9 Ways To Set Up A Cozy Winter Garden
Now that the summer is coming to an end and autumn has well and truly landed on its wake… we can start to look forward to all of the comforts of winter. The days are getting shorter, the air is becoming chilly and everywhere we look there’s tartan and pumpkin spice in the air. Although most of us usually want to hibernate inside for the winter, there are still many of us who enjoy being able to sit out in the garden on those crisp mornings and chilly evenings by the fire. Here are some of the ways you can start to change your garden setup to make it ideal for the winter.
- Create A Deck
The first thing you can think about doing in the autumn to prepare your garden for the winter is to create some decking in the space which you can use to make a comfy seating area for you and your family on a chilly winter morning. You can take a look at lots of different decking styles at Decks & Docks Lumber CO. and you will be able to pretty much find something to fit any type of garden and size space that you have. For a bit of fun, you can even paint your new decking a bold colour such as orange or yellow to create some life and warmth in your garden.
- Plant A Greenhouse
One of the things we often think about during the autumn and winter is that the garden will go dormant and all of the lie will begin to die back. While this is definitely true for many plants and shrubs, there are still a few ways you can enjoy your gardening hobby in the colder months in a different way. If you love to grow your own vegetables and fruits, you can still enjoy fresh produce in the garden as long as you make a greenhouse which is warm enough to cope with it. If you can find a greenhouse, you will be able to grow all of your favourite vegetables such as lettuce, peppers and even pumpkins!
- Shield With Trees
During the colder months of the year, as much as you want to get outside and sit in the garden on a sunny day, there is usually one thing that will stop you in your tracks: temperature. When the summer dies away the climate changes and this can make it hard for us to want to leave the comfort of our heated homes. However, you can make a huge difference to your garden by planting some trees or large shrubs around the perimeter of the space. This will shield you from the cold wind and it will make sitting outdoors much more comfortable.
Ensure that you are also taking care of the trees that you are using to shield your garden. It’s important that you know the signs of common tree diseases for example so that you can notice and treat them where necessary.
- Add A Pergola
If you want to be able to sit outside and get a dose of fresh air each day, you can have some fun installing a pergola in your yard this winter. Pergolas are a great addition to any garden because they can add a wonderful focal point for the space and you can decorate it throughout the year to fit each season. For having guests over, a pergola can be a great way to stay comfortable and it can also be a great place to escape from the rain. You will have a wonderful area in the garden to host parties, drink a glass of wine with your partner and eat alfresco!
- Winter Flowers
Flowers are something we all associate with the spring and summer, and this is usually due to the fact that most plants prefer lots of sun and warm climates. However, the great thing to know if you love to see colour in your garden all year long is that there are plants which thrive off cooler climates. For example the most well known flower which blooms during the winter are snowdrops. Snowdrops are beautiful white flowers which bloom through December to February and give your garden a burst of life even in the dullest of days. You can also find other flowers for the winter such as heather, cyclamen and Japanese quince.
- Get Creative With Planters
You will have likely seen many different fun crafts and DIYs online such as homemade candles, herb gardens and seating for the garden: and something else you can have fun doing is making some fun planters for the space. For example you can use items such as teapots, cups, tyres and even old welling on boots to make some fun and unique planters for your outdoor space. Take a look on Pinterest this weekend and have some fun looking at different crafts to do. It can be a way to spend the weekend with the kids and make your winter garden feel more like a home and more personal.
- Lighting Is Magical
During the colder months we have a lot of different things going on in the world. The main change we see is the fact that the days are much shorter and this means that a lot of our time is spent in the dark. You don’t have to abandon the garden though during the autumn and winter, you can instead have some sun with the darkness and install lights into the space. There are many different types of light you can add into the garden, such as solar lights, battery operated fairy lights and things like security lamps and large features. You can play around with light in the garden and this will definitely make your garden more magical.
