Make 2014 Different – Make Time Work for You

How many times have you made New Year’s resolutions with the absolute intention of sticking them to them, only to give up after a week or so? We all pledge to go to the gym more, eat less, drink less and use time more efficiently, but how many of us achieved our resolutions last year?

This year, why not make a New Year’s resolution that is reasonably simple yet could improve your whole life? Resolving to improving your time management skills could see you having an organised, time-rich 2014 and beyond. You can do it!

Start 2014 on the right foot, book a Get It Done Time and Life management Spotlight Session with Andrea?

Contact us today for

• less stress
• more time for your clients
• more income
• more time for you, your family and your friends 

In the meantime here are our Top 10 Time Management Resolutions:

• Stop multitasking. It doesn’t save time; in fact it normally leads to wasting more time than usual. Do one thing at a time and do it well.
• Do simple tasks straight away. If it will take 5-10 minutes or less, do it now rather than putting it off. You’ll feel instantly better for having checked it off your to-do list.
• Avoid email. Don’t start your day by reading your email and getting sucked in to all kinds of issues and conversations.  Instead, set your email client to open the calendar first, note what needs to be done today and ignore your email for the first hour or so of each working day.
• Plan ahead. Write a list of everything you need to do in a day and allocate an appropriate period of time to it.
• Face horrible tasks head on. Don’t procrastinate, do it now and then it will be gone forever!
• Compose smart emails. Use a subject line which clearly communicates what the email has to say. Make it easy for the recipient to identify what is urgent and you will improve their time management as well as your own.
• Practise the 4 Ds – Do It, Designate It, Delegate It or Discard It. Read each email once, decide if it needs to be actioned, re-assigned, delegated to someone else or deleted. Keep your inbox as clear as it can be.
• Set aside time at the end of each day to update your to-do list and at the end of each Friday to cross off everything you achieved that week. Start each day and each week with a clear picture of what you need to do.
• Learn to differentiate between needs and wants and between urgent and important.
  
• Banish the seven deadly time management sins from your life!
  

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

Major 2014 Events – January & Beyond

After all the months of anticipation, Christmas is done for another year. Some of you will be desperate for next year’s celebrations and some of you will be breathing a sigh of relief that you have survived once again. For most of us, this period in between Christmas and New Year can feel a little flat, however, you can always rely on cushion the impact to have a little pick-me-up in store.

Read on for our highlights of 2014. Of course, we can only fit a tiny selection of the music, sporting and other events into a blog post but please give us a call if you would like any other suggestions. We can also help with VIP hospitality for those extra-special occasions.

While some of these events may seem an age away, we urge you to book as soon as possible for the major events to avoid disappointment. The good seats vanish surprisingly quickly!

International events:

2^nd March – 86^th Academy Awards, The Oscars

12^th June – 13^th July – FIFA World Cup, Brazil

Reminders for January:

This month, it is time to book for some of the major events later in the year.

Goodwood Festival  of Speed and Goodwood Revival 2014

Submissions for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2014

January Events:

4^th -12^th January – London Boat Show

4^th January – 16^th February – Quidam, Cirque du Soleil, Royal Albert Hall

8^th January – Twelfth Night Celebrations

10^th-12^th January – Straw Bear Festival

14^th January – 4^th February – Manon, Royal Opera House

18^th January – 12^th February – Giselle, Royal Opera House

20^th-21^st January – Strictly Come Dancing Live, Wembley Arena

22^nd January – 19^th National Television Awards, O2 Arena

25^th January – Burns’ Night

30^th January – Robert Burns Celebration Black Tie Boxing Dinner, Millennium Hotel

February Highlights

22^nd February – RBS 6 Nations Rugby England Vs. Ireland, Twickenham

14^th-18^th February – London Fashion Week

16^th February – BAFTA Awards

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

T-1: What’s Left On Your Christmas To-Do List?

With only one more sleep before Santa comes, we are willing to bet that the pre-Christmas excitement has reached fever pitch in your house. Whether you have small children or not, you will have had plenty to do in preparation for the big day, and most of it should be done by now. If you are feeling slightly less than confident in your organisation skills and are beginning to panic that something vital hasn’t been done, use this checklist to make sure everything you need to do today is done. Once you’ve ticked off the last task, remember to fit in a little R&R for yourself before tomorrow’s chaos!

cushion the impact Christmas Eve Checklist: 

• Buy flowers for the house and table decoration.
• Wrap any remaining gifts.
• Run through menus and confirm you have all ingredients.
• Buy final perishable food items.
• Collect turkey, goose, duck, seafood etc.
• Gather all gifts for children’s stockings.
• Set table.
• Take turkey out of ‘fridge, replace with wine.
• Remove wishbone from turkey.
• Check timings for cooking turkey and Christmas lunch: create timetable if necessary and make sure you know how long things take to cook (yes I am speaking from experience!)
• Contact cushion the impact to buy a gift voucher for that one person you haven’t managed to buy for yet!
  

