What’s going on…

Have a look at the variety of events that might be of interest over the next couple of months. Whether they’re close at hand or somewhere exotic, remember we can get you tickets for any sporting, theatrical, music or film event here or abroad. Please contact us for more information.

April

• 3^rd Academy of Country Music Awards- US
• 7^{th  to} 9^th The Grand National –Aintree
• 9^th Melsrose Sevens.
• 4^{th  to} 10^thUS Masters Golf, Augusta
• 10^th Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang
• 17^th Chinese Grand Prix, Shanghai
• 23^rd Sandown Gold cup
• May
• 8^th Turkish Grand Prix, Istanbul
• 11^{th to} 18^th Roger Waters, The Wall, Live, The O2

• 11^{th to} 22^nd Cannes Film Festival- Cannes Premières and Parties including Vanity Fair and Degrisogono

• 14^th FA Cup Final Wembley Stadium
• 18^th UEFA Europa League Final, Aviva Stadium, London
• 19th to 22^nd Volvo World match play, Spain
• 21^{st to} 25^th Badminton Horse trials – Gloucestershire
• 22^nd – Heineken Cup Final, Cardiff
• 24^{th to} 28^th RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital, Chelsea
• 25^th The Rugby Players Awards, The Grosvenor House Hotel
• 26^{th to} 30^th England v Sri Lanka (1^st N Power Test) SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff
• 28^th May UEFA Champions League Wembley Stadium
• 28^th Premiership Rugby Final, Twickenham
• 26^{th to} 29^th Monaco Grand Prix, Monaco

• 27^{th to}31^st White Nights Festival, St Petersburg
• 27^th Kentucky Derby- Louisiana  USA

• 26^th-6^th June The Hay Festival, Wales

SOS- save on stamps

It’s that time of year again, the Royal Mail annual stamp price rises which will go into effect as of April 4, 2011.

What this means is the price of First and Second class stamps for standard items weighing up to 100g will rise by 5p to 46p and 4p to 36p respectively.

Fortunately UK stamp prices for standard letters weighing up to 100g will still be amongst the lowest in Europe. Unfortunately, the cost of a Large Letter stamp will rise by 9p to 75p for First Class items and 7p to 58p for Second Class mail.

There will also be an increase in prices for franked mail by 3p to 39p for standard First Class items and from 3p to 28p for Second Class Mail. This is the first increase in two years on franked mail following a price freeze last year.

Happily, Standard Parcel prices, up to 2kg in weight, are unchanged but prices above 2kg will increase by eight per cent, as well as an increase in Special Delivery services, with prices now starting from £5.45, an increase of 40p.

Stock up on stamps now and send as many letters and parcels as you can before the stamp price rises on April 4.

More information on the annual stamp price rises HERE

Treat your Mum

Mothering Sunday is just a few days away. Have you got your plans in place to spoil your Mum or the person you think of as Mum?

Here are some ideas from us.

Say it with Flowers. Did you know there was a language of flowers? Visit here and check what your bouquet might say.

Treat her to breakfast in bed or maybe a surprise picnic complete with special treats.

Pampering never goes amiss and a Spa Gift is always welcome.

A meal out is always a winner. Give us a call and we can recommend and book some lovely places.

Maybe your Mum is a daredevil on the quiet and has always wanted to try something different. There’s lost of choice here of activity days and treats.

You don’t have to spend a fortune. Buying a lovely card and spending a bit of time writing something personal about your feelings for her to tuck inside is priceless and will be treasured forever.

PS: Mothering Sunday is also sometimes known as Simnel Sunday because of the tradition of baking Simnel cakes so perhaps a spot of cookery would impress…

 

I’ll do it tomorrow

“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.” ~Victor Kiam

Anna Davis from Achieve Balance in Edinburgh asks us…

How much is procrastination costing you? In lost opportunities, in lost time, in lost business, financially… Will you do something about overcoming procrastination today, or leave it until tomorrow?

A quick technique to overcome procrastination (1 hour of productive time)

Most of us procrastinate. This is an extremely simple but incredibly effective technique for getting things done based on the principles that we are more effective when we have a deadline and tasks are always easier once we have started them.

