Winter is upon us, and with more people crammed indoors sharing recirculated air, germs and viruses are unavoidable. Here’s a list of habits you can adopt today to ward off illness in the future.

1. Get a massage:

Massages are truly valuable because they decrease your stress levels, which boosts your immune system. Try to fit in a rubdown at least once a month, and remember, your masseuse doesn’t have to be a professional.

2.Take a cold shower:

A brief cold shower can raise your energy levels and aid in circulation, in addition to giving your skin a healthy glow.

3. Use good habits:

Cough or sneeze into a tissue or the crook of your arm and wash your hands properly (at least 20 seconds of washing) and often (particularly before meals and after touching anything in a public place).

4. Eat raw garlic:

Garlic has lots of antioxidants, which means it’s excellent for your immunity. But cooking diminishes garlic’s power, so eating it raw is best but if you can’t stomach raw garlic try garlic capsules instead.

5. Stay positive:

Studies have shown that positive people produce more illness-fighting antibodies than people who have a negative outlook.

6. Eat lots of ginger:

Ginger is great for your digestive health, as it helps move food through the gastrointestinal tract. Try ginger in tea by adding a few slices to hot water, or add it to a stirfry.

7. Try a little prevention:

Drinking Vitamin C at the first sign of illness may actually prevent the onset of a cold, or at least shorten the duration of the symptoms. If you are up for it, eat a few chili poppers as chili is very high in Vitamin C.

8. Sanitize:

Frequently spray your hands with sanitizer and use antibacterial cleaner to wipe down your phone, mouse, desk etc in order to prevent the spread of germs.

9. Stay away:

If you are sick try to work from home until you have recovered in order to prevent infecting other employees and starting a cycle of absenteeism that is costly to your company.

10. Get a plant:

According to a University of Agriculture in Norway study, indoor plants an reduce fatigue, coughs, sore throats and other cold-related illnesses by more than 30 percent, partially by increasing humidity levels and decreasing dust.

Chances are, at some time in your life, you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution – and then broken it. This year, stop the cycle of resolving to make change, but then not following through. Here are 10 tips to help get you started.

1. Be realistic
The surest way to fall short of your goal is to make your goal unattainable.

2. Plan ahead
If you wait until the last minute, your resolve will be affected on your mindset that particular day.

3. Outline your plan
Decide how you will deal with the temptation to skip that exercise class or have one more cigarette. This could include calling on a friend for help, practicing positive thinking and self-talk.

4. Make a “pro” and “con” list
Develop this list over time, and ask others to contribute to it. Keep your list with you and refer to it when you need help keeping your resolve.

5. Talk about it
Don’t keep your resolution a secret. Tell friends and family members who will be there to support your resolve to change yourself for the better or improve your health. The best case scenario is to find yourself a buddy who shares your New Year’s resolution and motivate each other.

6. Reward yourself
Celebrate your success by treating yourself to something that you enjoy that does not contradict your resolution.

7. Track your progress
Keep track of each small success you make toward reaching your larger goal. Short-term goals are easier to keep, and small accomplishments will help keep you motivated.

8. Don’t beat yourself up
Obsessing over the occasional slip won’t help you achieve your goal. Do the best you can each day, and take each day one at a time.

9. Stick to it
Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity, such as exercising, to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of your personality. Your new healthful habits will become second-nature in no time.

10. Keep trying
If your resolution has totally run out of steam by mid-February, don’t despair. Start over again! There’s no reason you can’t make a “New Year’s resolution” any time of year.

General time management – or lack thereof – is central to the business day. Time can either prove to be your biggest ally or biggest foe.

Here are 9 fast tips that can help you make the most of your business hours.

1. Create a to-do list that goes one step further
Whether the night before or first thing in the morning, make a list of what you want to accomplish that day. But make the list useful by prioritizing it according to what has to be done and what can wait. Experts suggest using a letter system – A for things that are absolute musts, B for chores that are less so but still important and C for duties that, should things go as planned, would be nice to get out of the way.

2. Work through the ABCs
After laying out daily tasks, look after the A list first, then move on to B and so on. Doing so targets the most important items up front, and if the list is unfinished by end of day, you’ll have a reminder that it’s not always possible to follow through on a schedule. That can make for more realistic time planning and management later on.

3. Bundle your tasks
Depending on how you’ve prioritized your day, you can bundle certain chores together, such as earmarking an hour after lunch for making all your phone calls. That can help you avoid jumping from one task to another, and back again (sound familiar?).

4. Take advantage of technology
Find out which programs are available that can help you save time and automate more of the time consuming activities during your workday.

5. Play to your strengths
Are you a morning person? Then earmark that time for more creative duties, such as brochure writing or business plan work. By contrast, if you come back to the office glassy-eyed after even the lightest of lunches, set that time aside for stuffing envelopes and other less-cerebral tasks.

