1. Side Stretches: This exercise is calming and excellent for your side muscles and waist. It can be done at your desk, in a chair, standing up, or just about anywhere. To do a side stretch, simply place your hands on your hips or above your head and lean as far to one side as you can. Then lean to the opposite side.
2. Neck Rolls: Sitting at a desk all day can make your neck sore and tense. Roll your neck by reaching your head as far forwards as possible. Roll your head across your shoulders and then as far back as possible. This will relieve tension in your neck, improve your posture, and help calm you down.
3. Stand Up: Most people think that having a desk job means that you have to sit in a desk all day, but this isn’t the case. Most employers will not mind if you work standing up. Standing up for all or part of your work day will improve your posture, aid blood flow, and improve your over-all well being.
4. Leg Lifts: Stand up and lift one knee as high as you can, holding it there for several seconds. Repeat this exercise with your other leg. If you do this exercise several times in a row, you can avoid leg cramps and increase your circulation.
5. Sitting Leg Lifts: You can perform sitting leg lifts while at your desk. Simply raise both legs as high as you can and hold for several seconds. Let your legs drop to the ground and then repeat the exercise. This exercise will improve the circulation in your legs and will also stretch your back muscles, which is calming and will improve your posture.
6. Awareness Breathing: This exercise can help you cope with frustrating or stressful situations in the work place. Simply become aware of your breathing for a period of five to ten minutes. Focus on the air going in and out of your body and feel the sensations of the air expanding and deflating your lungs.
7. Deep Breathing: Deep breathing is another way to calm yourself. When people are stressed, they tend to breath rapidly and shallowly. It’s important to use the whole capacity of your lungs. Take a deep breath and hold it for five to ten seconds. Exhale slowly and feel the emptiness in your lungs. Repeat this exercise several times to achieve a calming effect.
8. Hip Exercises: Stand up and do a brief hip exercise to relieve stress and tension. Stand with a slight gap between your feet and move your hips in the pattern of a figure eight. This is an excellent way to tone your stomach and relieve stress.
9. Arm Raises: Raising your arms periodically throughout the day can relieve wrist strain and improve your circulation. You can perform arm raises while standing or sitting. Raise your arm above your head and reach towards the sky. Slowly lean your arm as far over your head as possible. Let your arm drop to your side and perform the exercise with the other arm.
10. Butt Exercises: You can perform a simple butt exercise by clenching your butt muscles as hard as you can, then releasing. This will increase the circulation in your butt and help prevent your legs from falling asleep. This exercise will also help tone your butt.

Performing these exercises several times a day can spice up your work, improve your posture, and help relieve the physical and mental stress of a desk job. The most important thing to remember is to choose exercises that make you feel great.

James Adams is a full time, desk-bound blogger who works with an online store specialising in franking machine cartridges and various other supplies. For more of his writing about art, advertising and design, check out their blog.

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

Ideas are tricky things, they come to the brain without provocation but you have to find something to do with them. If your mind is open and willing to take action, inspiration can come from daily life. Here are ten things to do to spur the imagination.

1. Exercise: Staring at a computer all day is an activity that is done by a lot of people. When you find that your brain is going numb, take a walk around the house or office. It usually takes fifteen or twenty minutes and it really gets the brain working. Exercise focuses individuals into creative work.
2. Watch the sunrise: Every sunrise and sunset is different, awash with colors and beautiful. They are divine poetry, written for all to see. If you need writing inspiration, take a few minutes to describe that fleeting moment on paper.
3. Look to your dreams: Dreams can tell stories of what’s going on in your daily life from a completely different perspective. They will often be abstract and take you to places that you’ve never been. Who better to capture the flavor of your dreams than you?
4. Write Poetry: To many, there is nothing so fun as wordplay. See how many words you can rhyme together and try to make them connect. Use some of the different styles of poetry to frame your fun. Dip into iambic pentameter and round out your fun with a limerick. While not guaranteed to bring forth a great work of your own, it will get the brain working.
5. People Watch: Go to the mall or your favorite bookstore and watch the people around. Make up stories about the strangers that you see, how they interacted with others. If you get a chance, listen to their conversations and gather ideas about how they talk.
6. Change the Venue: Get out of the house and go look at something that you’ve not seen before. Travel to one of the many state parks and see the sights there. Benches abound and the fresh air will do you some good.
7. Check out some books: Libraries are great sources of ideas and inspiration. If you don’t feel like reading one of the many books, look through the card catalog to see what others are interested in. Passion is something great to see in almost any venue.
8. Volunteer: Volunteer opportunities are available in most towns. Take a few minutes out of your day to help others with their needs. Not only will it give you a great feeling, it has the potential of telling you a few stories that will get your own creativity going.
9. Let the routine slide for a day: Try taking a different route to work and paying attention to the scenery that’s along your way. If you can slightly alter the way, you will be amazed at the various shops and restaurants that grace the path. Remember that a path to work might be longer, but it can be more fulfilling.
10. Talk with friends: Friends are great fountains of information. They have wonderful stories and they offer a different perspective from where you are. They’re the ones who are keeping an eye out for your interests and can inspire you to do your best.

