More and more people are finding holidays stressful. A recent survey by American Express revealed 40% of British holidaymakers find travel stress unbearable, with the same number claiming a visit to the dentist is less stressful than having a break. The Germans have coined a word for our inability to relax: Freizeitstresse, or “free time stress”.

Aren’t holidays meant to be a time out to recharge, refresh and rejuvenate? Stick to the following tips to ensure your upcoming break is more fun than a trip to the dentist.

1. Plan your break. So many people plan their working days to the last second but fail to give any thought to their time off. Pack early, ensure a good night╒s sleep before you leave and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed, not zapped.

2. Leave work in the office. Don‘t take reports or proposals to finish by the beach. Be disciplined and leave work in the office. Turn off technology and take time out.

3. Prune your schedule. Adrenaline junkies are notorious for getting back from holidays feeling tired and fatigued. Don‘t spend every waking moment scheduling activities, leave some margin to just chill and have time out. Try going slow for a while, you might just like it.

4. Learn to relax. Set up boundaries that force you to relax and try doing something else a little bit new in this day and age turn off your mobile phone for a while and ditch the watch!

Sleep is as vital for the body as food and water, yet more than 60% of Australian adults are sleep deprived. Poor sleep impacts concentration and is detrimental to performance at work and has also been linked to increased risk of heart disease and obesity.

* Lost productivity due to sleep disorders costs Australia $2 billion a year, and America $35 billion (The Australasian Sleep Association)

* Fatigue was a contributing factor in 8% of accidents involving injury or death in NSW

* Over 1.2 million Australians experience sleep disorders

* New parents typically lose 450 to 700 hours of sleep in the first year

* The average person sleeps 1.5 hours less per night than we did 100 years ago

Causes of sleep deprivation include shift work, internet addiction and 24/7 digital connectivity, poor sleep hygiene, poor lifestyle choices and young children.

Tea with flowers after 3pm

Caffeine has a half-life of 5 to 6 hours and is a central nervous system stimulant so cut out caffeine from mid-afternoon.

Set Sleep Boundaries

Go to bed and get up at the same time each day. This will do wonders for re-setting your circadian rhythm (body clock).

Bed is for 2 things…

Use your bed for sleep and special cuddles. Avoid watching TV, using the laptop or processing work in your bed.

Recharge and Relax

Turn off the computer, mobile and TV one hour before you go to bed and consciously wind down before going to sleep.

In last weeks column I spoke about the top 5 goal setting flops. This week we have a proven strategy to help you not only set, but also achieve your personal goals.

1. Ask the right questions

* What do you really want and why do you want to achieve it?

* How much does this really mean to you?

* What are the benefits of achieving this goal?

* Who else does this affect/impact?

* Are you really prepared to do what it takes?

2. Involve significant others

Enlist the support any buy-in from your partner, significant others, family, friends, colleagues etc.

3. Get Anchored

Write your goals down on a sheet of paper, simplify them into point format and then put in a place you will regularly see them. E.g. your diary, in the office, in the car, the bathroom, etc.

4. Small bytes

Leading psychologist George Miller believes we can only deal with 7 bits of information at any one time. Keep goals down to a manageable number and group similar areas.

5. Set a plan

After writing your goals down, work out a specific plan. Identify the key steps you need to take towards accomplishing your goal and assign specific dates.

6. Project the future

Review your goals at least every 7 days. Don’t leave it for another 365 days. Think what it is going to be like once you have successfully achieved your goals. How are you going to feel?

7. Reward yourself

It is important to reward yourself along the way as you tick off your action plan. Give yourself a pat on the back for sticking to the process.

Human beings make mistakes so don’t beat yourself up if you lose focus. If you find yourself relapsing sit down and go through the goal setting process again starting at step 1.

By Andrew May

12pm the fireworks crackle, hiss and bang. We grab the ones we love (or at least the closet people nearby), plant then with a New Years kiss and crack open another cold beverage. But then it happens. That little voice starts chirping in the back of our brains, setting new goals for the coming year.

Fast forward a few months and behaviour normally hasn’t changed. The stats tell us that:

* 25% of all new years goals are broken in the first 2 weeks

* Only 20% of people write their goals down

* Most people set the same goals, year in year out

So why do most people set goals that they don’t achieve? The Top 5 goal setting flops include:

1. Goals set to impress others

2. Goals that were forced upon you

3. Trying to do too much, too soon

4. Self sabotage due to fear of failure or low self esteem

5. Poor understanding of the goal setting process

Goal setting is a positive, powerful practice that ignites enthusiasm and provides clear direction. Next week we discuss how to set achievable goals.