6. Carry work with you to take advantage of time gaps
If you’re out making sales calls, bring more than sales material with you. That way, if you have to wait 10 minutes before an appointment, you can punch out a quick thank-you note to a customer on your laptop, or even just update the status of all your current projects. It may sound like a nickel-and-dime tactic, but you’ll have one less task hanging over your head.

7. Don’t be shy about being a hermit
Unexpected phone calls and visitors can ruin even the best laid out schedules. So, if you need to set aside an hour or two for focused, concentrated work, let the answering machine screen your calls and ignore unscheduled interruptions. You can always catch up with them later.

8. Include relaxation or activity break
Unless you happen to have a large red “S” emblazoned on your chest, it’s not likely that you’re going to function on all cylinders from daybreak to dusk. Don’t overlook some down time as part of your overall time management strategy.

9. Make sure your time management actually works
After you’ve built up a plan, how do you know you’re hitting your time management goals? That, like so much to do with mapping out your workday in an efficient fashion, is really quite simple – if you come to the end of the day with time to relax and unwind; your time plan is doing its job. As Norman Scarborough points out: “That’s the best sign that you’re controlling your time and not the other way around.”

Do you find yourself waiting until the last minute to finish a critical document? Do you schedule and announce meetings just in the nick of time? Do you take work home on the weekends, every weekend?

If so, procrastination may be sneaking into your life, stealing valuable time and eroding your productivity.

Here are 4 tips to plan ahead and avoid procrastination.

1. Try to think of large, complicated or time-consuming project as a series of small, manageable parts. Smaller tasks are attractive because they are short, easy, and produce immediate gratification. Keep in mind that all projects, no matter how massive, are only a series of small items reassembled.

2. Make a voluntary commitment to someone else. Allowing others to become involved in your efforts by reviewing your progress, helping you set deadlines or evaluating your results can be very helpful. Your concerns, fears and anxieties become secondary to fulfilling the expectations of the people you respect and trust.

3. Reward yourself for good behavior. Punishing yourself for goofing off is not nearly as effective. Reward yourself at milestones in the process, not just at the completion. Rewards can be as simple as reading for pleasure, relaxing, visiting friends, or going to dinner – as long as they are things you like to do. If you regularly work overtime, go home on time, or take a lunch break instead of eating in a rush at your desk.

4. When you find yourself blocked, ask yourself: “Is there anything, no matter how small, that I am willing to do?” When you find that small thing, you are no longer procrastinating.

1. Use the Internet
The Web is an invaluable research tool, especially for job seekers and entrepreneurs. Visit any popular web directory to find out more about the fantastic resources available; from expert business advice to new contacts, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for.

2. Assess your attributes
Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Then ask people who know you well — and who will be honest — to modify it. Finally, think about how you can use each attribute for your benefit. For example, if you are always restless, consider finding a job that includes travel.

3. Overcome your fears
To reach your potential, it’s critical that you conquer any fears you might have. Start by forcing yourself to tackle something unrelated to work, something that you’ve never dared to do. After accomplishing this challenge, your old phobia will seem silly, and you’ll have more self-confidence. Use this to face your fears at the office, such as public speaking, one by one.

4. Declutter your life
Getting organized will let you free up your mind and gain clarity. In addition to clearing out your desk and files, clean your computer desktop by trashing old emails and documents. To eliminate paper pileup, use an electric organizer. Also organize personal things, like your wallet, bag and clothing closet.

5. Be true to your values
Ask yourself: How do I want to live my life? Then think about whether your company allows you to do this. If it doesn’t, consider a job change.

6. Don’t trust blindly
Not everyone you work with is necessarily on your side. Be careful whom you rely upon and whom you confide in.

7. Protect your sanity
Being stress-free is key for warding off burnout. Try doing at least one physical activity a day. Also, create a quiet space in your home where you can relax; go there for at least five minutes each day.

No matter what your job or where you work, at some point your motivation will flag. Lack of motivation may be caused by anything from a slower-than-average work week to serious job burnout.

The key is to get to the source of your feelings and take immediate steps to boost your motivation.
Following are some suggestions:

1. Expand your skill set
With ongoing learning you will nurture your talents, remain intellectually challenged in your job and improve your compensation in the long term.

2. Seek new challenges
Volunteer to take on a demanding task at work, even it falls outside your job description. If you feel you have reached a plateau, consider pursuing a lateral job move or transferring to another department.

3. Take a break
When was your last real vacation? Make sure to schedule time off to recharge after an especially intense period of peak activity.

4. Make a subtle change
If the job has become routine, look for ways to break up the monotony. For example, you can rearrange your workload so tasks you once handled in the morning are now completed in the afternoon. Overhaul your filing system, and try out new time-management software or look for more efficient ways to work.