- Candles For Warmth
Candles are the epitome of comfort and cosiness during the winter and we often light candle after candle in the house during the colder months to make the home as comfortable as we possibly can. However it isn’t only the garden which you can place candles in to make it feel cosy and warm. There are many different lanterns, candle holders and decorations to add to the garden which will hold tea lights and allow you to bring that warm glow to the space. You can even add a candle or two to your pergola if you have one and this can be the ideal thing to make your garden feel comfortable and warm.
- Soft Furnishings
What better way to make the garden feel cosy and comfortable during the winter than to bring in some soft furnishings? You can buy lots of amazing waterproof cushions and seat covers for the garden and these can allow you to feel like you are sitting in a more luxurious place when you are outside of the house. Another thing you can add into the space is some blankets. You can bring blankets out into the garden and have them ready for chilly nights snuggling up with a hot cocoa and the people you love. It is the best way to enjoy your outdoor space when the weather is unforgiving.
5 Sure Ways To Boost Your Company’s Productivity
Every company wants to be more productive. Whilst there are various motivation tactics that can make you and your staff more energised and potentially more productive, these tactics don’t always have certain results. Instead, you could be better off trying some of these five practical methods of boosting productivity.
Automate time-consuming admin tasks
Nowadays, there are many admin tasks that can be performed automatically by software. Such tasks include accounting, ordering stock, generating invoices and paying staff. If you’re still doing all your admin manually, it could be time to start looking into automation services that could help to speed up these tasks, freeing up time for you to do other core tasks. Software development organisations such as this company can help you to produce custom machine learning services to help automate tasks. Alternatively, you may be able to find an existing solution out there that meets your needs. Compare prices, read reviews and download free trials in order to find the best software.
Outsource tasks that can’t be automated
There are certain time-consuming tasks that have to be done by a human, however rather than doing them yourself you could always outsource them. There are companies out there that can manage your social media, write press releases or even answer incoming calls to help reduce interruptions. You may end up paying extra to outsource these services, but in the long run you could end up making more money by spending less time on these tasks and more time generating new business. When choosing a company to outsource, make sure to do your research to ensure that they are credible – online reviews and testimonials are always worth reading.
Keep everyone on the same page
A lack of communication will slow down your business. Find ways to keep everyone on the same page so that you’re spending less time checking up on people or having to explain your progress to others (or indeed having to correct errors caused by miscommunications). There are many ways to keep everyone on the same page. The most traditional way is to hold regular meetings, although these themselves can be time-consuming. A better option could be to create a cloud-based database where everyone can share information in one place. This could be used to brainstorm, to give out tasks or to record progress and it could be shared with employees or clients. Project management software and project management apps are the most effective way of doing this. You could also use group chats and forums. Of course, you won’t want to share all information and certain conversations may be better of private, but having a communal space for the most important information could be worthwhile.
Stop micro-managing employees
Micro-management doesn’t just slow down your employees – it slows you down too. By giving employees more free rein and focusing on your own tasks, everyone is likely to get things done at a faster rate. Your employees are also likely to feel less under pressure and could even make less mistakes as a result. Of course, there may still be times when you want to keep a closer eye on certain employees who keep making errors or seem to be slacking, but you shouldn’t be monitoring them constantly. Give people more autonomy – especially you’re most senior and trusted staff members who are more likely to stay loyal if you give them more freedom.
Work more flexible hours
The 9 to 5 work schedule could be restricting your productivity. This could be particularly the case if you do business with clients abroad who may work in different time zones. Being more flexible with your work schedule could allow you to provide better communication with clients and could even allow you to work your schedule more effectively around other commitments. You could also encourage your staff to do the same – so long as people are able to meet deadlines and handle the workload set to them, there’s no reason to force everyone to go into the office early or even force people to go into the office at all.
