Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/407758
OCtOber 2014 2 "Small indulgences" make life better It was a trend-watcher named Faith Popcorn who coined the term "small indulgences" back in the early 90s. What she was describing was when people treat themselves to an afford- able luxury. Something small—but they buy the absolute top-of-the-line version of it. For instance, paying $3.50 for one delicious, perfect chocolate truffl e. Or $8 for the perfect rose. Or paying $20 for a box of 12 pencils. Which is what I did. You can get 24 pencils, perfectly good ones, at Staples for $2.75. They have a latex-free eraser and they're made from real Canadian wood. But I didn't buy pencils from Staples. I bought a box of Palomino Black- wings from Pencils.com and they cost me 10 times as much—plus shipping. But they aren't just any pencils. Here's how I described them in a review back in 2011 when they fi rst came out and I discovered them: The fi rst thing you'll notice is the cool, white, square-topped fl at eraser. It is armoured in a shiny golden ferrule. You can pull up the eraser to extend it as you use it – or you can replace it altogether. The pencil itself is matte black, accented with a band of gold just below the eraser. But the best thing about the Blackwing is the way it writes. As the graphite glides along the surface of your page it lays down a fi ne, soft, black trail. If you've ever written with a stick in hard moist sand on a fi ne beach, you'll know something about how this feels. There is a satisfying friction as the lead glides over the page, tracking its lines along your paper. I've used all of the Blackwings I bought two years ago and enjoyed every second. So, with my birthday coming up, I treated myself and ordered another box. I can't even tell you how my heart lifted when I saw the package in my mailbox. It's ridiculous, right? A box of pencils. But man, what pencils! When you think about it like that, $20 seems like a bargain. After all, I'll get about another two years' worth of pleasure from them. It works out to about 2.7 cents a day. Truly an affordable luxury, but it still feels like an indulgence because they are, after all, crazy-expensive pencils. I do the same thing every time I buy a cappuccino at Starbucks (a $5 coffee) or a cupcake ($2.85 at The Cupcake Shoppe in mid-town Toronto) or the very best printer paper Staples sells ($17.79 per package compared with their cheapest, at $9.99). Each of these "luxuries" is small and affordable and won't break my bank account. I don't, for instance, then go on to buy the best watch, car or ball gown in order to attend expensive soirees. On a writer's salary, that's just not happening. But the small indulgences I do allow myself add to my happiness in a subtle but signifi cant way. They're worth it. Oh, and speaking of Faith Pop- corn—she's still trend-watching through her company BrainRe- serve. She says the next big thing is the "merveilleux," which is a bite-sized treat which will soon be everywhere. These confections are layers of meringue and whipped cream, rolled in chocolate shavings or sprinkled with praline bits. At $5 each they also happen to be a small indulgence and one that sounds like it'll be worth the "exorbitant" price. You heard it here fi rst. Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. EDITORIAL OFFICE v joycegrant@sympatico.ca S (416) 656-7796 U Joyce Grant, Editor Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE S (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 T FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 v carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2014 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $189. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 UPDATE Administrative Assistant's f R O M T H e e d i TO R Joyce Grant I can't even tell you how my heart lifted when I saw the package in my mailbox. It's ridiculous, right? A box of pencils. But man, what pencils! When you think about it like that, $20 seems like a bargain. After all, works out to about 2.7 cents a day. Truly an affordable luxury, but it I do the same thing every each they also happen to be a small indulgence and one that sounds like it'll be worth the "exorbitant" price. You heard it here fi rst.