5. Get moving
Exercise delivers mental and emotional as well as physical benefits. A brisk daily walk during your lunch hour will boost your energy level and allow you to organize your thoughts more clearly.

6. Strive for your personal best
Try to excel at whatever you’re doing. Being confident in your abilities will increase your motivation as well as raise your employer’s and coworkers’ confidence in your abilities.

7. Seek feedback
Avoid being overly critical of your performance. If you’ve made your best effort, take pride in it. Likewise, if there are ways you feel you could improve, seek constructive criticism from supervisors. Then take steps to improve your performance.

Take a breather, and check out Thornton’s suggestions for thinking better and stirring up our creative juices:

1. Time it right.
Figure out your own best “thinking time” and reserve it for your most challenging brain work.

2. Listen to Confucius.
The number one “memory aid” used by memory researchers themselves: Write it down.

3. Anchor new memories to established ones.
Think of your existing memory as a scaffold upon which to fit new information. Don’t isolate new information, always relate it to something.

4. Pay attention.
Do you sometimes find yourself “forgetting” a person’s name seconds after meeting her? The problem isn’t memory; it’s concentration. We must consciously remind ourselves to put information into our memory banks.

5. Practice, practice, practice.
Learning and repeatedly practicing new skills appears to change the brain’s internal organisation.

6. Give your ideas a chance.
Many of us are rewarded for our abilities to quickly evaluate facts and make a quick “go or no-go” decision. Creativity demands a much more leisurely approach — a willingness to give “absurd” ideas their due.

7. Expose yourself to multiple experiences.
Creativity often boils down to the ability to adapt solutions from one domain to another. Velcro for instance, was inspired by burrs that stick to your clothing!

8. Exercise the body to improve the mind.
Researchers believe exercise can increase everything from work performance to nerve conduction velocity.

9. End distractions.
If you’re bombarded with irrelevant stimuli, it’s hard to focus. When you absolutely must do something (complete a report, for instance), try closing your door or working somewhere you can unplug the phone and concentrate.

10. Try something new.
A study found that the chief difference between creative people who burn out and those who continue to create, was that the latter were constantly exposing themselves to new knowledge, and in the process giving themselves a fresh start.

And don’t forget to follow your passion! Passion and commitment are the keys to creativity and success.

Each day we start off with the best intentions. But by the end of the day, we discover we’ve only accomplished a fraction of what we wanted. So we are forced to come in early, stay late and work weekends. Yes, we’re busy, but hardly productive.

Here are 5 time saving tips that will help you become more productive:

1. Schedule an appointment with yourself. Give yourself uninterrupted blocks of time – 30, 60, or 90 minutes – during the day. This enables you to concentrate and focus your attention on the task at hand. Close your door, turn off your phone, and give yourself time to think and concentrate as you tackle your tasks and projects.

2. Make the most of your prime time. There’s a time of day when we have lots of energy and enthusiasm, and our ability to think and concentrate is high. Figure out when you’re most effective, and tackle your most important work then. Try to schedule meetings, appointments and other activities at other times during the day.

3. Avoid impromptu meetings.They’re really just interruptions and are huge time wasters and productivity destroyers.They break your concentration, disturb your train of thought and take away your momentum. The next time a person comes into your office and starts to make herself comfortable, say that you’re in the middle of a very important project. Then ask if you can get together at a mutually convenient time later in the day.

4. Schedule your telephone calls.Every time the telephone rings it’s an interruption. It’s okay to let a caller leave a message on your voice mail system. If you do pick up the phone, explain to the caller that you can’t talk at that very moment, and ask to schedule a call later in the day.

5. Schedule a time to meet with your staff, colleagues and co-workers. In most offices, time is wasted by people getting up from their desks to ask someone else a question. This interrupts the other person’s day.

Here are some ideas that will help solve this problem:
- Schedule specific times to meet with people.
- Have sales and staff meetings later in the week, avoid draining people of energy and enthusiasm early in the week.
- Assign tomorrow’s work this afternoon. This gives people time to organise tomorrow’s workflow.

Computers provide physios with an alarming amount of work. Minimise your visits with a few basic rules to make your desk posture-friendly.

1. See eye to eye with your screen
The height of your computer is crucial. To avoid craning your neck, adjust your screen so the top is at eye level. Working on a laptop is particularly bad for your posture, it is recommended that you raise your laptop on phone books and use a high-density foam cushion as an armrest.

2. Don’t twist your head
Turning your head to look at your screen is bad news for your neck. If you’re absolutely unable to position your monitor directly in front of you, make sure you have a chair on wheels so that you can turn to face it.

3. Check your angles
Ideally your thighs should be at 90 degrees to your hips in the sitting position, your feet flat on the floor, and your legs bent at a right angle.

