Do You Have a Spring in Your Step?

Spring in your stepSpring is a great time to see the process of renewal in the natural world and is a great time to take stock of our lives – what is working well for us, what is not working so well and seeing what changes we can make or influence.

We often spend a lot of time on automatic pilot: busy getting things done as well as thinking about what needs to be done next, as well as experiencing distractions of one sort or another. We often feel that there is little time to spare outside everything that is going on. However, there might just be spaces which we haven’t fully recognised or put to best use and perhaps we can also create some new spaces in order to build in time for something which nourishes us – this might simply be some peace or quiet.

Achieving Personal Objectives

Avhieving ObjectivesDo you need to stretch yourself more in terms of development?  Do you wish you could achieve more?  Do you sometimes feel stuck in a rut?  Set yourself some personal objectives to achieve.  To help you achieve them, here are the top ten tips, including the SMART model:

The STOP Exercise to Enhance Focus and Informed Choice

The STOP ExcercisePaying attention is the window to all of our experiences every day of our lives. Where and how we place our focus of attention (or where and how we allow other things to grab our attention) determine the quality of our lives, and our relationships with ourselves, others and what the world has to offer. What we know of ourselves, how we feel physically and emotionally, and our ability to make informed choices are all influenced by both how we focus attention and the quality of that attention.

Help Yourself, Help Others?

We have previously reported on how the changes to legal aid and civil costs were likely to mean more people would have to act on their own behalf as litigants in person (“Going it Alone,” October 2011). The full extent of the reforms remains uncertain as the Government’s Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill remains stalled in the House of Lords. Despite the uncertainty, organisations are continuing to ready themselves for substantial change. This month we will look at the recommendations of the Civil Justice Council made in November 2011 and consider the work of one of the partnering organisations – The Personal Support Unit (PSU) – which is likely to play an increasingly important role in the legal proceedings of the future.

Give Your Life a Spring Cleaning

Spring is in the air, and many people start to think about spring cleaning their homes at this time of year. But what about our lives? We can bring positive energy into our lives by eradicating negative areas and old habits.

Much like your home, your mind gets cluttered and needs care. It can get overloaded with old attitudes, old emotions and old memories, and it needs a good clean out of the stuff that you have collected and are holding on to out of habit or neglect. If you let these things go and free up some room for a positive mindset and new, exciting challenges, you can gain a flexible, simple and happier lifestyle.

Changes to How Civil Claims Are Issued

cicil_claimsThis month we had hoped to advise you about the current state of reforms to the civil litigation system. We are not able to do this, however, as the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO) is having a rough ride through the House of Lords. For those of you who have studied on the Diploma course and developed an interest in how the Lords influences (and arguably, improves) our laws, this is a good bill to follow. You can find the latest details on the Parliament website, www.parliament.uk, under Bills & legislation.

Taking Minutes: Part 2

In December I gave you tips on how to prepare to take minutes at a meeting. This month we will focus on how to take the notes at a meeting, whether it is a formal meeting with an agenda or an informal team meeting. So, after you have prepared, here are the top ten tips to help you take notes at meetings:

Learn How to Relax

If you ever find yourself getting tense or stressed out at work, there is an exercise which can help you. It was developed by American physiologist and physician Edmund Jacobson in the late 1930s, and it works on the basis of gradually tensing and then releasing tension in individual muscle groups in sequence. Muscles are always more relaxed after being tensed and released. This practice automatically brings physical relaxation which, in turn, calms the mind and our emotions. It works particularly well in reducing anxiety and insomnia but also in improving concentration and increasing self-esteem and a sense of control over moods. The whole practice lasts for 15 or 20 minutes, and the more regularly you practise this, the more you will get from it.

Add Value to Your Role

Add value to your role.Are you excellent at what you do? Have you reached 'the top of your tree'? Are you seeking a greater challenge although you don't want a new job? Or are you looking at how to make more of the role you have? If so, it can sometimes feel as though you don't know where to start! So here are the top ten tips to help you seek out challenges and add value to your role.