Clear Your Diary – April’s Going to be Busy!

What have you got planned for April? If your diary is already getting full, you may want to clear some space once you read our round-up of the month’s events. From film premieres and gigs to sporting events and the London Triathlon, there’s more than enough to keep you busy throughout April.

Remember, this is just a taster of what’s on offer in London this month; get in touch if you would like VIP hospitality, tickets or information on these or any other events.

Things to Do:

The annual London Triathlon will take place on 2^nd and 3^rd August but, if you want to take part, you’ll need to register now. The ballot is gone and entries are now on a first-come-first-served basis, so be quick to avoid disappointment.

April 1^st is, of course, April Fool’s Day. If you do plan to pay a trick on someone, remember to do it before noon or you’ll end up being the fool yourself!

April Events:

1^st April – Bipolar Sunshine, Indiana, Kimberley Anne, XOYO London

1^st-3^rd April – Dancing on Ice Live Tour, Wembley Arena

1^st & 2^nd April – Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience Tour, O2 Arena

2^nd April – The Other Woman UK Film Premiere, Curzon Mayfair

3^rd April – Boy George Live in Concert, IndigO2

4^th April – Backstreet Boys – A World Like This Tour, O2 Arena

4^th-25^th April – Faust, Royal Opera House

6^th April – BNY Mellon Boat Race – Oxford Vs Cambridge

8^th April – Johnny Mathis, O2 Arena

10^th April – 8^th May – The Winter’s Tale, Royal Opera House

10^th April – The Amazing Spiderman 2 World Film Premiere, Odeon Leicester Square

11^th April – ECHO Rising Stars: Juliette Bausor, Barbican Centre

12^th & 13^th April – FA Cup Semi-Finals: Wigan Vs Arsenal & Hull Vs Sheffield Utd, Wembley

15^th April – UB40, O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

18^th-20^th April – FIA World Endurance Championship, Silverstone

22^nd April – Gary Barlow Live in Aid of Nordoff Robbins, Royal Albert Hall (VIP hospitality only)

24^th-26^th April – McBusted, O2 Arena

24^th-27^th April – Stealing Banksy? ME London Hotel

25^th April – Pride of St George 2014 Lunch, The Brewery

26^th April – Jeff Dunham, Wembley Arena

26^th April – The Arditti Quartet 40 Years Young, Barbican Centre

27^th April – Professional Footballers Association Awards, Grosvenor House Hotel

30^th April – Discover Ascot Raceday, Ascot Racecourse

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!!

5 Top Tips for Developing Delegation Skills

Welcome to the latest part of our Delegation Month series. We hope you’ve found our earlier blogs and emails useful in your quest for excellent productivity and time management skills.

Here are 5 top tips for developing outstanding delegation skills which work well for both you and your colleagues. 

• Embrace regular delegation – Rather than seeing delegation as another task on your list, integrate it into your normal working day. Make it part of your planning and training, not just something that you do when things get too hectic.
• Trust your team – Let go of the belief that only you can achieve the required results. Train your team or your out-sourcerer to cover when required and trust them to do it. 
• Do not micromanage – Once a task is delegated, it’s delegated. Let the person you’ve delegated to know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by. Keeping in contact is fine; breathing down their neck is not. 
• Recruit intelligently – By hiring people that you would feel confident in trusting, you will make delegation a lot simpler for all involved. 
• Communicate – Always remember that communication is key. Communicate clearly to make sure all people involved know exactly what is happening. 

What are your favourite delegation tips? Do let us know in the comments below.

Why not subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss the next instalment in our delegation series. In the meantime, get in touch if you have any questions, queries or specific productivity needs.

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!!

Did You Know Friday 4th April is International Carrot Day?

It may not be one of the better known events but that doesn’t make International Carrot Day any less of a celebration (it does in Andrea’s cooked carrot disliking opinion!)  If you love carrots and want to express your appreciation of the delicious and versatile orange vegetable, join people from around the world who extol its virtues on April 4^th every year.

