G'day Ladies,
If you haven't already heard of Megan Kristel from Kristel Closets - where have you been! This young, energetic and highly talented chickadee is working with corproate and entrepreneurial women around the US to help them increase their effectiveness, boost their productivity and increase their confidence. How you ask?
Megan will come into your environment, clean out your closet and help you create a productive wardrobe for every occassion, including those networking events. Check her out and subscribe to her ezine while you are there - she is fabulous: http://www.kristelclosets.com/
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Networking in Stilettos: Meeting and Greeting
When you have decided to attend an event or join a network, another important skill is knowing how to engage people when you first meet them. Meeting new people and making conversation can be daunting, but with a few simple techniques you’ll become more and more comfortable with each new event.
Appear confident. There’s an element of ‘fake it ‘till you make it’ here. Smile when you first meet someone and look him or her in the eye. Even if you don’t feel it, your smile and eye contact will show the other person you are friendly and confident.
Be aware of your body language. Be aware of good posture; stand straight with your shoulders back. Don’t fidget with pens or your clothing – keep your hands by your side if you are someone who constantly fidgets. A smile, combined with good posture will boost your confidence.
Introduce yourself first. Rather than stand alone, be brave. Walk up to an individual, or a group, extend your hand and say, “Hi my name is Neen James, nice to meet you”. Everyone will respond positively to your confidence and appreciate you making the first move. It will be a trigger for others to do the same.
Shake hands. This is an important skill; if you don’t know how to shake hands properly, learn. Some women, particularly those who haven’t been required to do it in business, can lack confidence with their handshake. It’s important. Cultivate a firm handshake – not too hard, but just right. Look the person in the eye when you shake their hand and say their name out loud: “Hi Robyn, it’s nice to meet you”. If you are unsure about shaking hands with someone, always extend your hand first. It is rude to not shake the hand of someone who offers theirs to you.
Learn how to pronounce their name. When you encounter someone with a difficult to pronounce name, ask him or her to repeat it, spell it and say it again – and allow him or her to correct your pronunciation so you get it right. People will appreciate you taking the time to learn how to say their name properly.
Use a person’s name several times when you first meet. This will help you to remember their name, it’s a very personal way to communicate – and, people love the sound of their own name!
Learn conversational skills. The ability to make conversation is what scares so many people about new social interactions, here a few questions you can ask anyone you meet for the first time:
§ What do you do?
§ Where do you work?
§ Where do you live?
§ Does it take you long to get from home to the office?
§ What inspires you?
§ What do you like read?
§ What has been your most valuable business lesson?
Ask people what they like to do in their spare time. This is a great question and most people become energised when you ask them about their life outside of work. Watch their eyes sparkle as they tell you about the activities they most enjoy. Take the time to discover that people are far more interesting than their work.
If you meet someone with an accent, ask where he or she is from. Find out something interesting about their country by asking:
§ Where are you from?
§ How often do you go to visit?
§ What do you miss most about that place?
§ Who is someone famous from there?
§ What food is that country famous for?
If you are at an industry or charity event, ask how they heard about the event. It’s a great icebreaker and allows you both to share stories of how you came to be at the event and what you hope to achieve by attending.
Listen intently. Give the person you are speaking with your full attention. Use active listening techniques such as nodding, smiling and leaning towards them while they speak. Ask questions about the topics you are discussing. People will appreciate your attention. It is very rude to look beyond the person you are speaking with or to look around the room for someone more interesting.
Effective networking can help you to maximise your productivity. You can master networking by choosing how you invest your time and energy. Choose your networks wisely, be prepared with business cards, follow up after every event, be engaging when you meet people…and have fun!
Rather than stand alone, be brave. Walk up to an individual, or a group, extend your hand and say, “Hi my name is Neen James, nice to meet you”. Everyone will respond positively to your confidence and appreciate you making the first move. It will be a trigger for others to do the same.
Appear confident. There’s an element of ‘fake it ‘till you make it’ here. Smile when you first meet someone and look him or her in the eye. Even if you don’t feel it, your smile and eye contact will show the other person you are friendly and confident.
