One of the biggest concerns for anyone studying a course is finding the time and motivation to commit to it. This is easier for some people than others, depending on a number of different aspects which are prevalent in your life. One of these aspects is having a good diet and being healthy. 

You can’t really “manage” time, which is why I’m not the biggest fan of the term “time management”. I use it only – and then only very reluctantly – because that’s the term most people are familiar with.

But in actuality, the only thing you can control is what you do with your time; you’re really managing your activities, not your time.

This may seem like a silly distinction, but this small shift in thinking can profoundly and positively affect your productivity. 

In her book Time Management from the Inside Out and other writings on the subject, author and professional organizer Julie Morgenstern advises that instead of thinking of time as abstract, you should think of time as something tangible – a container. There are only a limited number of things that can fit into the container.

 When you think about how domestic violence was perceived in this country only a few decades ago, it is shocking to acknowledge just how blasé society was in general. In fact, to some degree, it appears to have been regarded as the norm, and this would have represented one of the harshest injustices of the time. Even to this very day, in criminal law, domestic violence does not seem to be tackled in the same way as if you were to simply attack a stranger on the street, for example; the law is still apprehensive about interfering in matters that go on behind closed doors.

Once you’ve taken the Oath or given an Affirmation in Court you are legally obliged to be completely honest. If you’re caught out lying you can be charged with perjury, contempt of Court or even perverting the course of justice. Lying under oath can be both a criminal and a civil offence. The punishment could include a fine and/or a jail sentence, depending on what effect the lie has.

Challenging unhelpful negative thoughts is a skill. These thoughts are not facts, and by challenging them we can differentiate between what is real and what is distorted emotional interpretation. When we temper and control the emotional black-and-white thinking, which comes from an agitated emotional brain, we can better access our thinking rational brain (our higher intelligence) and see things with a far clearer perspective. This is good emotional intelligence, not least because it is fair, realistic and balanced.

There are many people who believe that the life of a Student is an easy and carefree one. But this is not necessarily true. The practises and habits that you set in place when you are a Student will often remain with you for the rest of your life and lead to your success. So it is important to realise that you have both strong points and weak points, and to then do what you can to improve yourself.

If you haven’t already heard, 12 September 2012 is National PA Day. This will be the 2nd annual celebration of Britain’s PAs – the people who make Britain’s offices work – so why not be part of it by spending the day with your fellow PAs at Office?

This annual day will celebrate Britain’s PAs – the unsung heroes of Britain’s offices – and aims to highlight the increasing importance of the estimated 600,000 highly skilled PAs working in offices across the UK and to promote the profession to well-educated young people seeking an exciting and stimulating career.

Once we are aware of any one or more unhelpful thinking tendencies, we can then begin challenging unnecessarily negative thoughts and practise using different language which better reflects the shades of grey of reality, training the brain to move further away from instinctive black-and-white (emotional) thinking. Here are some examples of some typical black-and-white thinking styles and possible contrasting ways of looking at things.

I expect at some point in your life – perhaps more than once – you’ve said this. When you’ve said it, you most probably meant something like “I wish some significant good fortune will come my way soon!”

Reading the Daily Express on my flight to Spain on 25 June, I came across a small article on a poll carried out by the children’s literacy charity, ‘Volunteer Reading Help’.  In their study of 500 Chief Executives, Managers and other high earners, they found that hard work, charm, persistence, warmth, intelligence and a sense of humour were high amongst the ingredients for success. It also revealed that luck, fate and good timing also help.

As you work your way through the Legal Secretaries Diploma course, there may be a part of you that feels anxious about how you are going to secure a job as a Legal Secretary or PA. This is perfectly understandable, as you are only human. Rest assured that some of the other students will be feeling exactly the same way. The good news is that there are some excellent resources on offer when you decide to study through the Institute, and these include CV help, career guidance and access to a wealth of information that could really help you to move forward.