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In this issue we look at tips for staying alert; how to minimise distractions; rules for copywriters and resources to improve your English.In this issue we look at tips for staying alert; how to minimise distractions; rules for copywriters and resources to improve your English.

• Editor's Desk
• Bite 1
• Bite 2
• Bite 3
• Working Web
• Last Word

We know that you’re all busy and sometimes struggle to find the time to read the many emails that hit your inbox. So, we’ve decided to pare back Business Bites so that it’s leaner and fitter. We’ll be having just one article each issue, but we’ll make sure it really says something useful. There’ll still be a great offer on a selected Business Training course in each issue and we’ll still be offering snippets of advice in this editorial section.

As well as answering emails, one of the most time-consuming part of business life can be attending meetings. They can seem such a waste of time if you come out of them feeling that they haven’t achieved anything. One of the best ways to avoid this is to make sure that you are alert and can concentrate on what’s going on. Here are a few tips to make this easier:

 
• Always prepare properly in advance – have an agenda or a list of points that you want to raise.
• Make brief notes of what is being said. This not only helps you to concentrate but it also reminds you of what has been agreed.
• Suggest a comfort break if the meeting is going on too long – stretch your legs, move about and have a drink of water.
• Make sure you’ve had enough sleep the night before and that you’re not running on an empty stomach. It’s hard to concentrate if your blood sugar levels drop!

Before I introduce this month’s article I’d like to remind you about the Business Training Blog. There have been some great posts to help you with the learning process over the past few weeks – so I strongly recommend that you follow it on a regular basis.

Now on to this month’s article: Minimising Distractions – Managing Your Work Environment. At some point in our working life we all feel that we need more than 24 hours in the day and more than two hands. Well, it’s not going to happen! So the only way to pack more into your day is to cut out distractions and manage your time better. This article looks at a number of ways of doing this – and if you can’t use them all then you can cherry-pick what’s best for you.

Happy reading!