Now if you’re under the age of 10, Christmas is all about Santa, cool presents and endless playing during the holidays.

Yet for many adults modern-day Christmas is synonymous with holiday traffic, credit card debt, tension with family members and stuffing ourselves with food to the point where we explode.

But what is the true meaning of Christmas? For Christians of course it is steeped in tradition, remembering the birth of Jesus and celebrating the incarnation. While I am a Catholic (even though my mum wants me to go to church a whole lot more than I do), I believe Christmas is a lot more than just presents, or pigging out on food, or merely ticking the box by attending church.

In essence, it doesn’t matter whether you are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu or Muslim - the true meaning is Christmas provides us with an opportunity to celebrate hope and the spirit of mankind. Be nice to other people, be generous (you can do this without buying expensive presents) and give to those less fortunate than you. More than 10 years ago when living in Hobart I remember buying a homeless man a roast chicken and giving it to him for Christmas lunch. The smile on his face and the warmth of his handshake stays with me to this day.

Let’s try and forget about all of the commercialism and stress that is often associated with Christmas and be thankful for what we have in this world.

“Peace on earth, good will toward man”. Merry Christmas!

By Andrew May

The latest census statistics reveal families with two full-time working parents and two dependent children under the age of 24 feel believe they need more than $110,000 a year just to survive. And in order to survive and achieve their financial goals, parents are sacrificing quality family time, holidays and basic rest and relaxation. According to demographer Bernard Salt, the modern-day family is turning into a NETTEL - Not Enough Time To Enjoy Life.

This got me thinking, quite a lot…

Have we really become so caught up with having all of the latest gadgets, toys, applications and material goods?

Are we obsessed with trying to pretend to be something we’re not?

Are we trying to keep up appearances primarily for people that we don’t really like anyway?

Have we all totally lost the plot?

I’m spending more and more of my time each day talking at conferences, writing books and coaching people - trying to help people tame technology, manage time and discover that elusive thing called a ‘life’. We are so good at planning how to run successful businesses, yet so bad (most people) at actually planning how to have a successful life outside of work.

I’m convinced – Work Life Balance is a myth!

The term ‘work life balance’ is a myth. And I actually believe that the term ‘work life balance’ itself sets many people up for failure because they either feel like their lives aren’t balanced or don’t have an understanding what balance is for them. And remember the set of scales that was so often used to depict work life balance, with work balancing on one side and life balancing tenuously on the other. Using these scales to depict work life balance again sets people up for failure because they illustrate that if work is going really well, then life tips over, and if your life is going swimmingly then work must suffer as a result.

Here are 10 common myths around work that kill productivity, resulting in employees spending unnecessary amounts of time at work, leaving no time to have a life.

Myth 1 – Hours worked = productivity

Busted! This myth annoys me more than all of the rest. The notion that working an 11 or 12-hour day, every day, results in boosted output and efficiency, is totally archaic. Sure, there will be some days where you need to really put in extra big days to finish projects on time, but if you’re working excessive hours day in day out, something is wrong. Most people who think hours worked = productivity are stripped right back to reality when I do a time audit on their actually daily output. Eliminate 80% of the emails which are a complete waste of time, subtract the endless and pointless meetings that waste hours on end, then get rid of the dozens of daily distractions and you’re left with a few hours at the most of productive work.

Improved focus + less distractions = productivity.

Myth 2 – Compartmentalise your life into 8 – 8 -8

Busted! The old notion of 8 - 8 - 8 where the academics during the mid to late 80’s told us we were meant to spend 8 hours working, 8 hours sleeping and 8 hours on recreational and social activities is largely a thing of the past. Most people work a lot more than 8-hour days to pay for things like mortgages and just affording to live in some of our large cities. Try talking to anyone with young children about the 8-hour sleep thing and they’ll just laugh in your face. My 16-month old daughter Miki doesn’t understand that mummy and daddy need 8 hours of quality uninterrupted sleep each night. And who on earth has 8-hours a day to recreate and socialize? Where on earth do these people live?

Myth 3 – Follow the leader!

