Make Yourself at Home ~

Serious Questions or Simply for Entertainment. This blog can be anything you want it to be ... Click the FOLLOW button ... makes me feel better. Add your message to Gills' Guest Book. Post a Comment at the end of a blog ... Email me with your questions: gmhesketh@yahoo.co.uk


Monday 29 October 2012

Dear Decleor ...

Dear Decleor,
     I absolutely love and recommend your skin products - but could you please print larger font or brighter text on your products. I appreciate you have to consider product luxury and packaging image, style, desirability ... but I just can't read whether I'm about to use face scrub or moisturiser. Please help.
                                                      Kind regards,
                                                                Gillian Hesketh


Sunday 28 October 2012

Could that be Fate ?


It's sometimes difficult to decide what's happened because of Fate ?

See more at

http://artywords.blogspot.co.uk personal case study:

Gillian

Saturday 27 October 2012

Dear Shampoo & Conditioner Manufacturers & Marketers :

PLEEEASE consider packaging shampoos, conditioners etc. in bottles with a WIDER BASE - so they don't keep falling over.

PLEEEASSSEEE ... for those people who are mildly sight challenged and haven't had laser surgery ... consider using LARGER or BOLDER FONT to present the word 'Shampoo'  / SHAMPOO or the word 'Conditioner' / CONDITIONER - so we don't have to get out of the shower to find our reading glasses ...

Oh and ... while I'm on about it ... I know you'll probably say the conditioner is packaged in the smaller bottle so it's easy to tell the difference - unless you buy the small size shampoo - then you can't - and chances are, both of them have fallen over and are up-side-down on the shower floor.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

Gillian

[available for product market research]

Monday 22 October 2012

Working from home ... or not ...

Working from home might sound cool ... but it could have its ups and downs ...

Working from home is great for not having to get up early and travel out into the darkness of morning.

Working from home is fab for lying in bed a bit longer

Working from home without distractions could help you focus

Working from home can be comfortable - dress casually - or stay in your pj's !

Working from home banishes travel costs, parking, buses, trains, tubes, ferries, wet coats or damp shirts

Working from home flexible - hours to suit yourself ...

BUT

Working from home could be dull ... it could have downs rather than ups ...

No office banter or camararderie

No office parties

No reason to dress to impress

or get up too soon ...

don't let your friends call round too often - too many brews / chatting could vague you out ... you could lose focus ...

and don't get on the phone too often, text, Facebook, tweet, blog etc etc etc

Taking your laptop to bed could become an unhealthy habit

and there's the danger of getting day and night totally confused ... working at night - and missing your social life, relaxing time, healthy eating patterns, sleep ...

My advise: Keep the day job !

Gill

Friday 12 October 2012

Travelling Light ...

Many of us - including me - groan at luggage allowances. I don't need to take a lot with me on holiday - but I'd just like to have enough room for moisturiser, swimwear, hotel slippers [even to a hot place], a few clothes -  and of course - my laptop, books and research materials - which usually take up more than half the weight.

So, being lucky enough to work away in a sunny climate this week ... I formed a 'packing-my-travel- case' strategy in my head. Which books can I possible leave behind ? I'm not talking fiction here or even Kindle ... I'm talking about behavioural info books, A4 notepads with all my notes, diaries, journals and associated books, my thoughts and ideas on scraps of paper, scribblings, sketches ... 

Right. Got. It. All. Sorted. 

Until my husband announced that we could only take hand luggage ! ARRggghhhh What to do?

No hair straighteners - make -up - extra clothes just in case ... but more of a challenge - which books/notes/ideas do I pack - and which do I leave behind?

I have to say, now I'm settled, the whole experience has been refreshing:

I had to focus completely on which topic[s] I was going to write about during the week

Not feeling any urge to make-up my face in the evening [you'll see from the photos that I clearly don't spend a huge amount of time on this pastime] or consider too deeply about what to wear [usually spend some considerable time on this], provided a real sense of freedom.

Apart from my diversion to blogging today - I have remained totally focussed on one area of my work and completed much more than usual.

My advice: Next time you go away - don't give in to the £50 for the privilege of taking a travel case - and waiting an hour or so for it's retrieval at airports - Travel Light - You're Worth It !