Be aware of your body language. Be aware of good posture; stand straight with your shoulders back. Don’t fidget with pens or your clothing – keep your hands by your side if you are someone who constantly fidgets. A smile, combined with good posture will boost your confidence.
Introduce yourself first. Rather than stand alone, be brave. Walk up to an individual, or a group, extend your hand and say, “Hi my name is Neen James, nice to meet you”. Everyone will respond positively to your confidence and appreciate you making the first move. It will be a trigger for others to do the same.
Shake hands. This is an important skill; if you don’t know how to shake hands properly, learn. Some women, particularly those who haven’t been required to do it in business, can lack confidence with their handshake. It’s important. Cultivate a firm handshake – not too hard, but just right. Look the person in the eye when you shake their hand and say their name out loud: “Hi Robyn, it’s nice to meet you”. If you are unsure about shaking hands with someone, always extend your hand first. It is rude to not shake the hand of someone who offers theirs to you.
Learn how to pronounce their name. When you encounter someone with a difficult to pronounce name, ask him or her to repeat it, spell it and say it again – and allow him or her to correct your pronunciation so you get it right. People will appreciate you taking the time to learn how to say their name properly.
Use a person’s name several times when you first meet. This will help you to remember their name, it’s a very personal way to communicate – and, people love the sound of their own name!
Learn conversational skills. The ability to make conversation is what scares so many people about new social interactions, here a few questions you can ask anyone you meet for the first time:
§ What do you do?
§ Where do you work?
§ Where do you live?
§ Does it take you long to get from home to the office?
§ What inspires you?
§ What do you like read?
§ What has been your most valuable business lesson?
Ask people what they like to do in their spare time. This is a great question and most people become energised when you ask them about their life outside of work. Watch their eyes sparkle as they tell you about the activities they most enjoy. Take the time to discover that people are far more interesting than their work.
If you meet someone with an accent, ask where he or she is from. Find out something interesting about their country by asking:
§ Where are you from?
§ How often do you go to visit?
§ What do you miss most about that place?
§ Who is someone famous from there?
§ What food is that country famous for?
If you are at an industry or charity event, ask how they heard about the event. It’s a great icebreaker and allows you both to share stories of how you came to be at the event and what you hope to achieve by attending.
Listen intently. Give the person you are speaking with your full attention. Use active listening techniques such as nodding, smiling and leaning towards them while they speak. Ask questions about the topics you are discussing. People will appreciate your attention. It is very rude to look beyond the person you are speaking with or to look around the room for someone more interesting.
Effective networking can help you to maximise your productivity. You can master networking by choosing how you invest your time and energy. Choose your networks wisely, be prepared with business cards, follow up after every event, be engaging when you meet people…and have fun!
Rather than stand alone, be brave. Walk up to an individual, or a group, extend your hand and say, “Hi my name is Neen James, nice to meet you”. Everyone will respond positively to your confidence and appreciate you making the first move. It will be a trigger for others to do the same.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
You must try Footpetals!
G'Day Ladies
Whether you are standing around at a networking event or attending a meeting, those stilettos can sometimes hurt your feet. I have found the best addition to my shoe wardrobe is Foot Petals. Tina, the inventor of these lovely creations, is a fabulous lady, so accomplished and believed in her dream.
When I interviewed her she told me networking was essential to her success. Check out the great range at: http://www.footpetals.com/cgi-bin/footpetals/index.html
Stay comfy!
Whether you are standing around at a networking event or attending a meeting, those stilettos can sometimes hurt your feet. I have found the best addition to my shoe wardrobe is Foot Petals. Tina, the inventor of these lovely creations, is a fabulous lady, so accomplished and believed in her dream.
When I interviewed her she told me networking was essential to her success. Check out the great range at: http://www.footpetals.com/cgi-bin/footpetals/index.html
Stay comfy!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Networking in Stilettos: Sex and the City
Last Friday night I invited 15 girlfriends (and one fabulous guy friend) to a cocktail party at my house complete with cosmos and delicious food and we laughed, chatted and made new connections.