First conceived in April 2003, the following for International Carrot Day has grown considerably, with 2012 celebrations taking place in locations as widespread as France, Japan, Italy, Sweden, Russia and Australia as well as here in the UK.

Is this year the year you become a Carrot Ambassador and invite your friends to a carrot party in your house (no, not in this house!)?

From carrot cake and carrot juice to carrot sticks and dips, there are plenty of ways to show your love of the carrot. According to the organisers, a true Carrot Ambassador will go the whole hog and dress in a carrot costume too…

Not sure what to tell your guests about the humble carrot? Here are just a few fabulous facts about the ubiquitous vegetable:

• Carrots are thought to have originated in Iran and Afghanistan
• Although orange is the most common colour, carrots of purple, yellow, white and red can also be found
• Over 35 million tons of carrots are produced each year
• Parsley, fennel, dill and cumin are cousins of the carrot
• Carrots were originally cultivated for their leaves and seeds, rather than the root which we eat nowadays
• Carrots were first intended to be medicine, not food
• Planting carrots alongside your tomato plants can significantly increase production
• They grow everywhere – from a mountain village in Vietnam where Andrea was made to eat carrot soup every meal for 2 days to carrot mash made from powdered carrots (Andrea remains convinced it was mashed sawdust with orange food colouring) in the back of beyond in Arizona. Never a fan since she was 7 and blocked the cistern in her grandparents’ house by hiding several weeks’ worth of Sunday lunch carrots in the cistern thinking no one would notice. They did!

If you decide to become a Carrot Ambassador in 2014, do get in touch and let us know. We would love to hear your story and see some photos from your carrot party if you’re feeling brave enough.  Feel free not to tell us of your favourite carrot recipe but do tell us how you avoided eating them as a child!

We always love to learn of new weird and wonderful national days and celebrations – what unusual events do you celebrate?

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!!

Making Your Mother’s Day – Part 2: Gifts

Mother’s Day is just a few days away, falling on Sunday 30^th March this year. Last week, we shared some of our favourite London experiences for those of you who want to treat your mum to a great day out. If a day out isn’t possible, or you just don’t fancy it, we’re sure your mother will appreciate one of these fabulous gifts.

If you’re still stuck for ideas and want to make your mother’s day really special, give us a call and we will help you to find the perfect present.

5 Marvellous Mother’s Day Gifts

La Maison du Chocolat Mother’s Day Giftbox

We can vouch for the exquisitely high quality of La Maison du Chocolat’s produce, so we can highly recommend buying some of their chocolate for your mum. This Mother’s Day gift box contains a selection of both plain and flavoured chocolates, including an exclusive chocolate ganache and cherry blossom green tea variety. Don’t limit yourself to just one option though, have a look at the plethora of cocoa-based delights available both in-store and online.

Jams from The Bay Tree

If your mum appreciates luxury jams, chutneys and condiments, The Bay Tree has some fantastic gift ideas. Choose from raspberry jam, very lemon curd, Seville orange marmalade, caramelised onions, marinated miniature figs and more. There is so much on offer from The Bay Tree that we suspect your biggest problem will be deciding what to choose.

Limited Edition Classic Books from the Folio Society

We cannot think of a better gift for a fan of classic literature. The Folio Society has a wide selection of beautifully designed special editions with titles ranging from The Aeneid, The Canterbury Tales and Fifty Fables of La Fontaine to the King James Bible and more. If a limited edition is slightly out of budget, the standard editions sold by The Folio Society make an equally thoughtful gift for the avid reader.

Map Boxes from Marshall & Fuller

What’s not to adore about these map-covered vintage boxes from Marshall & Fuller. Only original cloth maps are used to restore the old boxes. Due to the materials used, the boxes are limited edition so you should get in touch with Marshall & Fuller to discuss current availability. If you don’t manage to get your hands on a map-covered model, the restored antique boxes are stunning too.

Personalised Tea Blend from Solaris.Tea

Who doesn’t love a great cup of tea? The only thing better than a great cup of tea is a personalised blend of your very own. All you need do is visit the Solaris.Tea website, fill in details about your mother and the experts will create the perfect blend of tea to suit her lifestyle and personality. As these are made to order, you will need to be quick to get yours in time for Mother’s Day!

