How Do I Look?

We form our opinion of someone in the first few seconds of meeting them. One glance and based on how they look, what they're wearing, posture and other clues, we're working out their occupation, social background, education, status and any number of other views, opinions about who they are and what they do. It's called stereotyping and although it's not an exact science and while everyone is unique we'd probably guess quite a bit about the person and be right.

We're meeting people all the time from different professions - how often do they conform to the social norm. If you walked into a room full of strangers could you pick out the accountant, the bank manager, the web designer, the PR person? If the Bank Manager turned up in jeans, T-shirt and trainers - what would you think?

How much does appearance affect the way you relate to a person, their skills and abilities to do their job? If you were interviewing for a job - how much would appearance and personality influence your decision?

There's a whole industry built around branding and image, so how we look and present ourselves is important - particularly in the business environment where there seems to be even more of a requirement to conform. In some companies - they even have/had a dress code - dark suits, white shirts and tie. The introduction of business casual has made things more relaxed from the more formal business attire of suit and tie.

Do you dress to reflect your profession or who you are? Have you ever felt discriminated against or singled out because of your appearance?

If you're out for a meeting or sitting having a coffee in the next week - take a look at the people around you and see if you can work out who they are and what they do.

Blue Monday :)

Apparently today is Blue Monday - the most depressing day of the year. Credit bills have arrived after the Christmas spending spree, it’s cold and wet (especially wet if you’re in the UK), the nights are still dark, it’s months to go until your summer holiday, another week until you get paid and all those New Year Resolutions are slipping away.

Blimey – no wonder people are depressed. However, looking at it another way – there’s a whole new year ahead of us, the nights are getting longer and it’s definitely lighter in the evenings. You’ve got through Christmas – which was probably not all peace and tranquillity and if you’re anything like the majority of people I’ve spoken to recently, you were lucky if you avoided the flu.

Why wait until the summer for a holiday? It doesn’t take much to arrange a weekend away and why not plan several holiday’s this year instead of saving up all your holiday for one summer holiday. Make the most of the daylight and get out into the fresh air – nothing like a little wind and rain to blow the cobwebs away on a brisk walk – even if it’s down to the shops in your lunch break.

If you do happen to be feeling down – write down at least three things to be grateful for. As a minimum, you’ve got a roof over your head, food in the fridge and money in the bank – even if you have maxed out your credit cards.

Focus on what you’ve got, not what you haven’t and make the most of the simple things in life.

Start As You Mean To Go On

While we’re all setting resolutions (or not), the beginning of the year is a good time to start as you mean to go on. If you’re intending to take regular breaks throughout the year – then look at your calendar and book the time out now. If you want to keep your office tidy – decide to spend the last few minutes of the day putting things away. If you want to keep your accounts up-to-date – book out time in your diary once a week or once a month to get them done.

If you want to finish work on time or not work such long hours this year – set a finish time and stick with it. Don’t plan meetings or take on additional work late in the afternoon when you know it will make you late.

If you want to start saving or clear your debt this year, take the money straight out of your bank account at the beginning of each month. Although it might be tough for the first couple of months, once you get used to it, you won't even notice it.

If you want to get fit or improve your health – book time out in your week for regular exercise and put it at the top of priority list.

While an initial burst of enthusiasm might dwindle after a few weeks, check your progress at the end of each month to see how you’re doing. Focusing on what you want and checking your progress at regular intervals means you’re more like to stick with it.

Sickness And Your Business

Happy New Year to you all.

I hope you've had a good start to the year. Mine could have been better, I’ve finally succumbed to the cold/flu bug that’s been doing the rounds. Both parents had flu over Christmas, which I managed to avoid. Most of my friends seemed to have also had flu or at the very least a bad cold which has put a damper on their Christmas but after thinking I was OK, it hit me this weekend. One of the disadvantages of working for yourself is that it's not so easy to take time off 'sick' when you're not getting sick pay. There’s the temptation to keep working regardless. This of course doesn’t help things as it will take longer to get better, you’ll get more stressed out and you’ll probably make more mistakes if you're under par.

If you’re not feeling 100% - acknowledge this. Be gentle on yourself. Set yourself small goals and only aim to tackle one or two things at a time. If you can take time out then give yourself a complete break. What is so important that it can’t wait a few days? Cancel any appointments and clear your diary. People will understand, after all, we all get sick at some point. If you do feel the need to work - stick to the important things, don't work a full day and stop when you've had enough. See even my sense of duty can't stop me from getting this post out as usual but I'm now going to crawl back under the covers with a hot drink and some soup.

Stay well in 2008 and make sure you look after your health as a priority.