My girlfriends were all dressed up and had their most fabulous shoes on (that was my only requirement for them attending my party - divine shoes a must!). We then headed off to see one of the best chick flicks - Sex and the City! It did not disappoint. It was fabulous, the shoes were delicious and the bags divine.
Many of the girls reached out to me afterwards telling me how fun it was, how neat it was to meet new people and what a great time they had.
Building your network is easy. Find something you love to do, invite others to join you and voila - you are networking! Each woman made a new friend that night, all I had to do was put on my best Manolos and serve Cosmos - what are you doing to build your network? I would love to hear your ideas.
My girlfriends were all dressed up and had their most fabulous shoes on (that was my only requirement for them attending my party - divine shoes a must!). We then headed off to see one of the best chick flicks - Sex and the City! It did not disappoint. It was fabulous, the shoes were delicious and the bags divine.
Many of the girls reached out to me afterwards telling me how fun it was, how neat it was to meet new people and what a great time they had.
Building your network is easy. Find something you love to do, invite others to join you and voila - you are networking! Each woman made a new friend that night, all I had to do was put on my best Manolos and serve Cosmos - what are you doing to build your network? I would love to hear your ideas.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Check out Shoe Guru - Meghan Cleary's contest!
G'Day fellow shoe lovers,
As you know I am a huge lover of all shoes but one of the women who is an absolute guru in this area is Miss Meghan. She has a divine contest right now that you simply must check out:http://missmeghan.com/archives/stc-shoe-therapy-contest/
Each week she gives you a chance to win a pair of designer shoes and a comfort pack from 'Dr Scholls for Her'.
All this excitement leading up to the launch of Sex and the City on May 30th - you simply must check out this site.Enjoy your networking in stilettos ladies!
As you know I am a huge lover of all shoes but one of the women who is an absolute guru in this area is Miss Meghan. She has a divine contest right now that you simply must check out:http://missmeghan.com/archives/stc-shoe-therapy-contest/
Each week she gives you a chance to win a pair of designer shoes and a comfort pack from 'Dr Scholls for Her'.
All this excitement leading up to the launch of Sex and the City on May 30th - you simply must check out this site.Enjoy your networking in stilettos ladies!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Internal Networking in StilettosTM
Although there are any number of different women's networking groups and events you can attend, some of the best networking will occur within your organization. To build your reputation internally and understand “who’s who in the zoo” it is worth investing time to get to know the people around you. Try these suggestions to boost your internal networking skills.
Arrange a Lunchtime self-development session. Determine a topic your colleagues would be interested in, simply invite someone into your organization to give a brief presentation allowing time for questions and answers. You don’t need to pay this person; they may be an internal expert you invite. Choose someone who is an expert in their topic area. When organizing the meeting, set up the agenda so that there is time when people arrive to meet each other, allow 20 minutes for the presentation, 10 minutes for questions and a few minutes at the end to continue chatting to co-workers.
Organize a lunchtime sports team. This is a great way to build teamwork internally and also get to know people from other areas within the organization. Put up a notice or send an email asking for interested parties and then form a team i.e. basketball, football, tennis team are all fun and easy to organize. Find a park or gym close to the office you can use and set a regular time and day each week to meet. This is a great way to also get fresh air and exercise while networking. You might even like to get everyone to contribute some funds and organize team t-shirts to wear, your organization may even have some you can use!
Hold a quarterly breakfast forum and invite the CEO. Make an appointment with your CEO’s Executive Assistant and advise them you would like to invite the CEO to a quarterly breakfast where they can meet the team and also answer questions they might have. Once you get approval from the EA, book the next quarter’s date and find a suitable venue. Each person pays for their own breakfast so it doesn’t cost the company any money. Make arrangements with a café close to the office or in-house catering if you have it, and start at 7.30 and finish by 8.45. This allows people to meet, ask the CEO questions and get involved in discussions.
Seek or start a mentor program. Identify people you would like to learn from within the organization and approach them about being mentored for 6 months. If your organization already has a mentoring program, sign up and get involved.
