August 2005 Newsletter

Ever had one of those days on the road, going from client to client and felt totally drained at the end of it all? Would you prefer to be fresh for each client and still have some energy left for you at day’s end? Then here’s a plan of action: 1. Start by eating a wholesome breakfast. Take the time to actually sit down before leaving the house rather than eating on the run. 2. At the end of each appointment, take a few minutes to make notes, action points etc. to “close off” that client in your mind. 3. Prior to each client appointment spend a few minutes in silence to collect your thoughts and focus on the task ahead. 4. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, this re-hydrates the brain allowing you to stay sharp and fresh. 5. Stop and eat some lunch – even if it is in the car – it’s important for you to take that break and recharge your body. When you take the time to do these simple things throughout your busy day on the road, you’ll be far more energised at the completion. Why not top it all off by having a relaxing bath with some bubbles (champagne?) before retiring?

Microsoft Excel has some magnificent features for making life a whole lot easier! One of these gems is AutoFill. Type a date such as 2/11/05 into a cell in Excel. Position the mouse pointer in the bottom right hand corner of the cell and the pointer will turn into a thin black cross. Hold down left mouse key and drag down or across the screen. Excel will automatically generate a list of sequential dates. ie. 3/11/05 then 4/11/05 etc. Depending on your version of Excel, dragging using the right mouse key will present a short cut menu. In Excel 2003, one of the options you can choose is to display dates that are weekdays. Another handy feature of AutoFill is the ability to fill things that are special sequences. For example if you try to fill 1, it will repeat the number 1. To overcome this type in 1 then in the cell below or beside it type 2. Select both the cells then fill using the thin black cross. AutoFill will understand that the sequence you require is an increment of one from the previous number. This is one of many exciting features in the Office suite of products (ok maybe not THAT exciting). But they are designed to make life easier for you. Learning something new takes only a few minutes, but can save hours a month. I don’t know about you but I’m all for working smarter not harder. Happy shortcutting!

Helen Robinett has been actively involved in the image profession since 1999 and runs Image Quest, a business about empowering people through personal presentation. Her family consist of 1 husband, 5 daughters and 2 golden retrievers – yeah, it’s busy! She also loves any variety of red wine produced in the Margaret River area of WA and acknowledges that no-one does a sauvignon blanc like the Kiwis! With a background of over 20 years in sales and marketing, as well as extensive experience advising leading corporate and individual clients, she understands why personal and professional image are key ingredients in business success. When we feel good about ourselves and how we look, we are also more likely to be enthusiastic, innovative and productive. Currently your 2005 President of AICI for Australasia, Helen also facilitates the ‘Look Good Feel Better’ workshops for cancer patients at Freemasons and is a member of the Board for Try Youth and Community Services. Recently featured in VIVE magazine Helen is totally committed to raising the profile of the image profession throughout Australia and New Zealand. Working together, we can achieve so much more for our profession.

Feedback from the recent Image-Skills workshop held at Torquay, Victoria has been fabulous. This is shaping up to be an annual event! Highlights being the opportunity to network and develop relationships with other consultants, expand on existing knowledge, pick up consulting and business tips from others, spending a relaxed weekend in a great seaside environment. In attendance were consultants from Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand."The most value was spending time with a bunch of amazing women!"said Jayne. This sentiment was echoed by all.