Make an effort to remember names

As an EA, meeting a wide range of people is pretty much in the job description. Remembering all the names that come with the individuals you meet might seem daunting, but it's a worthwhile endeavour. It shows a level of care and attention that people will appreciate, helping you establish stronger relationships and opening up future opportunities that you may never have come across but for creating that personal connection. How can you make memorising names easier?

• Make learning someone's name a priority - At the start of the conversation make the effort to ask for their name. If it's a difficult name to pronounce, ask for them to either repeat it or spell it out for you.

• Repeat the name - Inside your own head run over the name to familiarise yourself with it, and use it in conversation as soon as possible. An easy way to do this is simply by adding it on to the end of the sentence when stating that it's nice to meet them.

• Associate the name with their attributes - Having an image or idea to link an individual's name to will make it easier to recall later. Choose something that's unique about them, and create a small story around it if possible. For example, it's much easier to remember that someone works at a bakery than it is to remember that their last name is Baker. However, by linking the two ideas together it's a lot simpler to remember both.

• Write it down - Jotting a name down and a brief note about the person not only solidifies the knowledge in your mind, it also gives you a reference for later on down the line if you know you're going to run into them again. Doing this for every person you meet might seem impossible, but making it into a habit for the majority of them will help you improve your ability to remember names.

Find time to help others

Finding extra time in your busy schedule may sound impossible, but the benefits of spending a couple of minutes helping someone else are well worth it. It builds relationships, strengthens networks, and develops goodwill. Additionally, should you ever need assistance in return your previous willingness to help them out means its more likely that they'll go out of their way to return the favour.

This doesn't mean doing someone else's work for them, or taking on big projects that will leave you swamped and impact negatively on your actual role. Instead, it can be as simple as holding a door for someone, being a sounding board for a few minutes, quickly showing them how to do something, or directing them on to someone who can answer their questions.

Even though the gestures may feel small, taking that time to stop and assist someone who needs help will show your willingness to build teamwork, and allow you to develop a good reputation with everyone you interact with. The simple act of helping someone else can leave you feeling better as well, helping boost your mood throughout the day.

Get your day off to a good start

Sometimes the mornings are the one part of your day where you can scrape out time solely for yourself, without feeling guilty about doing so. If your mornings are generally a scramble to get dressed and out the door, it may not feel like that. However, by taking control of this time you can help set the tone for the rest of your day. Here are some options to consider for your morning routine.

• Set your alarm 10-15 minutes earlier each day until you reach a point where you have the time you need each morning to set up a good routine.

• Don't touch technology until it's necessary. Instead, use this time to disconnect from work and demands, and focus on what you need.

• Organise your surroundings. Take the chance to make your bed and leave your house in a tidy state to return to that evening.

• Consider using the morning to get in a quick exercise routine. By doing so not only have you already tackled something big, you leave your body and mind energised for the day ahead.

• Eat a good breakfast and take care of your appearance. Knowing you are neat and tidy can leave you feeling much more composed and ready to face the day ahead.

• Take the chance to breathe. While drinking your morning coffee or tea, look out the window and enjoy the view, or even read a few pages of a book.

Rather than starting the day already on the back foot, by building a morning routine you can feel composed and in control by the time you arrive at work.

Practice gratitude

Gratitude is a surprisingly powerful tool to employ for many different reasons. A small study recently reported on in the Greater Good magazine released by the University of California, Berkeley, highlights some of these benefits. These are summarised below:

• By focusing on what you're grateful for, you shift your attention away from more toxic emotions, improving mental health.

• The effects gratitude has on the brain are long-lasting.

• Even if you don't share your gratitude with anyone else, taking the time to express it to yourself still helps.

• The effects of practicing gratitude aren't immediate. You need to give your mind time to improve, just like with getting fit.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology shows that gratitude also helps improve your self-esteem.

Setting aside a few minutes each day to actively notice why you are grateful for someone or something is a strong way to build yourself up and improve your mental health. It also gives you the chance to acknowledge the good things in your life, or celebrate something you've achieved recently.