Get involved in a charity. Select a deserving charity and organize events within the company to raise money for them. Your company may already have a chosen charity, if so; invite someone from the organization to update your colleagues on suggestions of how you can help. This can be a fun way to help others and also help you get to know those you work with.
Hold a ‘brown bag’ seminar at lunchtime. Invite everyone to bring their own lunch; you can invite a speaker to provide information to the team. The topics might be relevant to them for outside life i.e. health, fitness, family or some way to add value to the people you work with. The topics can come from your colleagues – ask them for suggestions. You can hold these on a monthly basis and allow time within the agenda to meet at least two other people from other departments. Advertise it on the notice boards, email and in the bathrooms (you would be surprised how many people read information in the bathrooms).
Organize cross-function team events. Get to know other women within the business by hosting a morning tea and asking the other women to explain what they do within the business and the challenges they face, and then you do the same. This is a great way to find about others and also share what you are working on.
Start a book club. Find a few women who are interested in similar books to you, set yourself a book to read every two months. If it is a local author, invite them to join you at one of your meetings to explain more about the book and why it was written. Most authors love to meet their readers. When you get together, chat about what you learned from the book, what your opinions are on the writing style and what you liked most about the book.
Get in a project team. Seek opportunities to work on projects within your team and with other departments. Ensure you have your manager’s permission to be involved. This is a great way to network and learn from others.
Write for the company newsletter. Offer to provide articles or updates for the internal newsletter. This is a great way to work with the marketing team (who are often volunteers looking for content for the newsletter).
Provide your business card to co-workers. When you meet someone from another department always offer your card. This will give them your contact information if they want to contact you again.
Make the most of getting to know those you work with, take time to learn what they do and how you can work together to achieve your goals.
Arrange a Lunchtime self-development session. Determine a topic your colleagues would be interested in, simply invite someone into your organization to give a brief presentation allowing time for questions and answers. You don’t need to pay this person; they may be an internal expert you invite. Choose someone who is an expert in their topic area. When organizing the meeting, set up the agenda so that there is time when people arrive to meet each other, allow 20 minutes for the presentation, 10 minutes for questions and a few minutes at the end to continue chatting to co-workers.
Organize a lunchtime sports team. This is a great way to build teamwork internally and also get to know people from other areas within the organization. Put up a notice or send an email asking for interested parties and then form a team i.e. basketball, football, tennis team are all fun and easy to organize. Find a park or gym close to the office you can use and set a regular time and day each week to meet. This is a great way to also get fresh air and exercise while networking. You might even like to get everyone to contribute some funds and organize team t-shirts to wear, your organization may even have some you can use!
Hold a quarterly breakfast forum and invite the CEO. Make an appointment with your CEO’s Executive Assistant and advise them you would like to invite the CEO to a quarterly breakfast where they can meet the team and also answer questions they might have. Once you get approval from the EA, book the next quarter’s date and find a suitable venue. Each person pays for their own breakfast so it doesn’t cost the company any money. Make arrangements with a café close to the office or in-house catering if you have it, and start at 7.30 and finish by 8.45. This allows people to meet, ask the CEO questions and get involved in discussions.
Seek or start a mentor program. Identify people you would like to learn from within the organization and approach them about being mentored for 6 months. If your organization already has a mentoring program, sign up and get involved.
Get involved in a charity. Select a deserving charity and organize events within the company to raise money for them. Your company may already have a chosen charity, if so; invite someone from the organization to update your colleagues on suggestions of how you can help. This can be a fun way to help others and also help you get to know those you work with.
Hold a ‘brown bag’ seminar at lunchtime. Invite everyone to bring their own lunch; you can invite a speaker to provide information to the team. The topics might be relevant to them for outside life i.e. health, fitness, family or some way to add value to the people you work with. The topics can come from your colleagues – ask them for suggestions. You can hold these on a monthly basis and allow time within the agenda to meet at least two other people from other departments. Advertise it on the notice boards, email and in the bathrooms (you would be surprised how many people read information in the bathrooms).