Inspiration is usually found when you’re doing something else. Actively searching it out, there might not be as much luck as the day that you just let it all go. If you’re seeking inspiration to do a craft, keep in mind that something usually comes if you’re continually doing that craft.

James is a tech writer and analyst who works for a UK based specialist in supplies such as the HP 350 ink cartridge and other printer inks.

photo credit: belindah

A Little Inspiration

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, It is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.

Author Unknown

The Russians encountered the same problem…what was their solution?

They used a pencil.

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A Japanese company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. The problem was isolated to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For reasons unknown, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Engineers were brought in  to solve the problem, which they did by devising  an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed down the line to making sure they were full.

When a production worker in smaller company was faced with the same problem he didn’t get into expensive X-rays manned by personnel.

His solution?

He set up a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. As each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

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So don’t over-think the problem as the solution may be a lot simpler then you realize.

photo credit: andyp uk

2. Lack of impulse control. Habitual impulsiveness gets in the way of optimal performance. Some people do not bring their full intellectual resources to bear on a problem but go with the first solution that pops into their heads.

3. Lack of perserverance and perseveration. Some people give up too easily, while others are unable to stop even when the quest will clearly be fruitless.

4. Using the wrong abilities. People may not be using the right abilities for the tasks in which they are engaged.

5. Inability to translate thought into action. Some people seem buried in thought. They have good ideas but rarely seem able to do anything about them.

6. Lack of product orientation. Some people seem more concerned about the process than the result of activity.

7. Inability to complete tasks. For some people nothing ever draws to a close. Perhaps it’s fear of what they would do next or fear of becoming hopelessly enmeshed in detail.

8. Failure to initiate. Still others are unwilling or unable to initiate a project. It may be indecision or fear of commitment.

9. Fear of failure. People may not reach peak performance because they avoid the really important challenges in life.

photo credit: ronocdh

10. Procrastination Some people are unable to act without pressure. They may also look for little things to do in order to put off the big ones.

11. Misattribution of blame. Some people always blame themselves for even the slightest mishap. Some always blame others.

12. Excessive self-pity. Some people spend more time feeling sorry for themselves than expending the effort necessary to overcome the problem.

13. Excessive dependency. Some people expect others to do for them what they ought to be doing themselves.

14. Wallowing in personal difficulties. Some people let their personal difficulties interfere grossly with their work. During the course of life, one can expect some real joys and some real sorrows. Maintaining a proper perspective is often difficult.

15. Distractibility and lack of concentration. Even some very intelligent people have very short attention spans.

16. Spreading oneself too think or too thick. Undertaking too many activities may result in none being completed on time. Undertaking too few can also result in missed opportunities and reduced levels of accomplishment.

17. Inability to delay gratification. Some people reward themselves and are rewarded by others for finishing small tasks, while avoiding bigger tasks that would earn them larger rewards.

18. Inability to see the forest for the trees. Some people become obsessed with details and are either unwilling or unable to see or deal with the larger picture in the projects they undertake.

19. Lack of balance between critical, analytical thinking and creative, synthetic thinking. It is important for people to learn what kind of thinking is expected of them in each situation.

20. Too little or too much self-confidence. Lack of self-confidence can gnaw away at a person’s ability to get things done and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Conversely, individuals with too much self-confidence may not know when to admit they are wrong or in need of self-improvement.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the Mexican.

“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?” asked the Mexican.

“With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.

“And after that?”

“Afterwards? Well my friend, that’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” asked the Mexican.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

And the moral of this story is: ……… Know where you’re going in life… you may already be there.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked his students if the jar was full…they all agreed that it was full.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked again if the jar was full. Again, they all agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else in the jar. He then asked once more if the jar was full to which the students responded with a resounding..YES!

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under his table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students started to laugh.

Now, said the professor as the laughter subsided, I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things…your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions…and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else…the small stuff.

If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, there is no room for the golf balls or the pebbles. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents, visit with your grandparents. Take time to get regular medical checkups. Take your parents out to dinner, play another round of 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house or fix the disposal.

Take care of the golf balls first…the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and asked what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled and said…I’m glad you asked.

The coffee shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.