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!!

Making Your Mother’s Day – Part 1: Days Out

This year, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday 30^th March, giving you two weeks to find the perfect way to mark the occasion. While some people may see it as an excuse to sell yet more cards and trinkets, we are all for showing appreciation of mothers. Whether you prefer to keep it simple or to push the boat out, it’s nice to be nice and here’s how to do it this Mother’s Day.

As always, this is only a small selection of what’s available – if you would like more suggestions or more specific help, just get in touch.

London Experiences for Mother’s Day

Vogue Festival 2014

If your mum is a fashionista, you can’t go wrong with a couple of tickets for Vogue Festival 2014. Running in the Southbank Centre on 29^th and 30^th March, the festival is a showcase of the best of Vogue and Harrods, including a talk on “Personal Style And Do You Have It” by Alexa Chung, Amanda Harlech and Lucinda Chambers, the stories of Manolo Blahnik, Tory Burch and Angela Missoni and a behind-the-scenes look into what it’s like to be a model. Tickets are available for both days.

Afternoon Tea at the Athenaeum

Afternoon Tea always feels like a fantastic treat, particularly when it is as excellent as that you’ll receive at the Athenaeum. The Evergreen Afternoon Tea menu includes a selection of finger sandwiches, freshly baked scones and delicious homemade pastries and cakes. For an extra touch of decadence, you can also add some champagne or a cocktail. The Athenaeum does tend to book up very quickly, so you’ll need to be quick to bag this particular Mother’s Day treat.

Kew Gardens

There’s plenty going on at the botanical gardens in Kew this spring. On Saturdays, visitors can enjoy a guided tour and talk on the plans for the Temperate House, the fabulous Magnolias: Paintings by Barbara Oozeerally is on at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art until August and the volunteers working at Kew will be leading guests on a tour of the spring buds and blossoms each day.  Even if none of the events are quite your mum’s cup of tea, a stroll around the gardens and a spot of lunch in the café is sure to go down a treat.

If you’ve come up with a fantastic Mother’s Day idea which we’ve missed from our list, add a comment and tell us all about it.

Keep an eye out for our guide to Mother’s Day gifts, which will be coming to the blog very soon…

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!!

5 Reasons Given By Our Clients for Not Delegating

As we’ve mentioned in earlier blogs and mailings, March is Delegation Month at cushion the impact. We will be sharing our top tips for successful delegation and helping you to harness this fantastic productivity resource.

In our experience, the most difficult aspect of delegation is developing the habit in the first place. There are numerous reasons why people find it hard to delegate work, ranging from a belief that nobody else can complete a task to the required standard, to a reluctance to increase a colleague’s workload. Whatever your reasons for not delegating at work, it’s time to get over them and make yourself more productive!

Top 5 Reasons Mentioned By Clients for Not Delegating

A need to retain control – Many people believe that nobody else is capable of completing a task to the same high standards as they could themselves. 

Unwillingness to overload a colleague – We all know that our colleagues and team members are busy, so many of us don’t want to add to their burden by giving them even more work to do. 

Lack of experience – If you have never delegated a task before, it can be difficult to know how, when and to whom you should delegate. 

Lack of qualified colleagues – Too many managers and businesses are unwilling to invest the time, effort and money into training their staff or looking for the appropriately qualified out-sourcerer. 

Unrealistic expectations – This is a major stumbling block on the road to successful delegation for many leading to micro-management of the task which can often decrease the productivity of all involved

If the reasons we’ve mentioned have struck a chord and you want to know how to overcome them, keep an eye out for our next installment. Our top tips for developing delegation skills will be on the blog shortly.

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!!

New and Noteworthy London Hotels for March 2014

Planning a visit to London soon? No matter how many times you visit this great city of ours, or even if you live here and just need a place to stay after an event, there’s always something new to discover.

