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I’ve been a little naughty at the beginning of this year, because I haven’t been publishing all of the content I’ve written, and in turn, it looks like I’ve had an additional week or so off – which isn’t true! I have felt the initial post-Christmas blues, where I didn’t want to do very much, I didn’t feel overly happy about the work I produced and I had plenty of other things to keep me occupied. This article discusses what you can do to keep your motivation, self-esteem and achievements up!January blues

As I’m sure many of you have experienced, with all the hype in the run up to Christmas, the excessive eating, drinking and socialising can often lead to you not knowing what to do with yourself when it all stops!

It is particularly hard to feel motivated when it’s very cold outside, everyone’s feeling the money pinch, and going back to work could not be more of a shock to the system. If you’re self employed, you could find that starting the year reminds you of starting business all over again; making your lists, getting back into your routine, planning your To Donext move…!

Many business people may have worked through the Christmas break, but with demand often dwindling at the beginning of January, it can feel like a bleak time. Remember that your customers have similar experiences, and you can use these facts to personalise your customer communications; they too are thinking about the summer and next event to prepare for.

Helpful tips for The January Blues include:

Eating Your Breakfast: Attempts to reverse festive weight gain often involve meal-skipping; however, low blood sugar effect your energy and mood. Dietician Lyndel Costain recommends porridge – low-fat, filling and warm – which provides mood-friendly B vitamins, iron and zinc, and keeps blood glucose levels steady.

Exercise: Studies show that exercise is an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression, as well as that Christmas bulge! But you already knew that, you just need to find the motivation to do it – whether it’s a friend or a new exercise video, every little bit counts.

Your Sleep: Weekend post-Christmas “catch-ups” will make you even more lethargic and discombobulated. As you Too much sleep!may expect, experts advise a regular pattern of 7 to 8 hrs per night to function well; and to kick your body clock back into place, it’s recommended that you wake up at the same time every day, whatever time you go to bed!!

These tips are of course like old news to some, but you will only really benefit from the tips if you put it them into action. If you’ve got goals for 2010, go and make them happen, because nothing happens on its own – it’s like waiting for that money tree to grow!

Find out what you really want to achieve this year and keep that goal in mind every time you hit a ‘wall,’ and your goals may be reached sooner than you think.

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous 2010!

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As a business, there will be a number of resources that are absolutely Maintenanceessential for you to operate, which could include:

  • Tools/machinery
  • Phone lines
  • Computers
  • Internet connection
  • Printers
  • Fax machines

And I write this article shortly after my partners laser jet printer started producing large black runner marks all over the printouts! And you’ll never believe when it started… well, at least I couldn’t!

It started when they were printing the envelopes for the Christmas cards. The only word that sprung to mind was, ‘TYPICAL!’ This printing had been left until the last minute and now the printer’s playing up. Just another thing to add to the to-do list before the week’s out…

From what I found out on the net, the toner is probably the problem – so it could be worse. For example, my partner, Paul, is in the Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning business, and he has to have a variety of machinery to be able to do his job, amounting to thousands of pounds – but what do we do if something happens to that? Well, we’ve had more than a couple of close calls, and at least one occassion when it went right past close and we’ve had to cancel work! Which leads me to my point…

Like most items we purchase, equipment lasts longer when it’s well maintained. Whether it’s a company vehicle, your printer or your machinery – they all will have a life expectancy, and it’s up to you to maintain your resources to ensure they last you as long as you expect them to!

As modern businesses, most of us will have a computer, internet access and electronic customer databases, and with increasing dependence on technology, you must ensure you also do whatever you need to do to ensure that your internet is secure and your data is backed up, because if you don’t, you will risk all of this detail being lost, and that may be irrecoverable!

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