3 Changes That Always Lead To Better Productivity
Something that you can say for certain is that a business needs to be productive if it is to be successful. Achieving and maintaining a high level of productivity is of course always hard to do, but you will find that it is necessary in order to really make the kind of changes you want in your business. As it happens, there are a number of things you can do to ensure that you are improving the productivity of your business at every step. As long as you are focused on some of those things, you should be able to ensure that your business is going to be much more productive and get more done on the whole, and that will mean that you can expect much more from it as results as well. Let’s take a look at just three changes which always lead to better productivity.
A Cleaner Office
It is hard for most people to be truly productive if they are working in a dirty or untidy office environment. If this is true of your workplace, then you might want to make sure that you are actually keeping it as clean as possible instead of letting it get dirty and unused. The simplest way to do this is to outsource it so that you are using professional office cleaning services in order to keep it clean every day. But you should also think about trying to keep it tidy as you go along, which is something that really everyone has responsibility for. As long as you can do that, you will find that the productivity levels suddenly rise through the roof, which is exactly what you need to happen here.
Simpler Processes
In general, the more simplified you make the internal processes in the business, the more that your people will actually be able to get done. Having simpler processes like this means that you are able to actually focus on what is important, and when your employees are all doing that as well it can really make a profound difference. If you don’t know how to simplify your processes or don’t know where to begin, you might want to think about getting someone from outside to take a look. That kind of help can be invaluable, especially as they are that much more likely to know what is wrong as they are not used to seeing it every day. When you simplify your processes, you will find that you can much more effectively raise productivity levels in the organization.
Calmer Atmosphere
The atmosphere in the office is a huge determiner of how likely you are to succeed in raising productivity. The calmer it is, the easier it will be to ensure that the work is being done atr a good pace, so it’s definitely a good idea to make sure you are doing whatever you can to keep the atmosphere up. That could mean having a social gathering every now and then, or simply making sure that you yourself are happy when you work there. Hopefully that happiness will spread like wildfire.
Gadgets That Every Kitchen Needs
For anyone who has lived in their home for less than a year, a few years, or even a few decades, it always feels as if you are missing something in the kitchen. When you first buy a house and start stocking up on kitchen essentials you are bound to miss some things out, and it will often be a case of noticing your missing items when you need to use it for your cooking. Here are some of the essential tools you will want to invest in right now to save worrying in the future.
Scales
A great pair of Floor Scales and kitchen scales are both things you need to buy for your home right away. Guessing values when you are cooking is usually ok, however, you can end up risking making massive portions and overeating every day. This will cause you to put on a lot of weight just by eating too much. Using scales to measure things like pasta and rice will balance what you use and ensure that you don’t eat far too much every day.
Instant Pot
If you love eating food which takes no effort to make, such as stew, curry, and chili: an instant pot is just what you need. This machine doubles up as both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker and also has settings for grains and other foods to make sure everything is cooked to perfection. This gadget is amazing for any kitchen and you will be able to leave food to cook overnight, while you are at work, or speed up the cooking process when you are in a rush! If there is any gadget you take from our list, it should be this.
Food Processor
Unlike a blender, a food processor can handle pulsing up dry ingredients for dressings, toppings and side dishes for any meal. A food processor is amazing and it is something which is incredibly diverse in the kitchen. Whether you want to make a smooth pesto or a chunky salsa, a food processor will give you the perfect results every time.
Dessert Maker
If you are vegan or looking into a vegan lifestyle, a dessert maker will be your new best friend. To enjoy vegan ice cream in a matter of seconds, simple add frozen fruit into the top of the dessert maker and it will come out of the bottom as a smooth, yummy ice cream. It is the ideal vegan snack and treats, and perfect for sunny days.
Garlic Zoom
Everyone loves garlic, and if you hate always having to chop up your garlic when making meals, you can buy this handy garlic zoom and it will do the work for you. It comes as a small car with wheels, and once you add the garlic to the top you can simply run the wheels along the kitchen counter until the garlic is perfectly minced. It’s a fun little gadget but it can be ultra useful in the kitchen.
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