Busted! Now, this one sometimes gets me into trouble, but I’m sticking to it. So many companies espouse to have a high-performance culture (which by the way is one of the most overused phrases in the corporate vernacular, maybe we should add it to office bingo?) yet so many of the leaders in the organization exhibit a low-performance behaviour pattern. Just because someone’s card says ‘boss’ or ‘senior manager’ doesn’t necessarily mean they are a great role model on being productive or how to have a successful life outside of work. And if Mr or Ms Big is the type of ‘leader’ who is always late for meetings, and then when they finally do arrive, spend half of their time texting or taking phone calls form other people… Hmmm, where do I start explaining exactly what I think of this as far as ‘leadership’ goes?

Myth 4 – Be polite and respond to every request

Busted! Most people are fundamentally good people, and this is one of the big problems. You see, before technology literally invaded our lives we were all taught to return every phone call, write back to every person who wrote to us, and respond to every task that came across our desks. But with the explosion of technology, viral marketing, social networking sites, overloaded inboxes and information obesity – responding to every request or distraction is a good way to stuff up daily productivity and ensure your time, energy attention is totally controlled by other people. Why do so many people allow this to happen?

Myth 5 – Time management will set you free

Busted! I think the old school of time management is fundamentally flawed. I tried it myself for years and went to every time management program available and despite what actions I took I still had never ending to-do lists and unfinished tasks. A number of the workshops I attended taught me to fill an already full diary with more meetings, more appointments and even more scheduled tasks. Sound familiar? I believe the problem is most time management programs were designed before the internet and digital devices totally changed the way we work. Rather than focusing on trying to do everything, focus on what’s really important and manage your energy and attention throughout the day to maximize output.

Myth 6 – Technology will give us more leisure time

Busted! Technology was hailed as our saviour. All of the new inventions hitting the workforce including fax machines, electronic photocopiers, personal computers and wireless applications were purportedly going to ensure we got more work done and therefore had greater leisure time. The reality is the latest batch of digital devices including iphones, Blackberries and PDA’s keep us connected 24/7 and working longer hours than ever before. I was in Fiji for a conference 5 weeks ago and couldn’t believe the amount of people having a so called relaxing holiday in the Pacific, spending hours and hours by the pool watching their kids frolic in the pool while they were glued to the mobile phone. Are we really that important that we can’t switch off even for a few days? Aaaaargh!!!

Myth 7 – Great employees/managers are available 24/7

Busted! This is a great philosophy to wear you down completely. Many of us were taught the outdated mantra that to be a great manager, employee, sales rep, etc required you to be available for staff and potential clients 24/7. What a load of bollocks! This creates a lot of arguments especially when I say this to sales teams. But if your systems, succession plan and customer service levels are that poor that you have to be available for every potential phone call or walk-in – what hope have you got of building a sustainable business? Work in periods where you are available and then take yourself off the grid and remove all distractions when you need to stick your head down and be super productive. Providing clear expectations about when you are and aren’t available avoids confrontation around for 98% of the population. The other 2% are happy being unhappy (also called miserable bastards) so decide if you really want to waste time and energy on them.

Myth 8 – Constant change is bad

Busted! If you can’t handle and bounce back from constant change, probably a good idea to look at leaving the workforce altogether. The only constant in the current workforce is change. We are a truly global market place and change spreads faster than ever. Look at the recent Global Financial Crisis; a great example of what happens to companies that couldn’t change quickly enough when the financial markets started to turn south is that they no longer exist.

Myth 9 – Work is done at your desk

Busted! The way we work has changed forever and working patterns are also starting to change. I remember one of the board members of my previous company told me he was concerned that I wanted to work at home one day a week as he thought this was setting a bad example. The reason I wanted to work from home is I knew without the normal interruptions I accomplished 3 to 4 times more work. Just because you’re not at your desk doesn’t mean you’re not working, Work is no longer a place we go to in the morning and leave in the late afternoon, work is a mindset we dip in and out of around the clock. I wrote the majority of this article sitting on a plane flying back from Adelaide, not at my desk…

Myth 10 – Corporate success = happiness

Busted! Countless studies report that happiness and contentedness is about bringing to life our complete selves, not just our corporate façade. Of course happy and content people work derive much pride and pleasure out of their occupations, but they also build in time for relationships, outside interests and passions, time for learning new skills and time to look after themselves. From my own experience, I have worked with so many people who have reached the top of the corporate ladder and are very rich financially, but almost bankrupt in so many other areas of their lives. A better model for happiness is: Successful career + successful life = happiness.

