EDITION 1005
5 FEBRUARY 2024

Dear Reader,

You will notice a change in our newsletter this week, which includes an exciting offer. In the interest of providing a more economical option for smaller organisations, we are offering our POTENTIAL workbook as a stand alone product.

Purchase the workbook for only £99 to help guide your organisation to its highest potential. If you choose to later have us facilitate the process, the cost of the workbook will be credited against our normal fee. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Contact us now and start your transformation.

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to regain control of your inbox. In the digital age, we are often pinged with hundreds of notifications per day, which can lead to an out-of-control inbox containing thousands of unread emails. It's a familiar scenario, and the stress it can bring is very real – but there is a way out. READ MORE

2. Central banks resist rate cuts. Despite the recent cooling of UK inflation and wage growth, the Bank of England (BoE) held rates at 5.25% on Thursday. It is the fourth such decision in a row. This follows the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, which have also left rates unchanged in the last week. ECB President Christine Lagarde said it's "premature" even to discuss rate cuts. According to Bloomberg, today's decision by the BoE "implies that, just like the Fed, the Bank of England isn't quite as keen to cut as markets want to believe". So when will relief come? The BoE and ECB have reiterated rates will stay high until inflation hits their 2% target. JP Morgan's notes that inflation and wage growth while slowing, are still running too hot for rates to fall. BBC

3. Brexit: where are we four years on? Last week marked four years since the UK formally left the European Union. Back then, Boris Johnson, who had just won an 80-seat majority promising to "get Brexit done", hailed the date as the start of a new golden era for Britain. Turning rhetoric into reality has proved much harder, however. Johnson is gone, as is his successor, Liz Truss. Rishi Sunak has adopted a more pragmatic approach and sought to mend ties with Europe, but several issues remain as divisive as ever, notably; the economy, trade and immigration. For example, a study by the London School of Economics found that it was responsible for about a third of UK food price inflation since 2019, adding nearly £7 billion to Britain's grocery bill. The Times

4. Study links education and health. The first-ever study to look at a link between education and longevity has found that for every year a person spends in school or university full-time, the risk of mortality drops by 2%. The research, which drew on evidence from industrialised as well as developing countries, showed that completing the initial stages of formal education (primary, secondary and tertiary) was akin to a lifetime of adopting a healthy diet – reducing the risk of death by at least 34% compared to those without any formal education attendance. For people who had never attended school, the absence of education "was as bad for adult health as consuming five or more alcoholic drinks every day or smoking 10 cigarettes each day for a decade". The Lancet

5. How long should our holiday be? It's the start of a new year and you're eyeing when, and for how long, you'll be able to go on leave: Do you a) book several short breaks or b) plan for a month-long holiday? According to a 10-year-old study, the sweet spot for optimal health and wellbeing during time off is around eight days. Researchers for The Washington Post found that workers' wellness levels rose in the early days, but the effect tapered off after a week. But the researchers cautioned that determining the perfect length of a holiday is more complex, as it depends on individual preferences and various factors like location, weather and social context. In the end, most researchers agree that it's best to avoid vacations that are either too short or too long, and instead take multiple shorter breaks throughout the year. What is your ideal vacation length? Share your thoughts in our lates poll. VOTE HERE

6. Handwriting helps jog your memory. As handwriting is increasingly giving way for typing, new research suggests that the pen is mightier than the keyboard. While some schools and universities are recommending notetaking  with digital devices because it's faster, brain researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found that handwriting makes the brain work harder which helps people learning and memorising new information. A different study suggested that writing things down helps people understand concepts better compared to when they type what's being said verbatim. Rather than rejecting digital devices, the researchers say there should be room for both handwriting and typing in the classroom. NBC

7. Retirement is not for everyone. Business moguls Giorgio Armani and Warren Buffet are exceptional in choosing to keep working into their 80s and 90s. However, they are not unique when it comes to working beyond the traditional retirement age. One recent poll found that almost one in three Americans say they may never retire, for example. The majority said they couldn't afford to give up a full-time job, especially with rising inflation. But if you are fortunate enough to be in a position to choose retirement, should you do it? Hobbies are all well and good for many, but intellectual stimulation, longer lifespans and feeling useful, are all positive reasons to continue working. The Economist

8. Music aids brain health. Playing a musical instrument or singing could help with brain health in old age, research has found. As a result, music should be considered as part of a healthy lifestyle when it comes to the brain, the authors said. Reading music and practising can help to sustain a good memory and the ability to solve complicated tasks. People who play a musical instrument saw the most benefit, which could be due to the multiple demands it places on the individual. Playing the piano had the most impact, followed by brass and woodwind. The added socialisation brought about by singing in a group was also beneficial. There was no impact on cognitive health from just listening to music. People who continued to play a musical instrument into old age saw an additional benefit. BBC

9. When is the time to buy? House prices didn't crash in 2023, despite what was expected by some commentators. However, they may drop this year, which could make many buyers wonder whether the time is right to get onto or move up the property ladder. The latest Nationwide House Price Index shows average values dropped 1.8% during 2023, but Halifax suggests they were up 1.7%. Meanwhile, the latest Rightmove index of asking prices showed a "promising new year start" as the average price of new property listings rose 1.3% between December and January, the biggest December to January increase in prices since 2020. The Independent

10. The bottom line. The estimated number of centenarians living in England and Wales as of 2022 stands at 15,120, according to latest figures. The total is a record high and has more than doubled from 6,920 in 2002. Office for National Statistics