Organize cross-function team events. Get to know other women within the business by hosting a morning tea and asking the other women to explain what they do within the business and the challenges they face, and then you do the same. This is a great way to find about others and also share what you are working on.
Start a book club. Find a few women who are interested in similar books to you, set yourself a book to read every two months. If it is a local author, invite them to join you at one of your meetings to explain more about the book and why it was written. Most authors love to meet their readers. When you get together, chat about what you learned from the book, what your opinions are on the writing style and what you liked most about the book.
Get in a project team. Seek opportunities to work on projects within your team and with other departments. Ensure you have your manager’s permission to be involved. This is a great way to network and learn from others.
Write for the company newsletter. Offer to provide articles or updates for the internal newsletter. This is a great way to work with the marketing team (who are often volunteers looking for content for the newsletter).
Provide your business card to co-workers. When you meet someone from another department always offer your card. This will give them your contact information if they want to contact you again.
Make the most of getting to know those you work with, take time to learn what they do and how you can work together to achieve your goals.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Be Productive: Get Your Home Ready for the Holidays Using Your Network
The excitement of the holidays is now upon us and it is during this time we often feel like we have more on our ‘to do’ list than there are hours in the day! A common area of stress for many people is getting our homes ready for the holidays. Working in partnership with a fantastic service, like Harmony Clean can help save you time, help you relax and also give you peace of mind. It is time to leverage all the people in your network who can help you achieve everything
Harmony Clean www.harmonyclean.com is about healthy home cleaning, naturally. They provide a complete, customized maid service (as regularly as needed) with caring, trained staff that are bonded and insured. Recently I interviewed Vicki Brown, one of the founders of this unique company and asked her how we could get our homes ready for the holidays. Here are several strategies we decided would help get your home ready this holiday season.
Make a holiday ‘to do’ list – include on your list the activities you want to complete at home, the activities you want to outsource and your shopping ‘to do’ list.
Book a special one time clean – if you know you have company coming, a party or a gathering of people; consider hiring the experts to clean your home from top to bottom. This will also make it easier for you to maintain during the holiday period.
Pay attention to bathrooms – these areas of your home will get significant traffic during this busy time, keep these areas clean by placing cleaning products in each room so that you can quickly wipe the counter tops, clean the shower doors and wipe down other areas. I like Shaklee products (recently endorsed on the Oprah show) that are environmentally and people friendly - http://www.shaklee.net/formhealthyhabits/
Change bed linens – it is great at night to snuggle up into flannel sheet sets. Allocate time to change over all the linens in each room. Do it all on the same day as it makes it easier to remember when they all need to be changed again.
Attend to your guest room – allocate 60 minutes to clean, tidy, dust and clean out closet space in your guest room. This is a great time of year for unexpected visitors so make sure your guest room is ready for anyone that might drop in for a visit or stay over after a meal.
Dust your baseboards – this is a great time of year to pay attention to all the areas in your home you don’t normally clean. Vacuum these areas or wipe them free of all dust, this will also help your heating system function better.
Clean lights and chandeliers – some our lights might be covered in dust and cobwebs so ask the cleaning service to spend time on these fixtures. It is worth allocating someone else to do this time consuming task.
Wipe down kitchen cabinetry – ask your cleaning service to attend to this area. If you are cleaning your own home, spend time wiping down each cabinet and pay attention to the base boards.
Allocate time to decorate – make an appointment with yourself (and recruit your family to help if you can) to sort and hang your holiday decorations. This can be a fun way to spend time with those you care about. If you don’t have any family living close by, recruit a few friends to help you, put on a few drinks and turn it into a holiday catch up.
Make an appointment with yourself to shop online – instead of spending time in stores, determine how many gifts and items you can buy online (from the comfort of your own home). You might also end up spending less money as you won’t be distracted by the other items in store.
Outsource your linens – take your table cloths, matching serviettes and any other linens you might need for your holidays, to your local dry cleaner and ask them to press them, this will save you time. You may even consider giving them to a local ironing service instead.
