EDITION 1044
4 NOVEMBER 2024

On this day in 2008, Barack Obama was elected as the first African American President of the United States. His victory represented a historic moment in American history and was celebrated around the world.

So, as another week passes into the annals of history, 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.

Just before you dive in, remember our POTENTIAL workbook [see below] is on offer for only £99. This unique workbook will help guide your organisation to its highest potential. Contact us today to start your transformation.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to keep your to-do list fresh. In a world of constant distractions and endless demands, keeping a to-do list is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to stay organised and productive. However, the challenge isn’t just in creating a list - it’s in keeping it fresh, relevant, and motivating. Whether you’re a long-time list-maker or someone looking to revamp their productivity approach, these tips will help you re-energise your to-do list and make it work for you, not against you. READ MORE

2. Business responds cautiously to the budget. The Chancellor delivered her maiden budget speech last week, marking Labour's first fiscal announcement in 14 years. Here are some of the major changes coming to UK fiscal policy: The government plans to raise taxes by £40bn, making the budget one of the largest tax-raising events in UK history. Employer national insurance contributions will rise from 13.8% to 15%, with payments starting at £5,000 salary instead of £9,100. The 75% business rates discount, due to expire in April 2025, will be replaced by a discount of 40% up to a maximum of £110k. The national living wage is set to increase to £12.21 per hour for those over 21, while minimum wage for 18-20 year olds will rise to £10. Fuel duty will be frozen next year, maintaining the existing 5p cut for another year.  A cut to duty on draft alcohol, which means a penny off the pints at the pubs. Both capital gains tax rates will increase – from 10% to 18% for basic rate, and 20% to 24% for higher rate. The government will extend the inheritance tax threshold freeze to 2030, maintaining the current £325,000 tax-free allowance. Editor

3. How confident are you that Kemi Badenoch will lead the Tories back to power?
Like her political heroine Margaret Thatcher, Kemi Badenoch - who is the new Conservative leader - divides opinion even within her own party. Her robust views, anti-woke values and no-nonsense style have made her a darling of the Conservative right and the party's grassroots and last week they chose her to lead the party. Sometimes accused of wanting to start a fight in an empty room, she says she does not like to fight - but is prepared to fight to defend Conservative principles. How confident are you that Kemi Badenoch will lead the Tories back to power? Please share your thoughts in our lates poll. VOTE HERE

4. One in 10 workers nap on the job. Do you nap while on the clock? If so, and you work from home, you're just like one in 10 British workers who told a survey they snooze during work hours. Across the UK, this could mean 4.3 million people sleep while working, at a cost of £500m (€592m) a week in lost productivity, the Times reports. The research, done by energy drink company Reign Storm, found that naps between 3pm and 4pm were most common, while one in five 18-24 year-olds said they would call in sick because of tiredness. The survey of around 2,000 people also found that 3 million people quit their jobs because of negative feelings brought on by tiredness. One in six said they had argued with a colleague because they were tired. The Daily Mail

5. The price of being a digital nomad. London and Dublin are the most expensive European capitals for digital nomads, new research shows. The average monthly living cost for expat workers has risen 5% in the past year to €1,586 (£1,316), a survey by neo-bank bunq has found. It compared expenses for rent, groceries, public transport, utilities and co-working spaces in 27 EU capital cities and London. At the top of the range, average monthly costs in London were €3,227, up 7.1% on 2023, followed by Dublin on €2,634 (+1.6%). Bucharest remains the cheapest European capital, according to bunq, with living costs at €829 per month, up 3.2% from last year. The Irish Times

6. Apple withholds intelligence features. Apple's new artificial intelligence technology is now available in the US on iPhone, iPad and Mac but the company is waiting until next April before launching "Apple Intelligence" across all of its products in the European Union. The delay is reportedly due to complications the company would face under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The California tech giant says Apple Intelligence will allow users to refine their writing; summarise notifications, mail and messages; and experience a more capable Siri. When it does go live, the EU version of Apple Intelligence will exclude certain features in order to comply with local regulations. Apple Intelligence will be launched in the UK in December. Anyone that wants to try Apple Intelligence now can access some features including AI-powered writing tools and Siri improvements on their Mac if they download macOS Sequoia 15.1. EuroNews

7. The Church of England is in a state of panic. Weekly attendance at parish churches has plummeted from 854,000 in 2019 to 685,000 in 2023. In other words, 169,000 worshippers – 20% of the total – completely vanished. More people now attend a mosque or a Catholic mass. This is starting to matter, and not just to the religious, as Britain’s towns and villages become littered with large, beautiful, permanently locked buildings. Of the 16,000 Anglican churches in England, 12,500 are listed, and half of those have untouchable Grade I status. Already between 3,000 and 5,000 are empty, with no resident vicar. Repairing the whole lot would cost £1bn, which the Church cannot possibly afford. The Guardian

8. The changing face of crime. Crime experienced by individuals and households has generally decreased over the last 10 years with some notable exceptions, such as sexual assault. Latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) showed that there were an estimated 9.2 million incidents of headline crime (which includes theft, robbery, criminal damage, fraud, computer misuse and violence with or without injury) in the survey year ending (YE) June 2024, a 10% increase compared with last year’s survey (YE June 2023). ONS

9. Britain’s worst road. In case you are wondering which is the worst road in Britian, it has been announced. It is the A12, which runs from London to Lowestoft in Suffolk. The survey - conducted by independent watchdog Transport Focus - asked 9,000 drivers to rate motorways and A roads based on criteria including journey time, road markings, road surface and how safe they felt. The watchdog said the survey showed “the maintenance of motorways and major roads is more important to users than building new roads”. A stretch of the A19 in North Yorkshire was voted England’s best major road, in a survey of drivers. BBC

10. The bottom line. The grumble that Christmas is getting earlier every year is grounded in fact. A detailed analysis of “Christmas creep” shows that, for instance, the average supermarket launch date for Mr Kipling’s mince pies has retreated from 28 September in 2020 to 7 September this year. The Guardian