Now that’s all done, it’s time to look after yourself.  You’ve done all the preparation; now make sure you take the time to enjoy tomorrow before it is over for another year.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours from all of us at cushion the impact.

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

The Gift of Time!

We all have at least one person on our Christmas list who is impossible to buy for. Try as we might to find the perfect gift, we are still none the wiser after scouring the high street and browsing what seems like the entire internet. When it comes to buying for those people, the perfect gift could be something that money cannot usually buy: time.

Who knows what a few hours of cushion the impact’s expert services could do for them? Block book a few hours with us and present them with a gift voucher; what they want to do with the time is up to them.

cushion the impact has been helping people since 2000, offering a range of concierge and lifestyle management services.

• Your best friend’s children have left home and that bedroom needs de-cluttering and transformed into a spare room. Why not buy an afternoon of hours to get it started?
• Is your sister bored with the admin of running her own business? We can work with her for a morning to banish the backlog.
• How about the messy piles of papers your other half always promises but never gets around to doing? Three hours and it could all be done.
• What about the friend you know who is fed up with managing the property they let, why not try us for 10 hours?
• Is your to do list too scary? Buy a voucher and pass the list us and watch it shrink.
• Could our time management assistance help them to achieve their goal of more free time?
• Is there a dream holiday we could research and plan? 
• In short, a gift voucher for cushion the impact could help your loved one to achieve (almost) anything they could dream of. We will do the hard work, they will get the benefit and you will get major credit for buying such a fantastic gift!

If you think time would be the ideal Christmas gift, just get in touch.

Call us 020 3218 0053

Email   info@cushiontheimpact.co.uk

http://www.cushiontheimpact.co.uk

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New – New Year’s Eve 2013 in London

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

There is only one way to spend New Year’s Eve and that is celebrating! If a house party or a night in the local won’t quite cut it, bag yourself a ticket for one of London’s New Year’s extravaganzas!

The Artist – Live in Concert

A night at the cinema might seem a bit low-key for New Year’s Eve but this is no ordinary film. The Royal Albert Hall is hosting the first UK showing of The Artist – Live in Concert, a film celebrating the era of silent Hollywood movies accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra. Combining film with fine dining, guests will enjoy a two course meal with champagne and wine in the Coda restaurant before taking their seat in the premium stalls. There isn’t an enforced dress code for the showing but guests are requested to enter into the spirit of the event and dress for Hollywood’s Golden Age of Glamour. The Artist-Live in Concert is showing on Monday 30^th and Tuesday 31^st December. VIP hospitality is also available; contact us for more information

The Blitz Party

For something completely different this New Year’s Eve, book some tickets for The Blitz Party at Suffolk Street air shelter. Military uniform and pretty tea dresses will be in style on the night as party-goers take their places in the bunker, surrounded by sandbags, military bunk beds and oil lamps. Take your time wandering between the six rooms, dancing the night away in the swing dance hall and sipping a drink or two in the Spitfire Bar. Tickets are now available on the Blitz Party website.

Prohibition 1920s

Sticking with the themed parties, how about travelling back in time to a 1920s Prohibition-era speakeasy? In true Prohibition style, details of the event are being kept hush-hush for as long as possible; ticketholders will be informed of the location nearer to the time. The dress code is smart, the contraband alcohol is plentiful and the party atmosphere will be electric. Jazz, roulette tables and booze in china tea cups will be the order of the evening.

Dark Circus Party

How do you fancy bidding farewell to 2013 from inside the big top? Circuses aren’t just for children, as the Dark Circus Party plans to prove on 31^st December. The dress code is strict, with organisers requesting that all guests dress in a circus theme. They’re not looking for Coco the Clown; think more along the lines of feathers and corsets, top hats and tails, snake charmers, lion tamers, ball gowns, vintage dresses and smart suits. We know fancy dress isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it is fantastic fun once you pluck up the courage!