4. Take a break
Every 20 minutes, break your seated posture by turning your head and rolling your shoulders, or going for a 30-second walk.

5. Clear away your clutter
Remove any objects from under your desk as they restrict leg movement and prevent you from moving in close to your desk. Clear the desk top as much as possible so you’re not working in a confined space.

Don’t you sometimes wish people would get to the point?

Instead we find ourselves listening to someone tell us the same thing six different ways, or giving us more detail than we need or want. This is a problem all of us have to face at some time, for we have all been on the giving and receiving end of this same problem.

How do you know if you need to self-edit? And how do you self-edit?

1. Don’t get bogged down in irrelevant details. “I went there on Thursday, or was it Wednesday, no it had to be Thursday …” Who cares what day it was? Get on with it.

2. Don’t repeat comments unless the listener didn’t hear you or indicates she didn’t understand. Say it once and go on.

3. Decide if the idea is new to the discussion. If not, don’t say it. People don’t want to hear the same ideas rehashed.

4. Eliminate extra words. Say your comment using the fewest words that can express the thought well. In writing courses, we are taught to edit our words. We can apply the same concepts to our verbal communication.

5. Say what you need to say in a pace that is easy to hear. Avoid going so slow that your listener fills in your last words since they’ve figured out what you were going to say.

6. Eliminate “uh,” “ya know,” “um,” and “like” as non-word space holders. Pause without filling in the void with a non-word.

7. Don’t discuss information that is not relevant to the majority of the group. Defer specialised conversations until later.

8. Ask questions in a group discussion that are relevant to more than yourself. If you have a question specific to yourself, ask it one-on-one later.

1. Show enthusiasm for your tasks
An employee with a good attitude will always stand out and get ahead.

2. Speak up at meetings
Prepare in advance what you’re going to say and say it.

3. Be a team player
You’ll eventually get noticed for your individual contributions to the team as well.

4. Beat your deadlines
This will give your boss an opportunity to offer any last minute suggestions on your project. Beating the deadline shows that you’ve mastered your current responsibilities and are ready for the next challenge.

5. Don’t stop learning
Widen your skills base by enrolling for short courses and diplomas.

6. Seek out challenges
Ask to lead projects. Your boss can only say no, but, then again, he/she may say yes.

1. Do Your Research
Information is the most powerful weapon when you’re negotiating. When you’ve done your homework, you can anticipate obstacles. This way, you can prepare for and counter them before they become obstacles.

2. Know exactly what you want
If you can’t articulate your goals to yourself, you won’t be able to tell another person what they are. Be specific, and be determined – if you don’t sound convinced, your boss won’t be either.

3. See both sides
In successful negotiations, each side offers something the other wants. Think about what you have to bargain with, and the outcome that can make you both happy.

4. Know when to concede
If you have been arguing the same point for 20 minutes and you’ve got nowhere, its time you go back to your desk and plan a different approach for next time. Having your boss loose patients with you isn’t going to get you promoted. Try working harder and putting your points more succinctly; next time you’ll do better.

5. Learn how to ‘Crunch’
Crunching is the technical term for asking for more than you’ve been offered. For example, if your boss wants to give you a R500 raise, your crunch response would be to say you’re worth R1000 more. Experts advise you always to crunch your first offer – once you state a figure you set a ceiling for yourself. Within reason, aim too high and you’ll probably get what you want.

1. Check your mail twice a day.
Checking your email frequently is one of the big time-wasters of the modern office. Avoid it if you can! Set aside two periods when you know it will be quiet – once at 8:30 in the morning and again at 6 pm, for example – and check your mail then. If you find yourself working on something during the day that you must send to someone, use a send-only program that will allow you to send any text file and avoid the temptation of reading any incoming mail.

2. Use separate accounts for personal and business mail.
Keep the personal mail out of the office (and the business mail out of your home). Also; if you’re subscribing to any Internet mailing lists, have them sent to the personal account and check them at your leisure.

3. Filter the spam
With all of the junk email circulating today, it’s vital to use an email program that can filter it, dumping it in the trash before you even get to it. But don’t just use filters to sort out junk mail – filter business mail as well. If, for example, you’re on company mailing lists that update you about the latest investment, news, birthdays and promotions, filter them into separate folders and read them when you are ready.

4. Organise your messages and addresses.
Use the address book features built into your email program, rather than manually typing addresses. It’s not only more convenient; it’s more accurate; you don’t want a typo to lead to a missed message. Organise your messages into folders, and file messages as soon as you’re done reading them – or as soon as you’ve acted on them if a message requires action. That way your Inbox will only contain messages that haven’t been read or that require further action.

5. Keep it simple.
A short email message is a good email message. Keep messages – especially replies – short. If a simple “yes” or “no” will do, that’s all you need to say.