Tips to Make Your House Look Ready for Guests

It’s already 5pm and the guests are going to be over in a couple of hours, and your house is very far from clean. Have no fear, let me share my 12 secret steps to make your home look cleaner than it really is:

1. Begin by clean where your guests are most ly to see: Start in the doorway and work your way to the living-room (unless you’re taking them somewhere else). Clean the floors and surfaces, and unclutter these areas.

2. Next, clean the TV, people always check out the TV, even if it’s off. Follow up by cleaning table-tops and counters. If you have some extra time, spray the rooms with air-freshener or scented disinfectant to make it feel fresh.

3. Clutter is an eyesore, put remotes in one place (a basket, for example), books on shelves or stack them neatly in one place, and stash any other random objects into a laundry basket, then hide it in your bedroom. If you have time to put things back – it’ll be easier to clean once the guests are gone!

4. Bathroom! Flush, brush and flush again! Wipe any unsightly spots and such, close all the drawers, cupboards and closets, hang all your towels and give this room an air-freshener spritz as-well. Still got time? Get the windex and clean the mirror and taps!

5. When was the last time you replaced the dish-towels? Or the hand-towels in your bathroom? Get to it!

7. Head to the Kitchen, you got to do the dishes! And when I say “do”, I mean either hide them in your dishwasher, or if it’s full – use the oven as a quick storage. Alternatively, put them in a bucket with hot water and soap, and hide it in your bedroom, it’ll make it easier to wash them later.

8. Clean the window sills and turn the blinds up (to hide the dust), still have time – get the windex and do the windows!

9. A lit house looks cleaner – so open up the blinds/curtains and let the sunshine in! If it’s night time, consider candles or lamps instead of the main lights – it’ll make the place look cozier.

10. In case you didn’t have a chance before, grab that air-freshener and spray each room. A clean smell often makes people ignore minor dirty corners.

11. Didn’t get a chance to clean everything yet? Put something shiny close to a dirty area, it’ll draw people’s attention away from the eyesore and over to the nice, shiny object!

12. We’re practically done, but if you got some extra time to spare, just get the vacuum and take care of the floors (remember to start by the door and clean according to guest-ly-to-visit rooms first) and if they happen to arrive while you’re at it – they’ll excuse whatever small mess since they’ll feel they disturbed you in the middle of cleaning!

9 Things Successful People Never Do At Office

One thing our generation lacks is emotional intelligence..We might be extremely tech savvy, sarcastic, funny, intellectual and totally cool, but we just don’t know how to behave on most occasions. Particularly, in a professional environment. Because we don’t know how to deal with office politics. And we definitely don’t know when to shut up. To solve all these problems, we bring you a guide on how to be emotionally intelligent at your workplace. It’s simple - just get rid of the following 9 habits. 

1. Don't talk about finding a new job.
 
You just don’t talk about these things. It is a no-no. Whether you’re looking for a job or not, it is entirely your business. We don’t realise it, but talking about this highlights your disinterest in work. Don’t be surprised if this news reaches your boss (because sooner or later it will). He’ll probably stop giving you work and then you won’t know where to go.
 
2. Don't talk about your pay package. 

No matter what your intentions are, you come across as a show-off. On top of that, it gives your colleagues a reason to compare. The outcome of this is that people make direct contrasts between how you work and how much you get paid. And you don’t want that.  

3. Avoid sharing details of your sex life. 

Nobody wants to know what you do in your bedroom. Office is just not the place to discuss these intimate details. It makes people around you uncomfortable. Let’s just say some lines shouldn’t be crossed. 

4. Don't mock your team mates. 

You might not mean any harm, but other people are sensitive and can take your jokes to heart. Especially your juniors. Mocking is a way of bringing them down. So, before you decide to laugh at someone, take a step back and evaluate your intentions. 

5. Give up being curious about other people’s lives. 

There should be only one mantra at work - mind your own business. Being curious can come across as being intrusive. And nobody likes people who poke their noses. Why do you want to know who he’s dating or what she does on the weekend? Don’t ask them and keep your questions to yourself. 

6. Avoid sharing too much on social media. 

The best thing is to not have your co-workers on your Facebook. Have them on Linkedin instead. You cannot predict what other people might conclude from your social media feed and how it will be discussed in office. Besides, your actions on Facebook or Twitter speak volumes about your character and you don’t know what impression it will have on your boss.
  
7. Keep your competitive side in check. 

There’s nothing wrong in being competitive. But going overboard with it is certainly problematic. For instance, if you are targeting someone and saying that you are better than Mr. X and you want to replace them, you’re being highly unprofessional. That just shows how insecure you are. Think about it. 

8. Stop telling the world about your drinking/smoking up habits. 

You might think that people will consider how cool you are, but you’re wrong. Instead, they’ll doubt your credibility and think of you as the person who is ALWAYS high. Sharing all this won’t get you marks for coolness. In fact, you’ll get labelled as the indifferent, laid-back and non-serious employee. 

9. Drop the rant about how much you hate your job. 

Never do that, NEVER! You’re opening exit doors for yourself. It makes you a negative person instead of a team player. The boss will find out that you are the cause of bringing your team’s morale down and it won’t be hard for him to find someone better than you. You need to understand that no one is irreplaceable. There are better candidates out there with a better attitude and resume than yours. Get yourself a reality check next time you crib about being stuck in this job. 