Tickets for all events are available at the time of writing but we advise prompt booking to avoid disappointment. As always, we will be more than happy to provide alternative suggestions – just get in touch and let us know what you would like to do. 

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

For the Final Time in 2013 – London’s New Restaurants

Still looking for the perfect venue for this year’s Christmas get-together? We have to say you’re cutting it fine but, luckily, there are plenty of new restaurants opening in London this month. As we approach the middle of December, it’s time to round-up some of the best new restaurants in the city for the last time this year. Fear not, we will be back in January with more!

Ember Yard

This charcuterie, bar and grill opened in Soho at the beginning of the month and appears to be just as smoking hot as its name suggests (sorry, we couldn’t resist!). Ember Yard is the latest brainchild of the Salt Yard team and specialises in Spanish and Italian dishes. Cooked on a custom made charcoal fired grill, the menu focuses heavily on dishes such as smoked pork belly, smoked bream carpaccio and all manner of deliciously smoked delicacies. If you fancy a tipple to accompany your meal, pop downstairs to the basement cocktail bar, where the drinks are also smoking.

60-61 Berwick Street, London, W1F 8SU Telephone: 020 7439 8057

Rabot 1745

Love chocolate? So do we, so we were delighted to discover that Hotel Chocolat were opening a cocoa-based restaurant in Borough Market. Far from the sweet treats found in the chocolatier’s shops, the restaurant focuses on the savoury side of the cocoa bean. This Saint Lucian plantation house style establishment serves cocoa-inspired dishes such as cacao-crusted Ticklemore goat’s cheese, carpaccio Rabot (beef infused with Borough-roasted cacao) and cacao butter carrot confit (Andrea says what a waste of chocolate!). Needless to say, the dessert menu looks yummy…

2-4 Bedale Street, Borough Market, London, SE1 9AL Telephone: 020 7378 8226

The Magazine

Since opening in early November, The Magazine restaurant has served contemporary Asian and British food to those seeking an uber-stylish dining experience.  The membrane roof, clear glass walls and natural light make it almost seem like you are dining in the surrounding gardens, while the fantastic menu makes you want to come back and do it all over again. Dishes include Ollysan’s sushi, black pudding loaf with whipped butter and Black Angus fillet with yakiniku sauce. If the food isn’t enough to tempt you to The Magazine, the stunning architecture and experimental cocktails should be enough to seal the deal!

Serpentine Sackler Gallery, West Carriage Drive, Kensington Gardens, London, W2 2AR Telephone: 020 7298 7541

Gingerline – The Hideout

This immersive dining experience is selling out very quickly, so you may find yourself planning a springtime meal rather sooner than you had expected. Regardless of the long waiting list, the experience is definitely one worth having.  After booking your tickets, you will be texted details of a mainline London train station, along with instructions to be there one hour before the event is due to begin.  Upon meeting the Gingerline group at the specified station, you will be transported to a secret location for a four-course meal and a secret, most probably eccentric, theme. We defy you not to be enthralled and entertained.

Secret location – book online

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

Christmas – Why The Stress?

According to Andy Williams Christmas is supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” So why do most people find Christmas stressful? Is it the presents? Cooking? Gift-Wrapping? Family? Financial problems?

A recent study showed that Christmas is the second most stressful thing, following financial issues. So how can you avoid this stress and truly make Christmas the most wonderful time of the year? Plan ahead and of course, we’re here to help.

Buying gifts can create financial pressure; a desire to be at two different places can be frustrating; not wanting to attend certain events but feeling obliged is burdensome; long queues and traffic jams are stressful; not having a special someone to share Christmas with can be upsetting, and the list goes on.

Underneath the holiday stresses are thoughts and attitudes that can trigger both pleasant and unpleasant emotions. To stay relaxed and feel good might require a shift in perspective. Don’t expect everything to be perfect, because it won’t.

Go easy on yourself

Remember that it doesn’t all have to be perfect. Christmas is just one day so if the turkey gets burnt or there’s a power cut, try not to fret. There are invariably other ways to enjoy your Christmas.

Connect to what the holidays are really all about – spending time and creating special memories with the people you love. Make time for doing fun things together, like cooking together, going to see the holiday lights and festive store windows, watching a favourite movie, or going skating at the local rink.

An effective way to make time for these activities is to let go of the need to create the perfect home, buy the perfect gifts, and cook the perfect meal. Perfection is unattainable, no matter how organised and talented you are.

