- Re-vitalising after too much partying: take a long walk in the fresh air.
- Progressing your Spanish: take up Spanish cookery; start with the Sunday paella.
- Coping with credit-card bill shock: Take scissors, cut card in half. Eat brown rice for 6 weeks.
- Making money: save money by working in cash. Only. For all of January 2009.
- Understanding London: read the history of the London Underground system.
- Making a great Bolognese sauce. Don’t skip the chicken liver in the authentic recipe.
- Closing the deal: ring up and ask for the business.
- Re-building a relationship: write and send a nice long, newsy e-mail.
- Boosting your creativity: know what the box is, first.
- Anxiety over job security in 2009: decide to do whatever you do, really well.
- Great sex: go more slowly.
- Feeling hung-over: lots of water + lots of sleep.
- Feeling low: get to the library/book-shop and escape into a stack of great books.
- Wondering if you should get on Facebook: if you are wondering, then no, you don’t need to.
- Great sex: go more quickly.
- Why hasn’t he texted?: send one more text then forget it. Truly.
- Boosting your memory: write it down
- Economical food shopping: write a list. Stick to it.
- Eating healthily: no deserts at some meals. Decide which.
- Giving up smoking: don't. Learn to meditate.
- More profitable business: stop discounting. You're good-they will buy.
- Easier to remember passwords: essentially the same password, but embed the difference e.g. 123AMAZONcamel.
- Thwarting muggers: carry a false wallet.
- Eating less: use a smaller plate.
- Better relationships with your children: be interested.
- Better study: always overview the materials.
- Finding the girl/boy of your dreams: they are already there, you just need to notice them.
- Creating a new logo: don't. Spend the money improving your service.
- Better presentations: ensure 10% at least is stories with no PowerPoint.
- Reducing your food bill: less meat, more lentils.
- Getting better at drawing: book a class.
- Getting smarter: ask more questions of more people more often.
- Having charisma; be enthusiastic.
- Getting more from the gym: learn the correct technique.
- Choosing a present: re-play recent conversations you have had with them for an inspiration.
- Coping with the Starbucks drinks menu: choose short, two-shot for the perfect ratio.
- Recession proofing your business: prove you are an investment not a cost.
- Cooking: get all the basics such as black pepper-corns, to hand.
- Personal Energy: use your body to get it used to providing energy for you.
- Becoming a better driver: get SatNav.
- Reducing fuel bills: wear a jumper.
- Wondering what Life is all about: stare at the night sky.
- Writing a best-seller: don’t write what everyone else is doing at the moment, despite that being what your publisher wants.
- Needing inspiration: read the Apollo 8 moon mission.
- Get out of bed on time, promptly: use the alarm on your iPod.
- Getting fewer e-mails: send fewer, far fewer.
- Protecting your job: become indispensable.
- Building your own house: sign up for wall-building sessions.
- Worrying less: help others.
- Better critical thinking: stop and think.
- Discovering a new author: amazon.com/co.uk recommendations.
- Getting actions out of people: state the action you want.
- Boosting your productivity: 1 place, 1 list of what you have and want to do.
- Better love: it’s a verb.
- Better leadership: is a state of mind, not a job title.
- Even better life: Live it. Wide and deep.
- Better presenting: rehearse.
- Running better meetings: why (oh why) are we here?
- Getting and keeping focus: every 45 minutes, take 5 minutes out.
- Creating wellness: clear your sleep debt.
- Parenting well: model the behaviors you seek.
- Staying motivated; set a clear, simple achievable goal.
- Learning more easily: question.
- Having a Happy Christmas: keep it simple. Really simple.
- Managing stress: walk. A lot more.
- Writing your book: create a word document entitled chapter 1. Start typing.
- Being happy: be happy.
- Better selling: create difference (company times product times you).
- Getting fit: walk plus take the stairs.
- Improving your History understanding: take an event you do know. Discover what else was happening in every other field that same year.
- Eating more healthily: more steam, less fry.
- Better marketing: create a memorable, repeatable, positive experience.
- Keeping your house-plants alive: talk to them regularly.
- Being romantic: simplicity done well.
- Having superb relationships: more give, less take.
- Improving your geography: play with Google maps.
- Making great coffee: fresh beans, freshly ground.
- Improving customer service: Listen. No, really listen.
- Getting to the gym regularly: find a buddy with iron self-discipline.
- Having more time: whenever you add an activity, drop one.
- Becoming a director of the place where you work: act like one.
- Easier clothes shopping: wear jeans and T-shirt when you shop.
- Getting better quality sleep: return the bedroom to a sanctuary.
- Improving your writing: add detail, especially sensory detail.
- Having more clothing style: think texture, not just colour.
- Getting a publisher to consider your book: write a covering letter explaining how it will make them money.
- Boosting creativity: get out of the office. Go to a museum/art gallery.
- Changing a negative culture: start at the top.
- Boosting profitability: price for perception and positioning, not for cost.
- Writing your non-fiction book: about what do you have passion? Start.
- Getting the job: explain how you can help them.
- Time management: forget it: manage your choices.
- Entertaining your toddler: provide a cardboard box and go with the flow.
- Enjoying Brussels’ sprouts: don’t. Switch to another green vegetable.
- Becoming a drive-time DJ: get a job at the station and wait for one of the DJs to not turn up. Volunteer; they won’t quibble. Do an awesome job.
- Finding buried treasure: read more pirate maps and sail the Seven Seas.
- Reading more: watch less TV.
- Wanting more hugs: give more hugs.
- Re-connecting and re-grounding: go unplugged and off the grid for a few days.
- Laughing more: watch silly and/or funny movies.
- Starting anything you’ve been putting off: remind yourself you’re not that kind of person and start.