happier. Make sure your benefits really are benefits. A carefully designed process (smart questionnaires, one-to-one chats) to get the right information from staff can lead to a targeted initiative achieving fantastic results.

2. Give staff access to the resources they need to achieve success. Don’t leave them any reason or excuse to think that what they've told you they need has fallen on deaf ears. Our expertise is in wellbeing so when we run corporate fitness programs, we make sure that our clients have access to everything they need to take instant and ongoing action by providing experts on site, fully developed programs and regular guidance and motivation.

3. Measure progress. You’ve got to know that what you’re doing works so regular measurement is vital and helps to keep staff happy on two levels. Firstly, by consulting them they feel involved in what’s going on and take a degree of ownership in the project. Secondly, assessing progress helps you to evolve the most effective initiatives over time and ditch what isn't working.



Photograph by juicystyle (Flickr)

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How to Stop Worrying About Work on Sundays

Do you regularly lose a nights sleep on Sunday fretting about going
into work on Monday? Does the thought of dealing with certain
colleagues or projects leave you lying awake all night?

Well you're not alone. A whopping 84% of people toss and turn for most of
the night anxious about the week ahead. Depressing isn't it? A bit like
being at school again except this time, we're grown up and we're
getting paid. But what can you do to stop it?


A survey conducted by Monster.com showed that the UK and US
workers were the most likely to skip a nights sleep because of office
related stress. Envy the Italians, it seems they rarely let thoughts of Monday ruin a Sunday
night.

To help workers reduce workplace stress and get the good nights sleep they deserve, Monster recommends:

1. Focus on the good stuff and the highlights. Think about what goes well each
day, rather than workplace problems.

2. Create a to-do list. Managing a to-do list can help you maximise your
time and sleep better.

3. If it has been a while since your last holiday, consider
taking some time off to de-stress.

I agree with a couple of those points but I think the formality of doing to-do lists before bed only reminds you of what lies ahead when you should be focused on relaxing and winding down.

Try this instead - write you to-do list on Friday afternoon before you sign off for the weekend. On Sunday, focus instead on enjoying your weekend knowing that you have a plan in place for Monday and what you need to do.

Hire a DVD to distract and entertain you, or plan something nice to do that evening - a family meal, quick drink with friends etc. Its really important to remind yourself that work isn't the enemy. It's your opportunity to progress in life so rest assured that quality time out at the weekend will lead to better results in the week.

Let yourself off the hook and enjoy your weekend. They wont know what's hit them on Monday morning!


Photograph by Meredith_Farmer (Flickr)

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