EDITION 777
5 AUGUST 2019
As another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. This newsletter is sent to 50,000+ subscribers each Monday. Please share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can subscribe, learn and engage. I'd be very grateful if you did.
- How to structure your team meetings better. Let’s be honest: Most meetings are a waste of time, especially if they aren’t well designed. Next time you lead a team meeting, take the time to carefully structure it so that the duration and content align with the objective. [MORE]
- Being socially active could fend off risk of dementia. A new study by researchers at University College London (UCL) has found that being socially active in your 50s and 60s may help lower the risk of developing dementia in later life. Using data that tracked more than 10,000 people from 1985 to 2013, the researchers found that seeing friends almost daily at age 60 was associated with a 12% lower likelihood of developing dementia in later life. The Telegraph
- Happiness is a fickle feeling. It comes and goes. So, the search for a permanent state of happiness at work is liable to lead to the opposite. What’s more sustainable? Finding professional meaning. Unlike happiness, meaning can weather the ups and downs at work, and it has been shown to boost job satisfaction, engagement and retention. While it’s different for everyone, gravitating toward a mission that you value, something you identify with, is a good first step toward meaning. You may even find happiness in the process. [MORE]
- Look away now Scrooge. Selfridges has opened its Christmas shop, a “record” 149 days before the event itself. Shoppers can escape the heatwave and fill their stockings with tree decorations ranging from an £8 glitter and sequin-embellished glass bauble to a £45 Santa on a motorcycle. Selfridges said catering to early Christmas shoppers and international tourists translates into year-on-year record sales. Britons collectively spend just under £446,000 every minute of every day on presents alone in December. The Guardian
- Ten hottest years in last 135 all since 2002. The ten hottest years in the UK since records began in 1884 have all been since 2002, according to Met Office figures that demonstrate the speed at which climate change is accelerating. The publication of the data comes two days after the national weather service confirmed that a record for Britain’s highest temperature on 25th July, when the mercury hit 38.7C in Cambridge. The Times
- A total of 145 million old £1 coins are missing. Just 24 million old pound coins have been returned to the Royal Mint since they ceased to be legal tender in October 2017, a fraction of the 1.7 billion coins in circulation. The round £1 coins can still be taken deposited at the bank but are not accepted for payment in shops. One in 30 of the older version was estimated to be fake, according to the Royal Mint. BBC
- UK company insolvencies have hit a five-year high. Government agency Insolvency Service said underlying corporate insolvencies rose 2.6% in the second quarter, up 12% from the same period a year earlier. The construction sector has seen the biggest share of insolvencies, with service industries such as administration, hospitality and retail also showing signs of struggle. Separate data shows around one in nine of the nation’s shops are now vacant, with more expected to disappear in the coming 18 months. Financial Times
- Struggling to get a major project off the ground? Take a cue from John Steinbeck and start a journal. The Grapes of Wrath author poured out all his concerns, fears and hang-ups into a journal he committed to updating every weekday. Putting our self-doubt onto the page gives us space to view it from a different perspective and keeping to a consistent journaling schedule helps instil the kind of discipline that’s essential to completing a big project. [MORE]
- You thought you had a bad week! A 45-year-old nurse who has lived in Paris for 18 years had her application for citizenship rejected because she works too hard. Her 67.5 hours a week were deemed to be in breach of France’s working-time regulations. The standard working week is 35 hours. She may reapply for citizenship in 2021. Metro
- The bottom line. According to a poll carried out by the Jewish Chronicle last year, more than half of British Jews aged 35-55 years would consider emigrating to Israel if Jeremy Corbyn became Prime Minister. The Sunday Times
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