So, the napkin goes...there!

Hello, everyone!

Some of you took part in the poll about where to leave your napkin in case you need to excuse yourself from the dining table briefly (examples are if you need to take a very important call that cannot wait, or if you really need to go to the restroom).

Well, I must say opinions vary when it comes to the place your napkin should be left at. Some experts say the appropriate place is to the left of your plate. Some experts say it is on your seat.

Here are my insights:

Leaving it on the table, to the left of your plate: A (hopefully not so) dirty, used napkin looks like it "d.n.b." (does not belong) on a table where others are still dining. Depending on how much room there is for all people, your napkin might be too close to the other person's elbow and right hand.

Leaving it on the seat: Nobody will really see or be bothered by your napkin, so that is a good thing. On the other hand, we know the seat has been sat on by more than just yourself, and before sitting on this seat, you sat on other places as well. People regard this as a possible hygiene issue.

My personal solution is the following: I will leave it on the seat. In high-class establishments, you can maybe even receive a clean napkin by the time you return. If not, don't worry. Your napkin in usually large enough to be folded in 2. I use the inside of the napkin, and thus, my lips will not touch what the seat has touched. Crumbs will be there, so I am careful and simply try to avoid them as much as possible.

Also, another good hint: If you are going out on a special date, an important business dinner/lunch and are wearing dark pants, trousers or skirts, make a test at home to see if it will possibly pick up "napkin lint" easily! Like that, you will avoid walking out of the restaurant with a clearly visible lint patch on your pants/skirt! (most restaurants opt for white, off-white, ivory, champagne colored napkins, in addition to other light colors)

Bon apetit!

Napkin Etiquette

Napkins belong on your lap. They do not belong tucked into your shirt (never, ever!), no matter how much you want to protect it from spills (simply order something that is easy to eat). Napkins do not belong tucked into your pants or skirt either. They don't need to be secured like that.

You may place your napkin on your lap as soon as you sit down at the table. If you are attending a business lunch, look for hints given out by the "leader" (the host of the lunch, or the client, or your manager), and you may follow his/her actions. However, it is expected that a napkin is already on your lap before bread, or the first course is served.

What do you do if you need to briefly leave the table? Where will you place your napkin? I want to hear it from you. Plase take the poll on the right, and let's see what you believe is appropriate!

When you are hosting a dinner party:
Beware of creating fancy napkin folds. At least make sure your hands are very clean, because fancy napkin folds require you to touch the napkins many, many times, and keep in mind that someone else will be using that napkin later on. Sometimes, the simple fold is just the best.

Instead of using all of your napkin, try to keep it clean and use an area around the same spot. This will increase your chances of you staying clean as well.

Don't wipe your face with your napkin, but lightly press it around your mouth area to dab what needs to be dabbed. Your napkin may hold some unwanted piece of food, but remember to be very discreet when placing it inside the napkin!

Avoid placing your used napkin on your dirty plate. There is no need for that. Additionally, it does not leave a good impression on other diners who are with you.

There is much more to napkin etiquette, but I hope you enjoy the brief "tutorial"! Now, have you participate in the poll already?

I'm sorry for the delay!

We all know the holiday season is a very busy time of the year. Can you believe it already passed and we are in 2009? Sometimes, we feel we are so involved with all the parties, office parties, cooking, baking, wrapping gifts, decorating, opening gifts, entertaining, taking pictures and reading holiday cards, that days go by and the holiday entertainment and atmosphere do not seem to cease!

Then, we realize the difficult thruth: We forgot to THANK people for their caring gift they gave us and our family in the month of December. Well, you know you thanked them verbally, but you really wanted to send out a nice Thank You Note expressing your gratitude.

Now, you find yourself already in January! What should you do?

The best thing to do is to be creative!

• Make a very small compilation of your favorite Holiday pictures on which your kids, your loved one, your pets or the beautiful natural scenery is displayed.
• Use these pictures to create a fun Thank You card where you not only thank the person for their gift(s), but where you also wish them all the best for the new year!
• You may use colorful paper to crate your cards or a fun computer software can help you as well. Even a simple word processing program can create nice cards!
• You may want to add a small note on your card simply apologizing for the delay

There is a "social rule" that asks for Thank Yous to be given no later than 48h. You can call or send a card. I understand we sometimes have the best of intentions, but are unable to stay withing these 48h. While this short time span demonstrates a strong commitment from your part, don't feel bad if you are unable to stay within it.

Think about how you can learn from this experience as well. How did it make you feel when you wanted to send out the Thank You cards but didn't do so "in time? Then, how did it make you feel to end out personalized cards with holiday pictures and a handwritten note?

