Boost your business with a book

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author, Better Than Before, Big Magic, bloggers, Boss, building a brand, business books, business plan, Colin Barrow, cyber safe, designer, easy to follow advice, easy to read, Elizabeth Gilbert, employee, fear, Fiona Humberstone, food for thought, getting ahead, Gretchen Rubin, How to Style Your Brand, imposter syndrome, industry experts, Jen Sincero, John McLachlan & Karen Meager, knowledge, Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women, love, make money, negotiating payments, networking, new, Otegha Uwagba, pages, photographer, power, practical advice, public speaker, read, self employed, self-sabotaging beliefs, sing, smart way, Starting a Business for Dummies, success, The Million Dollar Blog, Time Mastery: Banish Time Management Forever, transition, vision, work life balance, writer, You Are a Badass

With more and more people working for themselves, there has never been such a wealth of business books available to increase the knowledge of the self-employed.

We have had a look at some of our favourite reads and hope they will be food for thought for you too.

The Little Black Book: A Toolkit for Working Women is a ‘must have’ book every creative woman should buy. Otegha Uwagba’s compact companion is full of easy to follow advice and gives you a basic understanding of what you need when to do it comes to getting ahead. Whether it’s negotiating payments, building a brand, networking or being a confident public speaker, this book gives you insight and confidence and because it’s light, you can read on your commute.

Getting your branding right is paramount, and Fiona Humberstone can help you nail it from the start if you read How to Style Your Brand. From finding a brand focus, to creating an overall vision and how to the power of colour, this book can take you from OK to amazing.

If running late is your thing then Time Mastery: Banish Time Management Forever, by John McLachlan & Karen Meager, is the book for you. The authors teach you to make the most of your time so you can do the things that are most important to you and aren’t always chasing your tail.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert might not sound like a business book but this outstanding author shares her wisdom and unique understanding of creativity, so that readers can deal with what they most love, and fear. Whether you’re a writer, photographer, designer or PR, this book will help you look at your business, and your life, in a whole new way.

Starting your own business can be a huge learning curve and a reliable place to start is with Starting a Business for Dummies. The name shouldn’t put you off because Colin Barrow offers solid ideas and advice that can help you navigate the transition from employee to boss. Whether you need help writing your first business plan, want details about funding or want to keep cyber safe, this book really gets to the point so you aren’t left in the dark.

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin is a best seller around the world for good reason. Her easy to read book is full of practical advice and strategies on how to create a true work life balance and gets you thinking about what really matters to you.

If you want to know how to blog and make money from blogging, you need a copy of The Million Dollar Blog. Natasha Courtenay Smith has combined practical advice with interviews from industry experts so new bloggers and vloggers can get out there and make money the smart way.

If self-sabotaging beliefs and feelings of imposter syndrome get in the way of your success, read You Are a Badass and the pages will simply sing to you. Jen Sincero will change your beliefs and show you why you are how you are, how you can love what you can’t change, change what you don’t love, and be the success you deserve to be.

Got a book you love, let us know about it.

Team Pure-Beauty

Take the stress out of your work day

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adrenaline, apps, books, Boss, break, breaks, breathing, Buddhify, busy, calls, career, clarity, clear your head, coffee shop, colleagues, Commutes, computer screens, deadlines, delegated, desk, downing tools, efficient, emails, energised, friends, gym membership, health, hobbies, holiday, increase your productivity levels, less productive, less stressed, long hours, lunch, meaningless jargon, meetings, mini break, more productive, morning, negative impact, outbreaks, park, post room, prioritise your workload, promotion, refreshed, relationships, Relax, revive, sandwiches, sea, sleep, smiling, stress, two weeks, walk, work, work life balance, write a list, yoga classes, Zumba

Let’s face it, even when you love your job, have a great boss and colleagues you get on well with, work can get stressful.

Commutes, long hours, computer screens and being contactable pretty much 24/7 thanks to mobile devices and the digital age, means work can take over your life if you aren’t careful.

What many of us don’t realise is that while a little adrenaline can keep us on our toes, ongoing stress can have a negative impact on our health, relationships, sleep and if you aren’t careful it can cause burn out.

We have looked at some easy ways of taking care of yourself while keeping your career on track.

Know what’s important
We are constantly saying we are busy, but don’t make this a reason to be late, tried and in the end, less productive. Each morning before you look at emails or make any calls, write a list of what you need to do that day and check on any meetings that have been scheduled. When you prioritise your workload, it is easier to have a stress-free day and if additional tasks come in, look at just how important they are before dropping your original plans.

Learn to say no
We are conditioned to say yes, but doing so can pile on the stress and make you less efficient. It isn’t easy to say no to a new project from your boss, especially when a promotion is on the cards, but if things feel too much, sit down with them and look at where other tasks can be delegated and what the deadlines are – tomorrow isn’t always realistic.

Take breaks
If you spend most of your day at a desk, you need to get up, walk away and take regular breaks. Making a cup of tea, walking to talk to a colleague, going to the post room and even making a phone call in reception are simple but effective ways to have a break from sitting down and staring straight ahead. When it comes to lunch time, it might be tempting to sit and work through your to-do list, but this is the perfect time to get away from it all. Go for a walk, have lunch at a local coffee shop or pack sandwiches and head to the park and clear your head.

Meditate at work
Meditation isn’t just for yoga classes and a quick session at your desk can really help bring clarity to your day. Even if you are having a super busy time, downing tools for five minutes, taking stock of your breathing and taking a step back can help increase your productivity levels and leave you feeling energised. There are loads of great books and apps out there, we like Buddhify, so have a look around and find something that works for you.

Work-life balance
We know it sounds like meaningless jargon, but it is vital to plan your free time as well as work diary to get the right balance. Having a mix of hobbies, a group of friends to meet up with, gym membership or regular Zumba class to attend, will all help you turn off from work and relax.

Book a holiday
Just as you need to take a break in the day, you also need to use your holiday time. We aren’t saying take a full two weeks, but a long weekend with the girls or a mini break by the sea can really revive you and you will go back into work feeling refreshed and smiling.

So, if you want to be more productive and less stressed, take time out for you and we think you will see a difference.

Team Pure Beauty