How to Brighten Your Workplace During Winter

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Fighting Winter Blues

Chances are, the sun sets before you leave work these days. No one likes feeling dark and closed in all day long. So, it’s time to get proactive and let the light in. After all, winter isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Get brighter. It’s important to get exposure to natural light during winter months. You could invest in a desk lamp that mimics daylight. Or you can even just upgrade your bulbs — look for standard bulbs listed as 4100 Kelvin colour temperature.

Add colour. A pop of colour — be it an area rug or throw blanket — can add major light to your grey workplace. Consider the mood your want to create in your environment. For example, purple will add a sense of calm to your space while orange will energize it.

Liven up. Plants are miracle workers indoors and out. They purify the air, lift the mood and can create a general sense of well-being in the workplace. Consider the air quality in your workplace. During the winter, it’s likely warm and dry. So look for hearty plants that will add moisture to the air without demanding much upkeep. We recommend spider plants and English ivy.

Tips for Using Watercolour Paints

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No matter how busy you are, artistic expression would do you good. Creating art relieves stress, improves cognitive function and has the same effect on the brain as meditation. So whether you’ve got five minutes a week or twenty minutes a day, consider putting it toward an art project.

Watercolour Techniques

This fall, we’re learning to use watercolours. And the best thing we’ve learned about the process so far? You don’t have to be a master to love it. Here are a few ways we’re getting creative with colour.

Creative uses for watercolour paints

  • Add salt. Create texture, like snow or leaves, by sprinkling salt onto freshly painted watercolour. Don’t be too heavy-handed; the goal is not for the salt to stick, but to sit on top of your paint. When the paint dries, simply wipe the salt away.
  • Dye flowers. This is a fun experiment to undertake with the kids. Add a dime-sized amount of watercolour paint to a vase of white flowers. You can even divide the flowers into several vases, using a different watercolour base for each one. Over several days, watch the flowers take on colour.
  • Spray it out. Fill a spray bottle with water and add a few dollops of watercolour paint. (More paint will result in strong colour, and less paint will give you subtle hues.) Create different patterns by spraying from varied distances.

Why Hard Copy Records are Good for Your Business

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In our digital lives, we’ve forgotten the value of hard Copies. But who among us hasn’t experienced a computer crash, hard drive mishap or lost email?

All of these things make your digital records vulnerable and highlight the importance of the paper copy. Concerned? Read on.

Hardcopy Presentation Handouts

Protect contracts.

These days, it’s common for employees, clients and distributors to sign electronic contracts. If you aren’t backing these up with hard copies, you could be on a road toward a setback. If your email is compromised — through hacking or crashing or an accidental ‘delete’ — you could find yourself in a real pickle. Imagine renegotiating all of the contracts with your employees or suppliers? Yeah, it’s not a pretty thought. Print hard copies and store them securely.

Maintain privacy.

Private information — like social insurance numbers or client details — is ripe fruit for hackers. Keep the information you hold dear safe, by keeping it on paper.

Prevent a catastrophic crash.

We’ve all experienced the 9th inning computer crash. It’s that moment when the presentation is set to begin, and you plug in your computer… and nothing shows up. If you don’t have your presentation in hard copy, you’re in trouble. Repeat after us: print, print and print again.