Have you ever had an empty inbox?! Are you sick of the overwhelm of your inbox? In this video I share how I do it, why I love the Zero Inbox Rule, and how I apply it to other areas of my life. If you’re looking for some extra support with your inbox, or anything on your […]
I came across an article a week ago that seemed crazy to me at first. The author, Michelle L Bryant, stated that the key to success and effectively managing your time is to only ever spend 10 minutes on every task that you undertake. My first reaction was to scoff and close the browser window. […]
[vc_column_text pb_margin_bottom=”no” pb_border_bottom=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] [/vc_column_text] [vc_column_text pb_margin_bottom=”no” pb_border_bottom=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] “So, how have you been?” “Flat out!” I know I do it. I’m sure you’ve found yourself doing it too, at least once in a while. When someone asks you how you are, you’re almost bursting to tell them how busy you […]
[vc_column_text pb_margin_bottom=”no” pb_border_bottom=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Pssst….you can buy this mug here. [/vc_column_text] [vc_column_text pb_margin_bottom=”no” pb_border_bottom=”no” width=”1/1″ el_position=”first last”] Recently there has been a quote floating around the internet which says “You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyonce.” Now, there are always cynical people out there who like to comment […]
In the workplace, a total of 3.2 days per worker are lost each year through workplace stress*, so it’s important that business leaders are mindful of work/life balance for the optimum mental wellbeing of their employees, and the creation of a healthy workplace. Mental wellbeing in the workplace continues to be a major issue for […]
Perhaps you’ve heard this story. Imagine you’re sitting in a class. It’s one of those big classrooms, with tiered seating, able to accommodate hundreds of students. The class is assembled in eager expectation; what will the professor do today? At exactly 8 o’clock, he strides in and without acknowledging the classes’ presence, reaches under the lectern and produces a […]
How to play with time, and make time work for us! There are only 24 hours in any given day for everyone. It is how we choose to use those hours, which draws the line between the procrastinators and those who manage their time wisely. Instead of stressing yourself out, there are some simple ways […]
Let’s get honest here, most of us treat our family and friends better than we do ourselves and many of us spend most of our day beating ourselves up with a big stick and flood our minds with negative thoughts about how we feel not good enough or feel we ‘ should have’ done better. […]
Wouldn’t that be great? Here are some of my favourite tips to maximise your time for best results (so that you have more time to enjoy doing the things you love!) 1. Delegate more. No matter how multi-skilled and efficient you know yourself to be, there are some things that you’re doing that someone else around […]
For my birthday Tim treated us to dinner and a night at the movies. We decided to go and see The Hunger Games, even though I had really wanted to read the book by Suzanne Collins beforehand – it’s just a general life policy I have to try to read the book before the film! However, this wasn’t […]
As the guest blogger for Lifestyle Elements today I wanted to touch on time management with an etiquette spin and under this umbrella there is one of the most commonly asked questions I get: What time is on time to arrive for a meeting? There is a saying I love “On time is late” and […]
I’m always interested when I hear women talking about how little time they have for the everyday things … especially themselves! Of course, I come from an era when women always had time! Although I do remember my mother rushing around to organise the house for when my father got home; she used to go […]
I recently read a great post and video blog, ‘Why Setting Boundaries Is Key On The Road To Job Happiness’ by Jenn Korducki Krenn of the website Dream Champs. It immediately resonated with me and reminded me of my earlier working life. How many of you have experienced the situation of sitting at your desk until 6, […]
Take this test to see how much of a Pro you are at juggling: Could you cook dinner, supervise homework, do a set of squats, clean the kitchen benches and have a phone conversation? Could you drive, listen to a business webinar, put your makeup on at traffic lights and do your pelvic floor exercises? […]
Everyone has had one of those days – where you feel like you didn’t get anything accomplished at work. I’ve been there myself. You went to work, you talked to people, you wrote emails but you didn’t really get anything finished. Why? Here’s a list of ways to rethink your workday so you’re more productive: […]
It’s about now that your new year’s resolution to be healthy is wearing off and the realisation hits that you can’t maintain this healthy lifestyle and do all the other things you want or need to do. This whole idea of becoming healthy, losing weight, looking nicely tight and toned, eating right and quitting various […]
