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September 2008 Blog Archive
26 September 2008 It’s Never as Bad as You Think
This time last week I was sipping (okay swigging) a cocktail on a beach somewhere exotic. Now I am gazing out of my office window over a hazy, slightly chilly Manchester with the onset of dark evenings and cold weather only a matter of weeks away. This got me thinking…
Post-holiday blues must be the most un-talked about symptom of modern work. Any benefit of taking a holiday dissolves within minutes of switching on the laptop and being bombarded with the odd thousand emails. So, short of importing a tonne of sand to fortify your desk and purchasing a supermarket brand of Pina Colada what advice is out there on beating the back to work blues…?
With this in mind I came across some advice by Cary Cooper from the University of Manchester who shares a few simple tips to make the transition from beachwear to briefcase as painless as possible:
Stay in the holiday mood. Although you can’t get away with lie-ins or siestas, you shouldn't abandon the rhythm of your holiday altogether.
Even if you have a mountain of work awaiting your return, set a work "exit" time - say 5pm - and stick to it. Don't be tempted to stay late catching up.
If you've been enjoying an activity such as swimming during you holiday, try to work it into your week.
Prioritise your work. Only tackle the really important tasks during your first few days.
End the tyranny of your e-mail inbox. British workers are said to send and receive 190 e-mails a day. A two-week break could leave you wading through upwards of 1,000 electronic messages. Don’t feel pressured into responding to every item.
Plan more leave. Mr Cooper says more and more of us are neglecting to take our full holiday entitlement. With three busy months before Christmas, it could be worth taking some days off.
Don't feel guilty. It's bad enough missing your sun lounger and 800-page beach novel, don't make it worse by feeling guilty for leaving your colleagues in the "lurch" while you were gone.
One thing that was certain to cheer me up was the Labour Party Conference, which took place at Manchester Central this week. Whilst I cannot profess to being reassured by Gordon and Sarah’s ‘family moment’ on live TV, I was intrigued by the antics of one politician. Please don’t tell me we could be looking at the next leader of the Labour Party…?!
19 September 2008 A Christmas Gift to Suit all Ages…
I have been traveling the length and breadth of the country over the past week (well, Denton and London!) looking around prop warehouses for props for the NWDA Tourism Awards which we are delivering in October and if you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend going to have a look round one.
I was amazed at the shelves, from floor to ceiling, full of props, from 50’s fridge freezers, to Victorian fruit carts, to 80’s mobile phones. While I was there one couple were in looking for a cart (to be horse-drawn, Country and Western style) for their daughter’s wedding, while the Hollyoaks prop manger was in selecting a pick axe to hire (you heard it here first!). It made my “Market Square” props seem slightly less interesting but never-the-less a good afternoon out.
(You will remember from week 6 that my photographic skills are not too good!)
The newest edition of the Guinness Book of Records came out this week, which, although some say is now passé, I still maintain is a good read and I’m sure has helped many people in Woolworths at 4:45pm on Christmas Eve.
Interestingly when asked what world record he would like to break Paul answered “The most onion rings eaten in 1 hour”
We have been putting together ideas for entertainment for a NW based event and cant wait to work with a quartet called Litmus. They are all classically trained musicians from the North West who specialize in playing songs from the region – have a look at www.litmus.co.uk
Anyway better go, apparently a job has come up as Director of the BBC…
12 September 2008 Armageddon… or not?
We all breathed a big sigh of relief on Wednesday when Earth wasn’t swallowed into a black hole. According to scientists the £4.4 bn experiment, which took place 100 meters under Geneva, will not only give us answers to what happened in the “first few instances of time” but if it all goes wrong can always work as the worlds “most expensive piece of modern art”!
An interesting article this week asked if Gala dinners were a thing of the past and instead of the rewarding and enjoyable events they were meant to be, were actually an awkward chore for attendees. With Gala Dinners making up a considerable percentage of what we do, we put a lot of time and thought into making each one unique and ensuring that each guest gets the most out of the experience, so is there any merit to this view?
I am sure Abi was thinking of us all from her sun lounger in the Maldives this week as we all set off to different parts of the UK for a number of different events; with Chris and Vicky undertaking the first of a 12 week roadshow which covers 10 different locations around the UK (more can be found in our news pages) and me in Newcastle managing a large award ceremony and the next months look to be busier than ever…
5 September 2008 Manchester City is in the Money!
It looks like the credit crunch hasn't affected Man City in the week where the club has become one of the wealthiest clubs in England and possibly the world! For the die-hard fan to whom their team is the most important thing they will inherit from their father it seems to be further evidence that football is now far removed its original working class roots. Although the sudden riches are exciting, the traditional fan misses the family club that was once based in the heart of Manchester at Maine Rd...there was something endearing about the underachieving yet ever optimistic club & fans. It seems that this is no longer the club they signed up to, they want working class heroes like Bell, Summerbee & Goater. The premier league has truly become the play ground for the mega rich...a playground for those who can have everything they want. Manchester football rivalry will never be the same again.
On to much more pressing issues, the hot debate in the office has been the infamous "pork debate" (well no-one knew there was one until we wikipedied it!). Is Pork a white or red meat? Apparently this is a question which has caused much controversy world-wide. I won't tell you who thought what but I would like to win so your thoughts on this would be much appreciated..
Although I would never condone kidnapping or taking people hostage, anyone who has experienced the unreliability of an internet connection just when its needed most can understand Carole Sinclair's plight. After having spent hours on the phone to her provider Carole resorted to telling the one tech support man who did pay her a visit that he couldn't leave until her internet was restored. The man made a lucky escape when he said he needed to "get something from his van" and drove off - the fact that Carole fell for this proves kidnapping is not something she does a lot and I can relate to the fact that although its created an information and educational revolution, nothing can create hysteria like the loss of an internet connection.