Source:

http://www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/self/9-things-successful-people-never-do-at-office-233243.html  

Author: 
Surabhi Nijhawan

Benefits of Sitting on the floor and eating

In many Indian households you will find that people sit on the floor and eat their meals. While most of us have embraced the table and chair as a place to eat, there are those of us who prefer to sit in front of the TV and/or sit on the bed and eat. While this might be very comfortable, it might not necessarily be the best thing for your health. Our ancestors definitely had a plan when they made sure we sit on the floor, cross legged and ate our food. 

Here are 10 reasons going back to your roots is the best for your health.

1.Helps improve your digestion:

When you sit on the floor, you usually sit cross legged – an asana known as sukhasana or a half padmasna which are poses that help in digestion (since it is believed that when one sits in this pose in front of food it automatically signals your brain to prepare for digestion). Apart from that when you eat from a plate placed on the floor, you will have to naturally bend forward slightly and go back to your starting position to swallow. This constant back and forth movement causes the muscles of your abdomen to be activated and also leads to increased secretion of stomach acids – making it much easier for you to digest food.

2.Helps you lose weight:

Sitting on the floor and eating has significant weight loss benefits too. When you sit in this position, your brain automatically calms down and is better equipped to focusing on the food you eat. Moreover this position helps you cognate the amount of food you have eaten and helps you feel full faster. How does that work? Well, the main reason people overeat is because they do not know when they are full. This happens because the vagus nerve (the main nerve that transmits signals from the stomach to the brain) sends signals to the brain as you eat, telling it if you are satiated or not. When you sit on the floor this nerve is able to perform better and transmit signals more efficiently. Also, since this position makes you eat slower than you would while sitting on a table, it gives your stomach and brain time to cognate the signals of feeling full, thereby preventing overeating .

3.Makes you more flexible:

When you squat or sit in padmasana, the muscles in your lower back, pelvis, around your stomach and those of the upper and lower abdomen stretch – reducing pain and discomfort. This, in turn helps your digestive system relax and stay in a normal position. Moreover, this position does not compress your stomach in anyway helping you eat and digest better. Moreover, the regular stretching of these essential muscles also helps make you more flexible and healthy.

4.Aids in mindful eating:

When you sit on the floor and eat as a family it aids in mindful eating. Not only does it help you focus on your food, but it also helps you make better choices when you eat. Since your mind is calm and your body is ready to accept nutrition, sitting on the floor is the best way to eat the right amount and kinds of food. According to leading nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar, eating food while concentrating on every aspect of the food – its smell, taste, texture and how much you are eating is the key to losing weight – which is what sitting on the floor and eating gives you.

5.Helps you bond with your family:

Usually the practice of sitting on the floor and eating is a family activity. This time is great for you to bond. One of the reasons sitting on the floor is better at helping you bond is because it leads to a calm and happy mind – helping you listen more intently and peacefully.

6.Improves your posture:

Posture is very important when it comes to staying healthy. Good posture not only helps prevent injuries but it also reduces the chances of excessive strain on certain muscles and joints, which can lead to fatigue and quicker than normal wear and tear. When you sit on the floor your posture is automatically corrected, making your back straight, lengthening your spine and pushes back your shoulders – beating all the common aches and pains that come with bad posture.

7.Can make you live longer:

Sounds a bit unbelievable right? Well, it’s true, sitting on the floor and eating can actually help you live longer. A study published in the Journal European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that people who sat on the floor in padmasana and were able to get up without any support were more likely to live longer. This is because being able to get up from that position takes a considerable amount of flexibility and lower body strength. The study found that those who were not able to get up without support were at the risk of being 6.5 times more likely to die in the next six years.

8.Lubricates and keeps your knees and hip joint healthy:

According to PS Venkateshwara, author of the book Yoga for Healing, padmasana and sukhasana is one pose that has health benefits for your entire body. Not only does it help your digestive system function better, but it also helps keep your joints supple, flexible and less prone to injuries and degenerative diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis. That is because the constant bending of the knees, ankles and hip joint helps keep them flexible and free of diseases. And with flexibility comes better lubrication between the joints making it much easier to sit on the floor.

9.Relaxes the mind and calms the nerves:

Sukhasana and padmasana or the cross legged way one sits on the floor while eating has a number of benefits, and one of its most significant ones is that it calms the mind and relaxes frazzled nerves. A very handy tool, it is believed in Ayurveda that eating with a calm mind helps better digestion and in some cases has even helped people relish food better.

10.Strengthens the heart by improving circulation:

Have you ever noticed that when you eat, you tend to feel warmer and in some cases even sweat? Well, that is because when we eat our stomach needs all the energy it can use to digest food. One of digestion’s most important element is a sound blood circulation. To keep up with this process, your heart tends to work overtime to help out your digestive system. Here is where sitting on the floor and eating can help you out. When you sit on the floor your heart gets the benefits of circulation as the blood is easily pumped through the heart to all the organs needed for digestion. This is in contrast to the pattern of circulation when you sit on a dining table and chair, wherein the blood flows to the legs as they are lower than the heart. Therefore sitting on the floor and eating, affords you a healthy heart with strong muscles to help it cope with the pressures of daily life.

Source:http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/why-you-should-sit-on-the-floor-while-eating/