1.    Take 2 subjects/projects/areas of work which are very different, including one which you have been resisting. We will call them project A and B

2.    Get a kitchen timer or stopwatch or use the timer on your mobile phone

3.    Use the following sequence to work on your projects:

·        Project A (5 minutes exactly)

·        Project B (5 minutes exactly)

·        Project A (10 minutes exactly)

·        Project B (10 minutes exactly)

·        Project A (15 minutes exactly)

·        Project B (15 minutes exactly)

Tips to make this method work:

·        Do not allow yourself to get distracted by anything else. If you do get distracted, just restart the timer from the time at the beginning of the distraction

·        Be strict about stopping when the time is up – it is easier to restart something which is incomplete than to start something new

·        Start the next project immediately without a gap

·        Make sure the projects are quite distinct from each other

·        Give yourself limited targets for each time burst (break your project down into bite-sized, manageable chunks)

·        Be prepared to have unfinished work lying around. Use a plastic folder to keep it in if it’s paperwork. This will incentivise you to finish it!

There are different variations on this theme and different levels of sophistication which can be applied so that you can use this on a daily basis and for a larger number of projects.

PS I like having time to focus on one thing so I was seriously sceptical about this approach, but believe me, it works! Just give it a try…

I cover these, and many more techniques, in depth on my Time to Achieve Course but I hope that this simple starter for ten will enable you to get moving on something you have been putting off. If you would like more help with procrastination, planning & organisation, email management, focus, and/or clarifying your goals (in your life or your career/business), please email Anna Davis: anna@achievebalance.co.uk – you will be amazed what you can achieve!

“Putting off an easy thing makes it hard.  Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.”  ~George Claude Lorimer

PS If you’re a mum and you liked this, sign up for my newsletter at www.BalancedMum.com

March Newsletter

 

ABOUT CUSHION THE IMPACT

cushion the impact provides customised lifestyle management for hard-working individuals. We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let our professionals anticipate your needs so you can live an organised, efficient, & fulfilled life. Take a deep breath & call us today. Your truly personalised concierge service awaits!

SERVICE OF THE MONTH – Spring is here and a great time to think about looking in all those dark corners of your home and life and seeing if you can let a little light shine in…Clear the clutter! We won’t be worried, offended or scared by the scale of what might need to be done, but we can help and we can make a difference to the way you feel about where you live.

 

GO

Do you think there should be more to life?  Come and find some of the answers at a Life Path Workshop at Flawless Design, Stirling on Saturday 12th March with Pat, Maureen and Karen. For more information or to book a place contact Maureen on 07787 060208.

Look great, feel great….get energised! Rise and shine boot camp. Female only 4 week boot camp course guaranteed to drop at least a dress size for £99! ALL levels welcome. The course will consist of 3 sessions a week over 4 weeks. The next course starts on Monday 7th march. All sessions are at London Fields fitness studio, next to London Fields station.  For more info and to book your spot contact Ali at Ali@energise-personaltraining.com or 07838112157

DO

You know about all the tax changes being introduced which might affect your pension, your property, your inheritance? We have selected specialist investment managers who can help put you back in control of your retirement and discuss with you new plans to allow you to withdraw money off non mortgaged properties. Contact us for more info.

One of our clients recently attended and thoroughly recommended Pétrus Masterclass, Knightsbridge “…The whole experience was amazing!  We would certainly recommend it to anyone with a love of fine dining and a keen interest in improving their cookery skills. …. For me this was truly the ultimate food experience.”

SEE

St Patrick’s Day Parade It’s not on the same scale as New York but we’re sure you’ll have a great time. Let us know where you find the best Guinness.

Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race – March 26 One of the great traditions. Light Blue or Dark Blue who would you choose? If you want to watch on the day call us and we’ll you where the best places to go and where to socialise afterwards.

 

BUY

Tickets for the Olympics Registering is a quick and easy process that will only take a few minutes to complete. It will also save you time when tickets go on sale.  Tickets will go on sale on 15 March 2011, for a six-week application window until 26 April 2011. Tickets for the Paralympic Games will go on sale on 9 September 2011.

A bit of peace of mind for your loved ones when you travel. Bluelight is a free iPhone app that notifies your friends and family when you don’t arrive at your destination as planned, maintaining both privacy and safety.

