Are you a Morning Person?

Each of us has a unique time of day that serves us well and another time that does not serve us well at all. I know this because, I know for sure that I NOT a morning person. Never have been and have no intention to change that. This despite the best efforts of my family over the years.

So why is this important I hear you ask? The reason is for you to be able to perform at your optimum levels and achieve more in your day it is important to know when you are at your most alert and when you are at your least active (shall we say). By becoming aware of out best and worst times of day we can then make this time work for us. It seems to be a waste to spend your least attentive time doing your most difficult tasks. However many of us tend to do that without really thinking about it.

My challenge to you is to identify when you are at your peak performance during the day and when you have an energy slump. Once you have done this then you can begin to effectively use your time to handle difficult tasks at your most attentive time and easy stuff when you are low in energy. 

What got me thinking about this was today's 5.20am start to take my daughter and a friend to rowing practice. My husband who is a morning person gets great pleasure, I am sure, to see me roll out of bed and drive across town to then return to bed at 6.15am promptly fall back to sleep. You see he is the morning person in our home, so thinks it amusing that I groan and moan and then go back to bed. However alternately if I ask him to do something at 10pm I would get much the same response as I give him in the morning, you see I am a night owl.

There is no right or wrong as to whether you are a morning person or not, but can you retrain a night owl? Not at 42 years of age I say, you know "old dogs...."!!! However our daughter who is so so in the morning has trained herself to be a morning person through necessity and always wakes with a smile. Our 2nd child is a natural Morning person and has bounced out of bed at the crack of dawn since a young age with a beaming smile as well. However number three takes after me and it takes nothing short of a earthquake and crowbar to get him moving in the morning. Yet we all live harmoniously under the same roof, and do our best work at different times of day.

So find your best time and use it, and forgive those who's best time may be the opposite of yours.

Super Sexy Storage Stuff

Sometimes when we are just surfing the web we come across something really neat. This has happened for me this afternoon and I really wanted to share with you all. Check out www.cribcandy.com this is an amazing collection of furniture and also super sexy storage stuff as well. I am going to spend some time today having a good look at some of these innovative and eclectic items listed on this great site.
MMM wonder if the Visa card is ready for a beating????

Party Plan Expert

I am fortunate to have a friend here in Christchurch that is a true leader and expert in her field. Her name is Anne Howie and she is "The Party Plan Expert". 

Anne is an accomplished Speaker and has now written the definitive guide to building and running a successful Party Plan business. Anne has certainly walked the talk and is truly a leader in this field both here in NZ and internationally. If you or someone you know is In the Party Plan industry it is vital you get to know Anne and her business. 

Also she has written a Fabulous book. "Let's Get This Party Started" as a guide to starting and running a successful Business.  So get your hands on a copy of it today and get that business humming.

Are you "Accidentally Organised"?

Well this years "best" book on getting organised. Even if I may say so myself. Has been available in NZ bookstores for a little over a month now. It is quiet a buzz to see your work on display, which did happen in Wellington Airport (Thankyou Whitcoulls, Wellington Airport)

However I have had many requests from countries outside of New Zealand, so I want to give the opportunity for anyone to get hold of a copy of my book. "The Accidental Organiser". I have set up a paypal page to purchase it, all you need is a credit card. So if you are hankering to get your hands on "The Accidental Organiser" you can get it by CLICKING HERE

It works out to approx $20 USD including postage for my readers in the USA, and approx $30 AUD for my Aussie readers. 

So I am ready for your orders. Also if you do read it, I would love you to review it on your blog or website etc. I would be happy do the same for you, as it is all about sharing the love and being there for each other.

We are not indispensable!

Someone asked me an interesting question today, it got me thinking. This is the best kind of question. 

It was for a tip for people who think they are too busy to take a holiday. 

My response to this is you should never be too busy to take care of yourself. In any way, shape or form. I learnt this when I decided to employ staff. People thought I would have trouble not being in control, they thought I could not hand over the reigns to someone else to do what I have always done. This was a great lesson because, I have employed two wonderful women (Jane and Clare, Thank you both) who do my job better than I could do it. I kid you not, I learnt that I am not indispensable and that there are people out there who are equally or even more capable than me to handle certain jobs within my business.

