Call Centre Life – staying healthy

Here are three keys to being healthy and feeling good

1. Get a good night's sleep. When you do not get enough sleep, you may be more irritable, have less patience, or have trouble concentrating.
   
   
2. Exercise. It is hard work to sit at a desk and talk on the phone for eight-hour shifts every day. You need to be in good shape, which means that you need to exercise. It does not matter what you do -- walking, running, aerobics, gardening, or playing with your kids. Just try to do something physical for 30 minutes every day.
   
   
3. Eat healthy foods. Cut back on fats and sugars especially soft drinks and sweets. Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat. Try to bring healthy snacks and meals to work, like fruit, cheese and crackers, or carrot sticks, and avoid the vending machines.

More ways to be healthy

• Spend time doing things that make you happy. The way you feel emotionally is connected to the way you feel physically. Part of a healthy lifestyle is having fun and doing things that make you happy.
  
  
• Manage stress. There are many ways to deal with stress and feel more relaxed, like going for walks, writing in a journal, or deep breathing. Find some that work for you.
  
  
• Help your body make it through a long shift sitting at a desk. You can do neck rolls, stand up for a few minutes at a time, stretch your legs under your desk, or take a walk during your break. Do not forget to drink lots of water during your shift.

Call Centre Life: Ten Ways to Simplify Your Life

Below are 10 quick tips to help you be more organised at work and at home so that you have more free time.

1. Get organised at home. Sell, donate, or throw out everything in your home that you don’t use on a regular basis. Start with one room or a small area like a closet and tackle that first.
   
   
2. When you open your mail each day, toss junk mail and old newspapers and magazines.
   
   
3. Plan meals for a week or two and make a complete list for grocery shopping.
   
   
4. Cook double batches so you have enough food for two meals.
   
   
5. Pack lunches and lay out clothes for yourself and your smaller children the night before. Older children can do this themselves.
   
   
6. Keep your workspace supplied with the things you need to do your job. Make sure you have paper, writing utensils, important manuals, or anything else you need before you start your shift. If you don't have your own workspace, carry a folder or stock a drawer with everything you need at work.
   
   
7. Clean out files, drawers, and shelves regularly. Throw out old papers, notes, and anything else that you don't use or need. Do this at work and at home.
   
   
8. Keep a single calendar at home. Write down birthdays, family, school, and work events, appointments, chores, and activities.
   
   
9. Cut back on commitments. When things get too hectic, cut back on some of the non-essential activities you and your family are involved in.
   
   
10. Look at your daily routines and what changes you could make to save time. For example, instead of running errands several times a week, you could make a list of everything you need to do and run all your errands at once.