Get plenty of exercise. This is always good for reducing stress. Remember, shopping is exercise. So when you visit that retail park and find you can’t park near the shop entrance, be grateful for the opportunity to walk. Park further away than necessary; make yourself go up or down a few hills or steps. Avoid crowded lifts. Walk up the stairwells. You’ll burn off calories and relieve tension at the same time. Instead of going out for an office binge in a restaurant, go dancing or roller-skating instead.

Allow yourself to have fun. You don’t have to work continuously or over-stretch yourself. Being with a martyr is not the company others want.  Let yourself and others do what they want – neither the Queen’s speech nor the games need to be compulsory. Neither is the turkey or over drinking.

Attend to family matters

A family Christmas isn’t always a happy one and trying to keep the peace can be stressful. If you’re having a family gathering and you know that certain people don’t always see eye to eye, be realistic about what to expect and plan accordingly, try not to put pressure on yourself to keep everyone happy.

• Make time to relax with those you love. 

• Ask for help. Offer help. Co-operation lightens everyones load. 

• If things get tense, take a deep breath, change the subject or walk away. 

• Plan a tactful way to leave if a social event gets too stressful. 

• When you don’t like what’s happening, suggest doing something else. 

• Steer clear of disagreements when you or anyone else has been drinking. 

• Use a little self-control so you don’t say or do something hurtful. 

• Keep children out of adult disagreements. 

• Make it fun for the children, and it will be easier for you. 

• Take some time just for you this holiday.

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

London Restaurants Serving Christmas Dinner

With just under 2 weeks to go before Christmas dinner, the thought of cooking it all yourself may be becoming all too much. If you are dreading being in charge of a big meal at home, here are a few of the best options for Christmas Day 2013. We are, of course, able to help with alternative and more personalised recommendations; just get in touch.

Dean Street Townhouse

If you would like to really make an event of your Christmas dinner, why not book a table at Dean Street Townhouse and reserve one of the 39 bedrooms? What could be better than indulging in an outstanding meal before retiring upstairs to a luxury hotel room? It definitely won’t be a budget option, with the meal costing £95 per person and rooms from £220 to £330 per night, but we always say that if you’re going to do something, do it right! The Christmas menu can be viewed online and includes watercress soup with smoked haddock, potted ham and wild rabbit with piccalilli, roasted rib Hereford beef, turkey with all the trimmings and a selection of desserts and cheeses.

69-71 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 3SE Telephone: 020 7434 1775

Chutney Mary

For those who want the sense of occasion without the turkey and crackers, Chutney Mary on the King’s Road is a great option. If lobster gratin, masala roast goose, paneer and wild mushroom layered tikka and a kebab selection sound more up your street than traditional roast turkey, beef and the associated trimmings, Chelsea is the place to be on Christmas Day. The full menu can be viewed online and a vegetarian selection is also on offer. Christmas dinner with a glass of Wild Hibiscus Royale costs £85 per person.

535 King’s Road, Chelsea, London, SW10 0SZ Telephone: 020 7351 3113

Avista

Avista on Grosvenor Square is another fantastic option for those who wish to avoid the traditional turkey dinner this Christmas. Open from 12pm-3pm, the set Christmas menu includes Jerusalem artichoke soup, fish of the day and roasted capon with chestnuts and wild mushrooms. Guests are also welcome to order from the a la carte menu, which features octopus, pumpkin and cinnamon gnocchi and fillet of beef.

39 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 2HP Telephone: 020 7596 3399 

Le Pont de la Tour

How does a six course tasting menu sound to you? Christmas Day is possible the one day of the year when nobody is in a hurry, so why not make the most of the free time by enjoying a very leisurely meal? For £95 per person, you and your family can dine on duo of duck terrine, tian of smoked salmon and trout, roast turkey, a selection of French cheeses and Christmas pudding.  Younger family members are also very welcome, with the children’s Christmas Day menu featuring pumpkin soup, roast turkey and more. For outstanding food and stunning views of Tower Bridge, you can’t go wrong with Le Pont de la Tour.

36D Shad Thames, London, SE1 2YE Telephone: 020 7403 8403

All restaurants had availability at the time of writing; however, the nature of Christmas means this may change at any time. To avoid disappointment, we strongly recommend booking your table as soon as possible. Again, we are more than happy to help you source alternative venues; just let us know what you are looking for.