Plan having a life – the 10% Rule

The key to achieving a better integration between work and life is to start planning what you do outside of work. I know this sounds so simple yet so many people make this oh so complex. If most people were to spend only 10% of the time and energy they spend planning their business life on planning their personal life – they would have a much greater chance of leading a rich and contented life. Take some time to write down the type of life you want to live – right through to where you live, where you go on holidays and what you do to relax and unwind.

Busting the myths and changing the rules around workplace productivity will ultimately ensure you achieve a lot more in less time. This will also provide you with the opportunity to spend more time with friends and family as well as engaging in the activities you love. Getting the mix right is really hard and requires constant calibration. But trust me, if you work at it I guarantee you can have a great career and an amazing life as well.

Andrew May is is considered Australia’s leading expert on performance and productivity and is the author of the bestselling book, Flip the Switch. Andrew speaks at conferences across the globe, mentors CEO’s and senior managers. He is published throughout national and international media, with regular segments on 2UE radio, Mix 106.5 Body and Soul and Channel Nine’s TODAY show.

I have a moderately high profile here in the little fish-bowl that is Melbourne, Australia. I’m definitely not famous but it’s fair to say that my name and the name of my business are both quite well known. Having a profile can be both an advantage and a handicap. As can having no profile. One day when I was in my late twenties – about three weeks ago – I had an interesting and memorable conversation with a friend of mine. At that point in time, my business had just started to take off and one of the by-products of that growth and success was an increasing profile. Anyway, one of my buddies was at my gym doing a workout and we were engaged in what seemed to be, a very unspectacular and typical conversation. Unspectacular and typical until he informed me that he had recently met “a bloke who hates you”. That is, me.

A Challenge for the People Pleaser

Being the ex-fat kid and chronic people pleaser that I was at that stage of my journey, my heart sank. Before I even knew who my critic was, I was wondering why he didn’t like me, what I had “done wrong” and how I could change his impression of me. I momentarily switched my attention back to my buddy and the conversation and enquired as to the identity of my detractor. When my friend told me who the Craig-hater was, I was dumb-founded because I had never even heard of him. ”Who”, I asked again. He told me his name once more. “What does he look like? Where does he work?” After a few minutes of my very best detective work, it became apparent that the bloke who hated me… had never even met me. Ever. Never had a conversation with me. Never even been in the same room. Wow. I was stunned and if I’m being completely honest and transparent, a little hurt. Like most people, I liked being liked. And I didn’t like being disliked, especially when I didn’t deserve the er… disliking.

There are Others?

Since that time I have been disliked by many people. And perhaps some of it was justified… me being innately flawed and all. Both, people I’ve met and people I’ve never been in the same room as have found reason to dislike me. And I’m okay with that. Very okay. I have long since realised that that’s how the world works. How people work. The practical reality of existing in a world full of people whose behaviours, feelings, opinions and words are largely influenced by ego, attitudes, fear, greed, insecurity and social-programming is that there will always be people who will find fault in you and me. No matter how “nice” we are. Or try to be. People will always find (or perhaps create) a reason (rationale, explanation, justification) for not liking you. And of course there will also be those amazing, incredible, positive people who will encourage, support and love you no matter what.

The Ninety Nine… and the One

A really interesting phenomenon about us often-insecure creatures becomes apparent when someone is liked by ninety nine people (for example) and disliked by one. Who is it that typically has the biggest impact on that person’s emotional state? Is it the one, or the ninety nine? You know the answer. Why? Because (1) on some level we have an unhealthy and unrealistic desire for universal approval and acceptance (that’s gonna wear you out) and (2) we have an uncanny knack of finding a needle of negativity in a haystack of hope - and then focusing all of our misplaced attention on that needle. We ignore the good while finding the bad. Dumb plan. And a poor investment of our emotions. Some of us consistently find new and exciting ways to complicate the simple, to misinterpret intentions and words, to over-react, to create problems out of thin air, to major on minors and to “catastrophize” the trivial and the incidental. The Drama Farmer; he sews seeds of insecurity, he waters his own self-doubt and he cultivates (creates, grows) his own problems. Avoid his produce at all costs.

Want Vs Need

Of all the human drivers, the desire to be wanted, loved and of course liked, is near the very top of the list. And while that desire is completely understandable – normal even – it can become problematic when the “want” becomes a desperate and unhealthy “need”. Not everyone will like you and that’s okay. For your own health, it needs to be okay. When it’s not, you have an issue. Get comfortable with the concept and your head will be a much healthier place to visit. Perhaps there are people who are universally liked and have zero detractors but I’ve never met one. And I won’t hold my breath.