While there haven’t been many hotel openings in the capital so far in 2014, late 2013 brought us quite a few.  If you haven’t treated yourself to a night or two in these hotels yet, we’re sure you can find an excuse to do it soon. Have a look at our list of March events if you need some inspiration!

Rosewood London

The latest Rosewood Hotel opened at High Holborn in October; taking over a fantastic 1914 grade II listed building. We were delighted to see that many of the building’s original features have been kept and restored, ready to be combined with some more contemporary touches. Mosaic floors, marble pillars and dark mahogany give the establishment an aura of sophistication. The hotel has an impressive range of rooms and suites to choose from, as well as the private member’s Manor Club. Guests staying at the Rosewood can choose from a selection of restaurants and dining rooms, or take some time out to relax in the Sense Spa.

252 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7EN Telephone: 020 7781 8888

Qbic Hotel

This quirky hotel is definitely a love-it-or-loathe-it type concept. Ideal for those who want something a little different, the Qbic offers high standard rooms with none of the unnecessary added extras. Each room features a Cubi, or cube-shaped living space, comprising a king-sized bed, powerful rainfall shower, LCD Smart TV and mood lighting. Free Wi-Fi comes as standard (we know how important that is to some of you!) and the staff are just as diverse as the concept itself. Where else could you be served drinks by a juggler? Or stay above a basement where bicycles are being built using recycled parts? As you may have realised by now, the Qbic Hotel is aimed at those who crave creativity as much as convenience.

42 Adler Street, London, E1 1EE

Apple Serviced Apartments

If you’re planning a longer stay in London, or prefer a home-from-home approach even for a night or two away, have a look at the Apple apartments. Located within the famous Marconi House, former home of the BBC, the apartments are within easy walking distance of theatres, St Paul’s Cathedral, The Royal Opera House and many more venues and attractions. Room service from the ME Hotel when you don’t feel like cooking, free Sky TV and Wi-Fi, mood lighting, climate control, internet-enabled tablet and all the little touches that make your stay truly enjoyable are all awaiting guests at the Apple apartments. We would be hard pushed to find a fault really!

Marconi House, 335 Strand, London, WC2R 1HA Telephone: 020 8519 5565

If these hotels don’t quite tick your boxes, we can find a more suitable alternative. Let us know what you’re looking for and we will take care of the rest.

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!!

3 Simple Steps to Embracing Self-Promotion

Do you struggle with promoting yourself and your business?

You’re not alone!

When you’ve put so much effort into refining your idea and turning into a viable business model, don’t let yourself down by convincing yourself that you cannot market it.

You can market yourself and you can do it well. Initially it may seem daunting to fight the fear to show everyone how fantastic your product or service really is but you believe in your product or service, so it shouldn’t be difficult to help others share your enthusiasm.

3 Steps to Embracing Self Promotion

• Fake It ‘Til You Make It – The phrase gets bandied about a lot but it is a valuable self-promotion tool. Not being a born salesperson doesn’t mean you can’t learn to be confident enough to network.

Get out there, get talking about your product and you’ll soon find it’s not as bad as you thought it was. The best bit is, because you’re genuinely passionate about what you’re trying to sell, it will be easy to make other people listen.

Remember – you don’t have to be shouty and pushy; having an informed conversation with an interested party will be far more productive. The truth is, most people aren’t extroverted and, anyway, it will do far more good to be ambiverted, or able to adapt to your surroundings.

• Know Your Audience – Watch how the person you are speaking to and mirror it. This technique, known as strategic mimicry, is useful both for putting them (and you!) at ease and enabling you to get the conversation started.

The three keywords to remember are Watch, Wait and Wane.

• Watch your contact’s speech, body language and other actions
• Wait a short while, and then choose some of the traits to mirror (subtly!)
• Wane – ease off on the mirroring and let your instincts and passion for the subject take over.

• Quality, not Quantity – Remember it’s not about getting your message to as many people as possible, it’s about getting the message to as many relevant parties as possible. Don’t waste your time and damage your credibility by spamming people with advertising or pushing your product into every conversation you have.