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

Top 5 Tips for a Smooth-Running Christmas

We’ve said it many times before and we’ll say it again – effective organisation is essential for excellent time management. There is no time of year where you need great time management skills more so than in December so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to share a few tips for a smooth-running Christmas. Have you got any top tips you would like to share with other readers? Add a comment below or get in touch to let us know. We would love to hear from you.

Map out your Christmas – Before you start planning your Christmas schedule, take a large sheet of paper and jot down absolutely everything you need to do. Now think of what you want Christmas to be like – full of party games and presents? Relaxing? Cosy family chats in front of the fire?  Make a list of what you must do in order to make these things happen. Now get your calendar and schedule in each of these tasks, remembering to including time for shopping, wrapping gifts, writing cards, posting them and going to your Christmas parties.

Menu Plan – Whether you will have a houseful on Christmas Day or just want to make sure you have enough festive treats for yourself and your partner, plan it all in advance. Again, think of everything you will need – you really don’t want to find out you have no stuffing/gravy/sprouts just as you go to put them into the oven!

Delegate! – This is another of our favourite time management tips. No matter how good you are, nobody can manage everything by themselves. Outsource as many tasks as possible, particularly time-consuming or specialised ones such as decorating, window-cleaning, general cleaning or even catering. Could we be your guardian Christmas Angels?

Make a (Shopping) List and Check it Twice – If it works for Santa himself, it will work for you. No more last minute shopping; make a list of who you need to buy for and what you need to buy. Plan your route around the shops so you can fit it into no more than three trips and have it all done by mid-December. See our recent blog for more related tips.

De-clutter – We are willing to bet that you have a stash of decorations which you never use. You may have inherited them from a family member or maybe they are old decorations which don’t fit in with your new colour scheme. There’s nothing wrong with your decorations being less than perfectly matched but there’s no point having piles of them sitting in boxes. If you didn’t use it last year and don’t intend to use it this time round, bag it up and donate it to charity. Next year’s Christmas is already easier now that you’ve culled some of the excess!

Keep an eye on our blog for more top tips on organising Christmas. If you have a specific issue which you would like assistance with, we would be more than happy to help. Just contact us to find out what we can do for you.

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!

Not Everything is in London – December Outside the M25

With so much going on in London, it can be easy to forget that it’s not the be all and end all of the social world. If you venture outside the M25 this month, you might be lucky enough to catch one or two of these rather eccentric events.

Burning of the Ashen Faggot

At the Harbour Inn at Axmouth, the traditional Burning of the Ashen Faggot takes place every Christmas Eve. A hazel twig bundle six feet long and three feet wide is brought to the Inn by a procession, before being placed inside the traditional open fire. Once the bundle has been set alight, the gathered crowd indulges in some carol singing and poetry. The event has been a tradition in the Devon town for hundreds of years and still provides some fantastic, if somewhat unusual, festive entertainment.

Hunstanton Christmas Day Swim

This is definitely not one for the faint-hearted! Join the Hunstanton Round Table by donning your wackiest fancy dress costume and taking the plunge into the sea off Hunstanton Promenade. Taking part is free of charge and there’s even a prize for the best outfit. If you don’t quite fancy a dip in a December sea, spectating will let you enjoy the atmosphere and sights without risking hypothermia.

Kenilworth Duck Race

What better way to refresh yourself after a day of excess by racing yellow rubber ducks down a stream in Kenilworth? Approximately 1,500 of the bath toys are set free into Finham Brook every Boxing Day, with cash prizes on offer to the winners.

Pagham Pram Race

The oldest pram race in the world takes place in Pagham each Boxing Day. The race has been run by ex-servicemen for over sixty years, with one of each pair pushing a pram and the other sitting inside it, dressed as a baby. The three-mile course is undertaken by dozens of competitors, each doing their bit to raise essential funds for a variety of causes.

Stonehaven Fireballs Festival

This unique festival draws thousands of visitors to the Scottish town of Stonehaven each Hogmanay, when up to forty-five men take part in the annual procession, parading around the streets swinging blazing fireballs above their heads. There are several explanations as to the origins of the festival, one of which is that fire festivals were created to encourage the gods to provide enough sunshine to guarantee a good harvest and strong animals. However it came about, the Stonehaven Fireballs Festival is an incredibly popular tourist attraction for very good reason.

cushion the impact  provides award winning personal and virtual assistance and customised lifestyle management for hard working and hard living individuals and small business owners.  We know there aren’t enough hours in the day, so let us help you live an organised, efficient, & fulfilling life. Take a deep breath & call us today.  Your personal service awaits!!