Some suggestions

1. Don’t compromise yourself in order to be liked. You’ll be liked by others (perhaps) and loathed by yourself. Don’t work at being popular, work at being you. It’s a lot easier and requires a lot less energy and acting.

2. Identify your core values – the things that are most important to you – and live a life in alignment with those values. That way you are being your authentic self rather than trying to satisfy somebody else’s needs, expectations, values, demands and rules. When your decisions and behaviours are a reflection of your core life values, you will be living a life of synergy, harmony and contentment, the “need” to be liked will be a non-issue.

Craig Harper is a motivational speaker, qualified exercise scientist, author, radio presenter, television personality and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world. Visit Craig’s website motivational speaker for more life lessons.

By Matt O’Neill

High-protein diets are hot news, attracting millions of dieters and considerable controversy in the media. Will increasing the protein level in your diet lead to lasting fat loss, without compromising your health?

The major benefit of protein in a fat loss diet appears to relate to the enhancement of satiety, curbing of hunger and resulting reduction in energy consumption. but this aspect has only been recently promoted. To understand the protein story fully and be able to relate it to clients, it’s helpful to know the early chapters of this ongoing nutrition issue.

When Dr Robert Atkins published the “Dr Atkins diet revolution” in 1972, it became a best-seller, despite its radical formulation that defied medical authorities. His eating plan cut carbohydrate intake down to 20g per day in the initial phase and substantially elevated dietary protein.

Atkins’ major claim was that dramatically reducing carbohydrate puts your body into a state of ketosis, the biological starvation mode that causes rapid mobilisation of body fat stores for energy. The potential appetite-suppressing effects of protein didn’t appear to be recognised by Atkins, or at least they were not promoted well.

Atkins’ diet was met with immediate condemnation from health authorities, who correctly judged it to be deficient in the key vitamins, minerals and fibre that are provided by complex carbohydrate foods.

Perhaps the greatest concern though, was the high fat level in Atkins’ diet. In the early 1970s, health authorities had only really just started broadcasting warning messages about saturated fat and its strong link with high blood cholesterol levels and heart disease. The Atkins diet, seemingly full of bacon, eggs and steak was so counter to healthy eating that it never had a chance, nor should it have, of becoming a recommended dietary option for weight loss.

Over time, Atkins’ supporters abandoned him in favour of low-fat diets widely promoted and accepted for both enhancing weight loss and reducing coronary heart disease risk.

Enter the zone

Despite the focus on cutting dietary fat in the 1990s, carbohydrate continued to receive its share of negative press. When dr barry sears released “enter the zone” in 1995, it offered dieters a less severe carbohydrate restriction. The zone promoted a strict dietary ratio of 30% fat, 40% carbohydrate and 30% protein. Its success was short lived, not only because “zoners” found it difficult to adhere to the exact macronutrient ratio, but due to criticism of sears for a number of technical errors in his book relating to nutritional biochemistry. Without the support of academics and health authorities, the zone zoned out, like many diet fads. Similar to Atkins, the role of protein in reducing appetite took a back seat to a more complicated and confusing biochemical explanation for sears’ diet.

Return of Atkins

By the end of the 1990s low-fat diets had failed to deliver on their slimming promises, at least in the public’s eye. Obesity rates continued to escalate, giving Atkins the opportunity to make a comeback, by once again targeting carbohydrate as the culprit. In 2001, the “Dr Atkins’ new diet revolution” was unleashed on a new generation of slimmers.

The diet was subsequently reformulated to limit saturated fats and recommend monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Unlike three decades previous, there was now a larger and more readily available range of low-fat, high-protein foods, including lean meats, low-fat daily products and of course protein bars and shakes.

All these factors and increased awareness of Atkins, now driven by internet promotion and digital “word of mouse” attracted enough interest from nutritional scientists to put the diet to the test. Until then, there had been little quality research examining low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets for weight loss. Even so, the new Atkins’ diet was still too low in carbohydrate to be a healthy option.

The research reveals

In 2003, the first two new studies comparing low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets over six and twelve months were published in the new England journal of medicine. Both studies found that subjects lost considerably more weight at six months eating Atkins-type diets versus more conventional weight loss diets. However, the twelvemonth study found at the end that subjects lost almost identical amounts of weight.