Affordable Art Fair Founded in 1999 to make contemporary art accessible go along to Battersea Park and enjoy the 120 galleries and  the talks and activities on offer.

EAT

Did you realise that there are 3 dates in March alone which you can celebrate by eating and drinking?  If you want to know more then try out this great BBC site which links lots of delicious recipes to fill your whole year.  After all a pancake is not just for Pancake Day… Andrea  had them with cream leek sauce on March 1^st.

Weekend breakfast in style in Edinburgh at Angels with Bagpipes just across the road from St Giles Cathedral and the carving in the Thistle Chapel that inspired the brilliant name.

Divine food and sup splendid wines at Vinoteca, St Johns Street, London. Guess where one of us was this weekend! Tom Akins runs wine courses there too, which we’re sorely tempted to try.

 

Much Ado About David

Doctor Who comes to the West End again, although I am sure David Tennant must hate it when he’s described as such. That said the play is selling out fast. We have access to tickets for every performance, so do get in touch to avoid disappointment!

This summer, David Tennant and Catherine Tate are to appear together on stage for the first time in a brand new production of William Shakespeare’s timeless comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Two young lovers Claudio and Hero are to be married imminently but the devious scheming of a resentful Prince looks set to thwart the nuptials. Meanwhile, marriage seems inconceivable for reluctant lovers Beatrice and Benedick whose endless witty sparring threatens to keep them apart forever. Directed by Josie Rourke, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s great plays and reminds us all of the failings and triumphs of the human condition in our never ending search for perfect love. Further casting to be announced.

Showing at the Wyndhams Theatre from the 16th May 2011

London cushioneers move home

We think we’ve finally got it the way we like it. cushion the impact is in new, more spacious accommodation in the Omnibus Business Centre

Like all moves we did reach a point in the afternoon where we thought it was never gong to be finished and were heartily sick of the sight of boxes.

However, being the very organised types we are we now have a place for everything and everything in its place.

and that of course includes the staff or some of them anyway…

If you’re moving home and would like some help please give us a call.

The Financial Times and cushion the impact 21st Century Butlers

We love it when we appear in the press! We don’t advertise so any mention you see of cushion the impact in the press is because a journalist has been kind enough to write about us.

Just before Christmas we were mentioned alongside three international companies in an article in the Financial Times so naturally we were very happy about that. It’s always interesting to read about our competitors and to have it confirmed that the personal service we offer our clients is exceedingly good value and, as we keep mentioning, personal.

Feel free to click here to read the article on the FT site.

Let us know what you think

Why a cluttered home is not an embarrassment

Last week I met a new client; a friendly doctor with a delightful home full of art and interesting furniture…and more papers and ‘but I might need that in the future’ stuff than I have seen in a while.

Jane, (not her real name) is a lovely woman but for most of our consultation, she avoided meeting my eyes. Are they red and demonic? Indeed not, they’re a nice blue albeit myopic and hidden behind glasses.

When we talked about my journey to her home and the best way to get to my next client, when we talked about the weather, when we talked about Tom Jones she looked into my eyes.

When I asked her how she would like me to help suddenly the ceiling, the floor, her hands, and a teacup were the most absorbing things in the world.

Not my eyes.

This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered it. It seems to be a common reaction when people contact us to help with their paperwork or to declutter their homes or offices. For some people asking for help is felt somehow to be a sign of inadequacy. They worry that we’re going to be disapproving.

But that’s not what we are about.

This is our job, we help people, it’s what we do.

Why would we judge people who let us into some of the most private parts of their lives: bank statements, medical papers, divorce paperwork, children’s milk teeth, decades old photographs…? It takes a lot of trust to pass that over to a stranger.

What is there to judge anyway? Different people have different priorities in life but I like, we like, creating calm out of chaos.

So if paperwork is overwhelming you or there’s a room, a loft, a house or even just a cupboard you would like organising and you feel embarrassed, don’t.

If you fancy having a go yourself watch out for other blogs coming up soon  and I’ll give you some hints and tips how to clutter clear and stay sane!

On the other hand if you don’t want to do it yourself then please get in touch as we can and will make a difference.

www.cushiontheimpact.co.uk
London & South East: 020 3218 0053