Think about using your weekly/daily goal strategy to your advantage before the holiday season comes again. Choose a day around those December days that you will dedicate to writing your cards. To increase your efficiency, you may even want to think about pre-addressing the envelopes sometime during a quiet day of the year, or choosing which card will go to what family/friend, and save time by doing so!

E is for Thank You Etiquette.

E is for Efficiency.

Setting goals - Part II

Hello!

I hope you are very enthusiastic about your weekly and daily goal setting. Moreover, I hope you realize what an achievement it is, to have a successful day (and week!) where all your goals have been accomplished.

REWARD YOURSELF!

I am not in favor of depriving ourselves from what we want, especially if it makes us happy. Nevertheless, as a motivation, maybe you might want to shift the day you'll buy yourself that new scarf or the new laptop sleeve...Set it for the end of the week, after you've had a successful completion of your goals.
Let me know later how this made you feel!

Setting goals for the New Year!

E is for EFFICIENCY! By setting and achieving goals, we live a more efficient life!

Why is it important to set goals?

1. By setting goals, we are making a compromise. We are emphasizing the desire we have to achieve something, and by simply setting goals that are believable and achievable, we may act and live our lives towards achieving these goals;
2. Goals frame what we want to do. If one of my goals is to read 2 books about Personal Communication per month, it probably means I am interested in learning more about Communication. It could also mean that I want to increase my vocabulary and dynamic reading skills;
3. When we set goals, we have more structure in our lives. We look for ways to achieve our goals, and organize them so that we can accomplish important steps each day or each week. This structure enables us to make efficient use of time, and finally,
4. Once we achieve our goals, we feel proud, accomplished, motivated and happy!

How can I set goals for myself?

(1) Start out with daily goals that you write down the night before you go to sleep.
Make a list of the things you want to accomplish today. The list can be written on paper or can be inut into your smart phone or PDA. Make a list of the things you need to buy, people you need to contact (call or meet), places you need to go and things you need to do at home. Do these in order you will be carrying them out. Example:

Tuesday, December 30:
9:15a.m., CALL: Mary (about dinner next weekend), ABC Store (about an order I placed), Mom (about beans recipe)
1p.m., GO TO: Post Office to mail package to cousins, Target to buy New Year's decor
BUY (see above): New Year's decor
4p.m., AT HOME: vacuum all couches, take stain off white shirt, marinate chicken for tomorrow, water all plants

• Carry your list everywhere you go! Make it easily accessible to you at all times.
• By dividing things into categories, you save time!
• Use colors to enhance your list and visually catch your attention.
• To save even more time, don't forget to write them down in the order you will be doing each task.
• Cross out each item once it is completed!
• Avoid adding any new item unless it is of utmost importance and cannot wait until the next day.

(2) Once you've mastered setting and accomplishing daily goals, move on to weekly goals:
You may use a dry-erase board, an agenda, or a custom self-designed table on Excel or on paper.
Write down the days of the week as collumns, one next to another.
Devide each collumn into A.M. (morning), P.M. (afternoon) and NIGHT (you will set the time for what night means to you. For me, it would be after 8 p.m.)
On the top of each collumn you will write the "Goal of the day", which is the most important thing you want to get done.
In your A.M. section, you will write the most important goal for the morning and you will do the same for the P.M. and the NIGHT collumn.
You will increment your daily collumns with daily goals, so that your weekly goals list will guide you to create your daily goals list! An example:

MONDAY, December 29:
Buy a bigger car seat!

AM: Meet with the new pool cleaning company
PM: Go to the mall to buy a bigger car seat
Exchange Bday gift to a smaller size
Gym class
Walk neighbor's dogs

NIGHT: Premiere of the XYZ Show

You will write a brief weekly goals list for each day of the week, and from there you will develop your daily list. Your weekly goals list should be written on the same day/night each week, so that you can create some consistency.

The daily goals list for this (above listed) Monday, would be as follows:

9a.m., CALL: Guard gate to let the pool cleaning company in
9:30a.m., MEET,: John, from pool company
12p.m. to 3p.m., GO TO: Fashion Mall, to buy larger car seat / exchange my gift/ look around/ have a coffee
5p.m., GO TO: Gym, step class
6:15p.m.: WALK Susan's dogs and turn on her porch lights, get her mail/ get my mail/ sort mail out
7:15p.m.: Shower, dinner (eat Sub from last night!)
8:30, WATCH: Premiere of XYZ Show!!
9:30, MAKE LIST for tomorrow!

On a next Post, I will talk about monthly goals and yearly goals. This is very exciting, as I hope that by the next time, you will be mastering the weekly and daily goal setting, by enjoying and learning from it.

Let's all live a more efficient life! I am curious to read your comments and smile at your achievements!

May the New Year start off very well for you! I wish you all the very best!
Happy New Year!