Take your time, stand back, listen (perhaps THE most important word here) and research your target market before you start.

By reaching out to a relevant audience and making the effort to explain your creation to those who may be interested, you are giving yourself the best chance of success.

For more help with networking, spreading the word about your business whether with newsletters, blogs or other forms or social media, get in touch today to arrange a session with our expert team. We are here to help 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!!

Become a Master at Delegating Successfully – Part 2

You’ve applied the tips and strategies from last week and would like some more…your wish is our command!

Last week, we shared some of our top tips for successful delegation and, as promised, here’s the second part of our Delegation Month series.

If you missed the blog, click here to find out how to get started with delegation. We know it doesn’t come naturally to many people, but it is an invaluable productivity tool which is well worth taking the time to master.

For those of you who’ve already seen the first instalment and are ready to move on to the next stage, here’s how to make those new-found skills even better:

• Invite discussion – Don’t be tempted to think you can delegate by emailing a detailed request and leaving it to the delegate to get on with it. Let them know that you are happy to answer questions. Not only will this help them to build a clear picture of your requirements, it also saves you from having to correct any misunderstandings five minutes before deadline.
• Communicate! – Keep in touch with the other person to make sure everything is going to plan and they are comfortable with what they need to do. Make use of any collaboration tools, meeting facilities, instant messaging, shared folders or email that you think may help.
• Keep records – The technology available to us all nowadays means there is no excuse for not knowing where someone else is on a project. By using sites such as Dropbox, shared calendars, other file-sharing systems and technology, it should be possible for you, or another colleague, to pick up the task if necessary.

As we mentioned last week, now is a fantastic time to subscribe to our blog as this month is Delegation Month so we have even more strategies coming your way.

As always, if you would like more information on any aspect of delegation or productivity, or feel you would benefit from an individual session, get in touch with Andrea, there are only 5 available each week.

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!!

How to Travel Like an A-Lister with Airport VIP Services

Hands up who actually enjoys travelling through an airport? While the shopping opportunities may be a novelty if you only fly occasionally, it doesn’t take long for the shine to wear off through regular visits. If you fly a lot, whether for work or pleasure, there is a way to make it an awful lot more enjoyable. Skip the fast food and security scrums and fast-track yourself straight to luxury by using a VIP service. As always, these are just a few of the options available; for more information or alternative suggestions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Virgin Atlantic Guest List

If you’re planning to travel from Gatwick or Heathrow to San Francisco, New York, Boston or Washington, it’s well worth looking into Virgin Atlantic’s Guest List service. Members can avail of chauffer driven cars to and from the airport, use of the service’s private security screening (avoiding the inevitable smelly feet in the standard queue!), access to the Clubhouse and more. Even your luggage will be treated like a VIP.

Lufthansa Guide Service

Travelling to Frankfurt or Munich? If you’re worried about your lack of German, why not book a Lufthansa Guide to navigate you through the airport? The English (or other language, as required) –speaking guide will prove invaluable as you come to the realisation that Frankfurt airport is particularly tricky to find your way around! In fact, it would be quite handy to have a golf cart service too…

Heathrow VIP

The next time you fly from Heathrow, have a look at the VIP service. Rather than being limited to those flying with a particular airline, this service is available to anyone holding a premium ticket with any one of the Heathrow-based airlines (that is, flying in a cabin other than economy). The service includes use of the Windsor Suite in Terminal 5, with limousine transfer to other terminals where required, use of a private lounge, baggage handling, catering, VIP security and more. Transfers from home are not included as standard but can be arranged on request. However, you will be driven to the door of your plane and boarded through a private VIP entrance.

Gatwick First

Be treated like a celebrity next time you travel through Gatwick by availing of the Gatwick First concierge service. A uniformed concierge will greet you on arrival and lead you to a private check-in desk, before escorting you through the premium security channels and onwards to the international departure lounge. Any personal shopping or food requests can be dealt with by your concierge, who will finish the service by accompanying you to the appropriate departure gate. An arrivals concierge service is also available.

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!!