Polish your silver – if you have special dishes, utensils or items that you don’t use year round but want to use during the holidays, make time to sit down and polish or clean these items. You could also make this a fun activity and ask your family or friends to help you while you talk about fun memories of years past.
Research your recipe books – pull out all the relevant recipe books that you want to use and mark the recipes you will be making. Sit down in one place, in one sitting and make a list of every ingredient you are going to need for your special meal. This will prevent multiple trips to the store (or multiple orders online).
Purchase fresh flowers – these add a special touch to your home during this busy time; they create beauty and will be appreciated by those around you. You can have special holiday arrangements delivered by many companies, I like www.1800flowers.com
Find your serving platters – search your pantry, your cupboards and your basement for all those large platters you like to use during the holidays. It may take time to find them, clean them and then decide which food will be displayed on which platter. I always place them all on the counter top the day of the event so I know which platters are going to be used.
Use party hire – a senior executive I spoke to recently says she simply phones the party hire store and tells them how many people she has coming for a meal and they deliver the cutlery, crockery, linens, candles and extra seats and tables she requires. She rinses off the crockery and they come and pick it all up – no cleaning, no fuss. Can you reach out to your local party hire store and see if they provide this service?
Get your groceries delivered – order your groceries online from your favourite supermarket and have them delivered to your home. For a small tip to the delivery person, you will save so much time and it also means you won’t have to carry them indoors during the cold weather.
Order your main ingredients – if you like to have a ham or turkey on the holiday table, now is the time to place your order for those items and any special order pies you might want. Search out your local farmers market or local produce store.
Use caterers – if you don’t enjoy cooking or you don’t have time, consider hiring someone to help you with the food preparation. Many stores have great pre-cooked meals now and many of them will do special catering, just ask your favourite food store.
Get help – during this busy season there are many services that can help you feel less stressed and give you more time. Consider online shopping services, personal chefs, and dry cleaners, cleaning services, flower delivery and local school children. You might be able to recruit local neighbourhood school children to help you with the many chores you need to get done. I offer to pay my neighbours to help me achieve my ‘to do’ list.
The holiday season is for enjoying with friends and family, it is not meant to be a stressful, busy time. This year decide you are going to stop trying to do it all and get help where ever you can.
Neen James is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com
Vicki Brown is one of the founders of Harmony Clean. Harmony Clean is committed to healthy home cleaning, naturally. Their full customised, complete maid service is available weekly, biweekly or monthly. They use top quality HEPA and multi-filtration vacuums and they are fully bonded and insured. Harmony Clean’s team are caring and well trained and they guarantee satisfaction 100% of the time. Find out more and book your next special clean at www.harmonyclean.com
Harmony Clean www.harmonyclean.com is about healthy home cleaning, naturally. They provide a complete, customized maid service (as regularly as needed) with caring, trained staff that are bonded and insured. Recently I interviewed Vicki Brown, one of the founders of this unique company and asked her how we could get our homes ready for the holidays. Here are several strategies we decided would help get your home ready this holiday season.
Make a holiday ‘to do’ list – include on your list the activities you want to complete at home, the activities you want to outsource and your shopping ‘to do’ list.
Book a special one time clean – if you know you have company coming, a party or a gathering of people; consider hiring the experts to clean your home from top to bottom. This will also make it easier for you to maintain during the holiday period.
Pay attention to bathrooms – these areas of your home will get significant traffic during this busy time, keep these areas clean by placing cleaning products in each room so that you can quickly wipe the counter tops, clean the shower doors and wipe down other areas. I like Shaklee products (recently endorsed on the Oprah show) that are environmentally and people friendly - http://www.shaklee.net/formhealthyhabits/
Change bed linens – it is great at night to snuggle up into flannel sheet sets. Allocate time to change over all the linens in each room. Do it all on the same day as it makes it easier to remember when they all need to be changed again.
Attend to your guest room – allocate 60 minutes to clean, tidy, dust and clean out closet space in your guest room. This is a great time of year for unexpected visitors so make sure your guest room is ready for anyone that might drop in for a visit or stay over after a meal.