Although trophied as proof Atkins worked, these studies had relatively few subjects and had a high drop-out rate which limited the findings. It was also unknown how much fat versus muscle subjects lost. A 2004 six-month study did however find significantly less lean muscle loss on an Atkins-type diet.
Since then, other studies have revealed similar outcomes: better initial weight loss at six months or less on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet , but little if any difference in weight loss over longer periods when compared to a diet of the same total energy, but with recommended levels of carbohydrate and protein.

Although mentioned, few of these studies directly addressed the role of protein in appetite suppression, particularly in the initial stages of a diet. Most researchers were quick to point out that it’s daily energy restriction and not specific proportions of macronutrients that is paramount for lasting weight loss.

Protein and appetite

The July 2005 issue of the American journal of clinical nutrition (ajcn) shined the spotlight on protein and appetite. Researchers at the university of Washington showed that an increase in protein from 15% to 30% of energy and a reduction in fat from 35% to 20%, at a constant carbohydrate intake, resulted in a spontaneous drop in average daily energy consumption of 441 calories.

A big mac has around 500 calories, so this figure is substantial. Subjects had higher ratings of satiety and lower ratings of hunger on the higher-protein diet.

This is not the first study to show reduced energy intake with a higher-protein diet, but it will be a strong stimulus for more research in this area. The Washington team could only speculate why protein produced greater satiety and that it may relate to complex hormonal systems involving leptin, which is produced by fat cells.

In the journal’s editorial, professor Arne Astrup from Denmark commented: “the problem nowadays is that many people are extremely sedentary, which makes it possible to over-eat even when dietary intakes are relatively small… this is why the current focus of science is to increase the satiating power of the diet, so that people feel full with fewer calories.”

High protein and health

Feeling full with fewer calories is a simple dietary proposition and one where protein may have always had its greatest use in fat loss diets. However, questions still remain about how to improve adherence to higher-protein diets, and more importantly, about the long-term health impact of such diets.

Most of the controversy over higher-protein diets surrounds the potentially negative impact on heart and bowel health. Current recommendations for red meat consumption are three to four serves a week and some diets recommend greater amounts. Questions also remain regarding the effects of raising protein on kidney function and bone status.

Matt O’Neill is a top Australian nutritionist and regular on Channel 7’s Sunrise program. You can subscribe to Matt’s free email newsletter, download useful tools or enrol in a course at his website at www.SmartShape.com.au

By Kate James

Mindfulnesss is really just another word for focus. When you focus your attention you can markedly improve your productivity as well as your memory, your ability to think creatively and most importantly, the way you feel.

The concept of being mindful has been around for thousands of years. US researchers have recently begun to measure the changes in the brains of Buddhist monks who have been practicing mindfulness for many years. Their findings were not surprising, being focused and calm has a significantly positive impact on the activity in the brain.

The good news is that you don’t need to be a Buddhist monk to reap the benefits. The simple act of focusing your attention on whatever task you are undertaking will change your experience and improve your productivity.

Use mindfulness in the workplace to create surprising results

Notice the difference when you phone a prospective client away from your computer or any other distractions. When your only focus is listening intently to what that person is saying, you╒re likely to make them feel that the conversation is important to you. Making a genuine connection with your clients helps you build trusted business relationships by being mindful in the way you interact with your customers will have a positive impact on your business.

When we‘re mindful and attentive, our memory improves

One of the key inhibitors of good memory is being distracted. Many people tell themselves that their memory is poor without considering what makes it so. Not paying attention is one of the key reasons we find it difficult to recall information.

Next time you meet someone new, listen mindfully when they say their name. Pay proper attention to the conversation and bring your mind back when you find it wandering. You‘ll be surprised at how much you remember about that person next time you meet them and how good your overall memory becomes!

Being mindful improves your ability to be creative

When you’re calmly focused on a single task, your brainpower is multiplied. Whilst it may seem more productive to multi-task, in fact it often reduces our efficiency. Sometimes just sitting quietly and allowing yourself to observe your thoughts as they arise helps you solve problems from a more intuitive place. Some of the best business decisions I‘ve made in business have been on meditation retreats!

Mindfulness improves your sense of enjoyment

Rather than resisting a task, when we indulge ourselves completely into the activity without judgment, we often find that there’s less to dislike about it.

Paul Wilson, author of The Quiet and long term meditation teacher uses mindfulness when he does the dishes. He pays attention to the feel of the bubbles in the sink and the movement of the water; he enjoys the smell of the detergent and takes his time to make the process an enjoyable one.