So if you think you are too busy to look after yourself or take a holiday, think again. There will always be someone who can fill the void you leave especially with careful planning and consideration. You should never be too busy to care for your biggest asset, YOU.

So next time you hear yourself say, "I am too busy", outsource and get over it, because you to are not indispensable.

Remember the ME Time!

Here in New Zealand it is the last day of the School Holidays for the kids. We have had a great 2 weeks doing all kinds of stuff like tennis camp, modelling/drama school, flight day at the Air force Museum, Willowbank wildlife park, movies and so on. All in the endeavour to keep the kids happy and entertained.

I must admit the inside of my office has been a bit neglected also over the past 2 weeks. So on Monday I will be back with a vengeance to do some catch up at work.

Most of the activities have been kids orientated and I have felt a bit like the 5th wheel, however today we did something different. Some fab friends of mine Martz Witty & Jocelyn Scott of MARTZ LIMITED suggested we go bowling. So at 3pm on a Friday afternoon we went bowling. It was a blast. I took the three kids and Martz, Jocelyn and Myself bowled two games. It was such a departure from the usual Friday afternoon wind down (what wind down??)

It reminds me of the importance of taking out time to do the fun things and enjoy life. I am always sharing with clients the importance of ME time and not always walking the talk. So I think doing something like this is something we should all do more often. Pick a fun activity  you have not done in a while and then just go for it. Have a laugh, forget about work and the troubles of the world and enjoy yourself.

You only get one shot on this earth so make the most of it and do some ME stuff but remember. MAKE IT FUN!

Getting a Handle on Social Networking.

As many of you will know I am getting to know my way around the Social networks that are on the Internet. I was involved in an interesting, real life, conversation about this the other day. One particular person kept saying. "But doesn't it waste alot of time?", then "Sounds like a time waster to me!", and then "What is the point?" and so on.

That got me thinking. I am not an expert on any of these social networking sites, as a matter of fact I consider myself a relative newbie. however I recognise that sites such as :

* Facebook

* Twitter

* My Space

* Fast Pitch Networking

* Linked in!

To name just a few, are certainly the way of the future if you want any kind of global presence for your business. I am finding these fantastic tools for getting to know colleagues from all around the world as well as to keep in touch with family and friends.

So just how do you stop yourself from getting "hooked", "addicted" or "Wasting time" on sites such as these.

1) Know your purpose - Have a reason for using these sites. For me it is business focused and a way to expand my professional networks. For a friend of mine it is purely personal and a fun outlet. So by recognising why you are using a particular site you can be focused when using them.

2) Schedule your time - Just as you would a  business networking event or fun social function. make a date. Set up times in your day, week or month to be on these sites and keeping up with your friends and Connections you have made. Then stick to those times, try not to get sucked into staying online too long.

3) Have strong "real world" networks - Do not forget your real flesh and blood "touchable" connections, Friends and family. It is vital to continue to pick up the phone, meet for a coffee, sit fro a face to face chat and go out to dinner. Nothing beats the real time connections we make with fellow human beings, make these your priority.

These are just a few simple strategies to keep in mind as you get into the online social networking world. I am still learning my way around many of these sites, but am certainly enjoying the benefits of my friends I have online. So do not be afraid to dip a toes into some of these websites. You never know who you may connect with and where it will take you.

I am off now to learn more about digg, RSS, wiki's,atom.........oh the list goes on.

If you happen to find me on one of those sites do not be afraid to say hi, and possibly add me as a friend.

happy Social Networking.

Make the most of eDay!

Here in New Zealand Saturday the 4th October is eDay. 

eDay is a cars-only drive-through recycling event which gives you the opportunity to recycle old computers or mobile phones in an environmentally sustainable way.

Check out the website www.eday.org.nz for your neared recycling drive through. 

HAPPY eDay!!