Dust your baseboards – this is a great time of year to pay attention to all the areas in your home you don’t normally clean. Vacuum these areas or wipe them free of all dust, this will also help your heating system function better.
Clean lights and chandeliers – some our lights might be covered in dust and cobwebs so ask the cleaning service to spend time on these fixtures. It is worth allocating someone else to do this time consuming task.
Wipe down kitchen cabinetry – ask your cleaning service to attend to this area. If you are cleaning your own home, spend time wiping down each cabinet and pay attention to the base boards.
Allocate time to decorate – make an appointment with yourself (and recruit your family to help if you can) to sort and hang your holiday decorations. This can be a fun way to spend time with those you care about. If you don’t have any family living close by, recruit a few friends to help you, put on a few drinks and turn it into a holiday catch up.
Make an appointment with yourself to shop online – instead of spending time in stores, determine how many gifts and items you can buy online (from the comfort of your own home). You might also end up spending less money as you won’t be distracted by the other items in store.
Outsource your linens – take your table cloths, matching serviettes and any other linens you might need for your holidays, to your local dry cleaner and ask them to press them, this will save you time. You may even consider giving them to a local ironing service instead.
Polish your silver – if you have special dishes, utensils or items that you don’t use year round but want to use during the holidays, make time to sit down and polish or clean these items. You could also make this a fun activity and ask your family or friends to help you while you talk about fun memories of years past.
Research your recipe books – pull out all the relevant recipe books that you want to use and mark the recipes you will be making. Sit down in one place, in one sitting and make a list of every ingredient you are going to need for your special meal. This will prevent multiple trips to the store (or multiple orders online).
Purchase fresh flowers – these add a special touch to your home during this busy time; they create beauty and will be appreciated by those around you. You can have special holiday arrangements delivered by many companies, I like www.1800flowers.com
Find your serving platters – search your pantry, your cupboards and your basement for all those large platters you like to use during the holidays. It may take time to find them, clean them and then decide which food will be displayed on which platter. I always place them all on the counter top the day of the event so I know which platters are going to be used.
Use party hire – a senior executive I spoke to recently says she simply phones the party hire store and tells them how many people she has coming for a meal and they deliver the cutlery, crockery, linens, candles and extra seats and tables she requires. She rinses off the crockery and they come and pick it all up – no cleaning, no fuss. Can you reach out to your local party hire store and see if they provide this service?
Get your groceries delivered – order your groceries online from your favourite supermarket and have them delivered to your home. For a small tip to the delivery person, you will save so much time and it also means you won’t have to carry them indoors during the cold weather.
Order your main ingredients – if you like to have a ham or turkey on the holiday table, now is the time to place your order for those items and any special order pies you might want. Search out your local farmers market or local produce store.
Use caterers – if you don’t enjoy cooking or you don’t have time, consider hiring someone to help you with the food preparation. Many stores have great pre-cooked meals now and many of them will do special catering, just ask your favourite food store.
Get help – during this busy season there are many services that can help you feel less stressed and give you more time. Consider online shopping services, personal chefs, and dry cleaners, cleaning services, flower delivery and local school children. You might be able to recruit local neighbourhood school children to help you with the many chores you need to get done. I offer to pay my neighbours to help me achieve my ‘to do’ list.
The holiday season is for enjoying with friends and family, it is not meant to be a stressful, busy time. This year decide you are going to stop trying to do it all and get help where ever you can.
Neen James is an International Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice (Aussie accent), sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more and subscribe to Neen’s free monthly ezine at http://neenjames.com
Vicki Brown is one of the founders of Harmony Clean. Harmony Clean is committed to healthy home cleaning, naturally. Their full customised, complete maid service is available weekly, biweekly or monthly. They use top quality HEPA and multi-filtration vacuums and they are fully bonded and insured. Harmony Clean’s team are caring and well trained and they guarantee satisfaction 100% of the time. Find out more and book your next special clean at www.harmonyclean.com
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