He admits it takes him twice as long to wash his dishes as it does anyone else but being able to find pleasure in life is more mundane tasks can only be beneficial to our wellbeing.

Key to mindfulness is paying attention to only one thing at a time. It might be the task that you are engaged in or something more sensory, such as listening to a piece of music, really tasting the food you are eating, looking at the beauty around you or enjoying a fragrance or touch.

How often, if ever, do you experience mindfulness?

‘Kate James is a work life balance coach, writer and speaker. She works with professional people who want to enhance their quality of life by making the right career and life choices. You can find Kate at www.totalbalance.com.au.’

By Dr. Adam Fraser

Being disengaged at work can shave years off your life, lead to an early heart attack and cause you to fight with your family!

New research out of the US is showing us that workers are becoming more disengaged during the economic challenges we are experiencing. One of the reasons for this disengagement is that many are feeling angry with their company for firing their friends or cutting benefits. Their reaction is to take power into their own hands and say I will get back at them by not working as hard and being disengaged at work.

Sounds logical, but are they hurting themselves more than the company?

There are 3 types of workers:

Engaged worker – has a strong connection to their job and the company. Constantly looking to improve their performance and move the organization forward. Are enthusiastic at work and boost the culture.

Not Engaged Employee - have “checked out”, do the job but don’t have any enthusiasm, energy or passion into their work. You could say they have quit but haven’t had the decency to resign.

Actively Disengaged – not just unhappy at work but they are “busy” sharing that unhappiness with other people in the work place. They undermine the company and engaged workers.

Currently in Australia only 18% of workers are engaged, a whopping 62% workers are not engaged and 20% are actively disengaged (Gallup). This costs our economy 32 billion dollars in lost productivity alone.

Focusing on the wrong thing!

If you look at all the literature around engagement it always talks about how the company suffers if employees are disengaged.

A company that has 4 engaged employees to every actively disengaged employee, grows 2.6 times faster than an organization with 1 engaged to one actively disengaged employee. In addition companies in the top quarter of engagement out earn companies in the bottom quarter by 18%.

You can’t argue with those numbers, it is obvious that a company needs to have engaged workers.

What about the individual?

Rather than only focus on the company lets look at the impact of disengagement on the individual.

Among actively disengaged employees, 54% of them said that work stress caused them to behave poorly with family or friends (aggression, verbal abuse), while only 17% of engaged employees reported that work stress had caused them to behave poorly.

An English study followed a group of healthy men over 10 years. What they found is men who were engaged at work were 30% less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease than employees who were disengaged at work. The findings remained consistent even when the researchers controlled for age, ethnicity, marital status, educational attainment, socio-economic position, cholesterol level, obesity, hypertension, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. What this means is that work attitude was the defining variable.

Engagement is also beneficial for your mental health. When you are engaged all you are thinking about is the present moment, you are paying attention to each detail and thinking can I do this better, faster more efficiently. Research by prominent psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, found that people with chronic depression and eating disorders feel a predominance of negative emotions and negative self-talk. However when given a task to do that they are engaged in, their emotions and thoughts are indistinguishable from those of people free of these conditions.

In addition they found that the worst thing for people with depression and eating disorders is for them not to be engaged as their mind becomes occupied by depressing thoughts and their consciousness becomes scattered.

This is true for all of us, disengaged people in the work place often say that they are bored and disinterested. Pause for a moment to think what happens when you put two children in the back of a car and go for a long drives. After 15 minutes what do you hear “she hit me”, “he’s on my side of the car”, “he teased me”. A disengaged worker is similar to these children in the back of the car. When not engaged their thoughts drift and they start looking for trouble. Office gossip, turf battles and in fighting is a fall out from a lack of engagement.

Can we start to choose to be more engaged in the work place?

For most people engagement is conditional, if my team are in a good mood I will be engaged, my boss didn’t thank me for doing a good job so I wont be engaged. Obviously having a supportive and fun work environment makes it easier to be engaged. However research shows us that highly engaged people don’t necessarily work in the best work places.

Start to think about what is your lack of engagement costing you?

“Dr Adam Fraser is one of Australia’s leading educators, researchers and thought leaders in the area of human performance! In this time he has worked with elite level athletes, the armed forces and business professionals of all levels. Check out his websites www.dradamfraser.com & www.theglucoseclub.com.au.”