“If you want to be an effective leader, start leading the way with regular breaks. “ This quote comes from the blog post ‘Take A Break! Bad Things Rarely Happen” by Tristan White, CEO of the Physio Co. which also happens to be one of Australia’s Top 20 Places to Work. It’s the final line in the […]
Do you Procrastinate? Based on some figures, it is estimated that as much as 95 % of the people are prone to procrastination. Amongst them, 20 % of them are chronic procrastinators. How is procrastination affecting your rewards and profits? Your plans for the Year, quarter? Procrastination is about putting off a task which we […]
Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Kailah Shannon from Coffee Secrets. Once again we provide you with a fabulous insight into an organisation implementing work life balance initiatives. Our aim is to inspire you to seek greater work life balance inside and outside your business. I hope you enjoy […]
How do you feel when you hear the word DELEGATION? Does it make you chest tighten? Did you clench your hands just a little? I bet that many of you thought to yourself, “yes, that’s all well and good for small tasks and admin tasks, but there are just some tasks that only I can […]
I’ve been making to-do lists for as long as I can remember. Work stuff, personal stuff, blog stuff…you name it…I’ve made a to-do list about it. But I understand that not everyone does this and it may not come as easily to others. So I’m going to give you some of my list-making secrets. It’s […]
Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Janene Samuel from Gametag. We are getting a great response from our readers to these profiles where we place our focus on organisations from Australia, New Zealand and around the globe who are implementing work life balance initiatives into their organisation. Our aim is […]
I was inspired to write this post after reading Gretchen Rubin’s interview with Rachel Bertsche on her blog The Happiness Project. In the post Gretchen asks Rachel a number of questions around happiness, one being ‘Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you’ve found very helpful?’ Rachel’s answer was the inspiration for this post today – “These […]
Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, our first from South Australia, brought to you by Stephan Knoll from Barossa Fine Foods. We will be regularly placing our focus on organisations from Australia, New Zealand and around the globe who are implementing work life balance initiatives into their organisation. Our aim is to inspire you […]
I work part time from home, which has it’s positives and certainly it’s challenges. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the differences between working full time and part time. I’ve come to realise it’s not just about the physical hours you put in, there is a mental or ‘thinking’ component that has to be considered. My biggest challenge as a […]
Stuff We’re increasingly surrounded by the stuff. Stuff to be sorted in the kitchen cupboards, in the wardrobes, on the desk, stuff to be done tomorrow, next week, by the end of the year, ad infinitum. And if truth were told, a great deal of this stuff in our lives is not absolutely essential and could in […]
Something’s puzzling me and I can’t quite work it out. Today, we have more time-saving, convenience creating, effort reducing resources than ever before and yet we seem to be busier, more stressed and time poor. I just don’t get it. There’s now an app for everything and you can DIY or outsource pretty much anything […]
I grew up in a home where being late was not an option. If we had to be at a certain place at 3:00 p.m., then we were at that certain place at 3:00 p.m. For a short time, I believed that everyone was like that. I believed that no one was late, that everyone […]
Don’t to forget to share this post with your followers and friends! [twitter style=”horizontal” text=”Share on Twitter!” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” float=”left”][hr] It seems like the harder we try to achieve it, the busier, more stressed and exhausted we become. You only have to Google ‘Work Life Balance’ (over 32 million results) to know it’s something […]
It is now well known that keeping the mind healthy and happy can benefit a person’s overall health. Therefore, one of the most common tools I use to assist my clients to create perfect health is by promoting the regular practice of meditation. A common objection, for those who have not done it before, is […]
Prior to 1969, an impossible thought was landing on the moon and mankind achieved that feat. So with the utmost respect achieving balance in your life in 2011 is absolutely possible. And the good news is that you don’t need to be a NASA rocket scientist, you just need to have a plan and remain disciplined. […]
Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Kathyrn Williams from Youth Off The Streets. Already our Balance Beam profiles have provided inspiration and ideas to our readers seeking to improve work life balance in their organisations and every day lives. I hope you enjoy this latest ‘Balance Beam’ profile, and […]
Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Max Australia & Spectrum Communications from Max Australia & Spectrum Communications. We will be regularly placing our focus on organisations from Australia, New Zealand and around the globe who are implementing work life balance initiatives into their organisation. Our aim is […]
Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Angie “Speedy” Spiteri from Time Equals Money. Lifestyle Elements is passionate about showcasing organisations from Australia, New Zealand and around the globe who are implementing work life balance initiatives into their organisation. Our aim is to inspire you to seek greater work […]
Welcome to our latest ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Shona Mackin from Socialface. We will be regularly placing our focus on organisations from Australia, New Zealand and around the globe who are implementing work life balance initiatives into their organisation. Our aim is to inspire you to seek greater work life balance inside and […]
Welcome to our very first ‘Balance Beam’ work life balance profile, brought to you by Claire from Maxted Thomas.PR. We will be regularly placing our focus on organisations from Australia, New Zealand and around the globe who are implementing work life balance initiatives into their organisation. Our aim is to inspire you to seek greater work life balance […]
According to various sources, the majority of people would like better work life balance. However, have you ever taken the time to clearly describe what that would mean for you? What would be your ideal balanced day? It was Nigel Marsh, the Regional Group CEO of Young and Rubicam Brands for Australia & New Zealand, who got me thinking about […]
Or outsource the small stuff first! We all know about spring cleaning our house (whether we do it is another matter) but have you ever tried to spring clean your to do list? Yes, I realise it isn’t spring, but winter is actually the perfect time to spring clean (not sure if winter clean is […]
I have previously written a post about ‘workaholics’ in response to the book Rework by 37Signals – you can read that post here. It was therefore interesting to read this article on the Sydney Morning Herald website entitled ‘The Workaholic Nation’ by Judith Ireland. The article is focused on the sense of pride many of […]
Last year I was a guest speaker at a conference where I spoke about time management. In the Q&A session towards the end as I answered various questions, I had a spark of realisation, or, as Oprah would call it, “an aha moment”. I am passionate about time management and giving people tips and tricks to […]
Emma is a full-time Nutrition and Dietetics student which can be monotonous at times, but working casually for Lifestyle Elements as an assistant personal concierge makes her days exciting, challenging and rewarding. Although no day is the exactly the same for a personal concierge, here is an example of what Emma might do on a […]
I recently read (ok, I actually listened to it on my iPod) a book called Rework. The book is by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson who are the founders of 37Signals. I particularly enjoyed the book and found their take on work and entrepreneurism refreshing, logical and, personally, quite freeing. My take on it is, just because […]
Well, almost anything! Sometimes, one of the biggest stumbling blocks when delegating work to someone else is worrying about what they’ll think. We find this a lot in our role as a personal concierge. “Won’t they wonder why I don’t do it myself?” “Won’t they think this is a waste of time?” “Isn’t this a […]
A few years ago one of our clients recounted a women’s networking lunch she had recently been to. The women on her table were all very successful in business and had achieved highly in their various areas of expertise. What our client couldn’t get over were the comments they were making, such as “….and I still […]
Do you find that with all the tasks we have to get done each day, looking at your task list can become quite overwhelming? We’ve all heard of prioritising, but it is easy to get confused when we have numerous competing demands. How often have you had your day all planned out, only to have it thrown […]
Lifestyle Elements was recently featured in an article for Body & Soul. The question they were asking was “Are we more stressed than in the 60’s?”. What do you think? As mentioned in the article “we have appliances to do our chores, more leisure time than ever before and the technology to do almost anything […]
By Abbie Allen If would like to use the following article in your publication please contact Abbie Allen As featured in ‘Inner West BEC – Small Business Matters – Volume 1 No. 10 May 2004’ It’s the choice entrepreneurs make when they start their own business. We give up free time, leisure time and family […]