Gillian

Sunday 7 October 2012

Puppies and PhD's ...

Good Sunday Morning everyone,
It's a gorgeous one here. The sun is blurring onto my south facing front garden, casting leisurely shadows onto a few lazy autumn leaves ... oh sorry ... back to the point of the blog ...

I'm often going on about prioritising, focussing [one c or two?] ... when everything lands on your desk, in your office, on your shop floor, manufacturing bay, at your front door, on your kitchen worktop or in your head - well it's time for me to do some prioritising. Writing my Happy Days Project is beginning to take over my life in a exciting way of course - it's a project which has already and hopefully will benefit more young people and adults who are experiencing difficulties. If the project rolls out successfully, it may help reduce costs and therefore benefit tax payers too ! ... more on Happy Days Blog or Facebook Page].


Oops - there I go procrastinating. The real point to this blog was to post a photo of a puppy and ask about PhD's. This is a place for asking questions isn't it? Well, first, here's the photo of my in-laws puppy - for the lady who was asking - the puppy's fashion breed / brand / label ... is CAVASHON - Charlie is a mixture of Bijon Frise and King Charles Cavalier [Spaniel] - as I understand. He's a super puppy, energetic, bright, loving and barks at the right times.

The other point was to discuss the possibility of doing a research PhD - not on puppies - but on Early Intervention. Childhood is a journey that could shape a child for the rest of his or her life. Identifying difficulties earlier in life could help some young people form a more positive sense of self, outlook and ensure wellbeing. Of course, this would take up a massive 3 years - at the same time, I would be Writing the Happy Days Programme, communicating with my 4 almost adult children and caring for my mum. Prioritise? I think I'll need a Happy Days Page to help me work it all out.

Meanwhile - I am about to prioritise. I'm off to somewhere a little warmer for a few days to finish one of my projects: Happy Days Care Home Activities, Memory Boxes and Personal Joggers.  No phone, limited internet access, plenty of fruit, no chocolate [ it melts anyway ] and no more than one unit of alcohol per day.

See you next week everyone, hope the sun shines.
Gillian

Thursday 4 October 2012

Thanks Sir Richard ...


Simple Tips - Great Reminders 
~ Thanks Sir Richard
Courtesy Sir Richard Branson ~ As LinkedIn is a business that started in a living room, much like Virgin began in a basement, I thought my first blog on the site should be about how to simply start a successful business. Here are five top tips I’ve picked up over the years.
1. Listen more than you talk
We have two ears and one mouth, using them in proportion is not a bad idea! To be a good leader you have to be a great listener. Brilliant ideas can spring from the most unlikely places, so you should always keep your ears open for some shrewd advice. This can mean following online comments as closely as board meeting notes, or asking the frontline staff for their opinions as often as the CEOs. Get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them.
2. Keep it simple
You have to do something radically different to stand out in business. But nobody ever said different has to be complex. There are thousands of simple business solutions to problems out there, just waiting to be solved by the next big thing in business. Maintain a focus upon innovation, but don’t try to reinvent the wheel. A simple change for the better is far more effective than five complicated changes for the worse.
3. Take pride in your work
Last week I enjoyed my favourite night of the year, the Virgin Stars of the Year Awards, where we celebrated some of those people who have gone the extra mile for us around the Virgin world. With so many different companies, nationalities and personalities represented under one roof, it was interesting to see what qualities they all have in common. One was pride in their work, and in the company they represent. Remember your staff are your biggest brand advocates, and focusing on helping them take pride will shine through in how they treat your customers.
4. Have fun, success will follow
If you aren’t having fun, you are doing it wrong. If you feel like getting up in the morning to work on your business is a chore, then it's time to try something else. If you are having a good time, there is a far greater chance a positive, innovative atmosphere will be nurtured and your business will fluorish. A smile and a joke can go a long way, so be quick to see the lighter side of life.
5. Rip it up and start again
If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture isn’t a success, welcome to the club! Every successful businessperson has experienced a few failures along the way – the important thing is how you learn from them. Don’t allow yourself to get disheartened by a setback or two, instead dust yourself off and work out what went wrong. Then you can find the positives, analyse where you can improve, rip it up and start again.