It’s a common refrain and we’ve probably all said it once in a while, but it is increasingly becoming the rule rather than the exception. More of us are working (and working longer hours at that) and the needs of everyday life are encroaching on our precious time.

As a result, studies show that women are too busy to exercise, too busy to have sex, too busy to fall in love. And worryingly from a health perspective, they are even too busy to go for regular cervical cancer screenings. While embarrassment or fear had long been considered the main reasons why women didn’t have regular Pap smears, research from charity organisation Cancer Research UK suggests that simply not having the time is a far bigger factor for most women, particularly those under 35.

What to do
According to Katherine Gibson, author of Unclutter Your Life: Transforming Your Physical, Mental and Emotional Space, there are a number of simple strategies to take the stress related to having too much on your plate at any one time out of your life. Her website offers the following tips:

1.    Purge – Pull everything off a shelf or out of a drawer and only put back what you will actually lose.
2.    Plan – Ask yourself when you last used/wore an item and what the likelihood is of using it in the next year.
3.    Simplify – If you are holding on to things ‘just in case’, remember you can always buy another one if you really need it.
4.    Be generous – Pass along books, clothes and other ‘stuff’ to people who need them. The things you are finished with can bring new options to others.
5.    Organise – Don’t go out and buy lots of containers. This will just give you organised ‘stuff’. With fewer possessions, organisation is much easier.
6.     10-minute toss – Spend just 10 minutes a day sorting and tossing. Or get rid of 10 items each day. It adds up quickly.
7.    Underschedule – Unclutter your appointment book and slow down your hectic pace. Give yourself time to enjoy your uncluttered home.
8.    Live in the present – Most of our hoarding focuses on what we ‘want to have’ or ‘fear we will need to have’ in the future.
9.    Finish what you start – Clutter grows with each project we begin. Project piles indicate that we need to resist starting more than one thing at a time.
10.    Choose positive people in your life – Eliminate the clutter of other people’s negative comments and judgements from your environment.
11.    Do what you love – Spend time indulging yourself. By spending time doing enjoyable things, you’ll be better placed to make time for the things that have to be done.
12.    Do it now!

Images by tomms

Best

Sandra Bullock

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Penelope Cruz

Kate Winslet

Worst

Vera Farmiga

Jennifer Lopez

Zoe Saldana

Mariah Carey

Tina Fey

So what do you think? Are some of these dresses in the wrong category, or do you agree with the experts’ verdict? And how come it’s never the men who get critiqued? Use the Comment facility below to let us know your thoughts…

Nowadays, the Oscars are as much about celebrity, occasion and the endless round of after parties (who goes where, who leaves with whom, who’s wearing what). But back in 1933, at only the sixth Academy Awards event, the behaviour may have been as rowdy behind closed doors, but the reporting of it was nowhere near as sensationalistic as it is today.

By the time you read this, the 82nd Oscars will have been and gone and you’ll know the latest winners of that coveted statuette. You’ll also know whether there have been any more Aussie winners (at time of writing, four are up for nomination) to add to the overall national success toll of 35 (34 if your count Russell Crowe as a Kiwi; 36 if you count Peter Jackson as an Aussie!).

Most Australian Academy Award-winners are household names. Yet the very first Australian to receive an Oscar nomination, way back in 1933, is anything but…
May’s day

Mary Robison was born in Melbourne in 1858. She moved to the US in her late teens. She married young and was a widow by the time she was 26. To support her children, she became an actress – taking the stage name May Robson – and quickly established herself as a leading lady on the stage. A fiercely intelligent woman, she co-wrote some of the plays she starred in.

May, like many actors of the day, made the transition to film (silent in those days), but unlike many of her peers she also successfully crossed over to ‘talkies’. By the 1930s, when she was in her 70s, May was among the most prolific of all Hollywood actresses, appearing in 45 films. Her acting ability, long appreciated on the stage, was recognised with her Best Actress Oscar nomination for Lady for a Day.

Although she didn’t win (pipped at the post by Katharine Hepburn), May’s talent and longevity (she continued working up until her death in 1942) helped open the doors for other Aussies in Hollywood. Within a couple of years, Errol Flynn had achieved superstar status and the path from Down Under to La-La-land was well and truly marked. All thanks to a little septuagenarian from Melbourne!

Images by wikipedia and howardwho

Empowerment has played an important role as women continue to move towards full equality, and music has been crucial in expressing that. From Helen Reddy’s I Am Woman to Beyoncé’s Listen, songs have a knack of expressing and creating the required mood. And nothing does that better than the original and the best from the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.

Ladies, respect…

Click here to view the embedded video.

As well as providing a fascinating insight into attitudes from half a century ago (it was thought holidays would be commonplace in ‘the future’, and many of the girls saw themselves in then-traditional housekeeping roles – ‘I have to cook his meals before he gets home or he will start to moan’!), it also shows that it is quite rare for that childhood dream to become the adult reality.

While social attitudes have changed greatly in the last 50 years, childhood aspirations remain eternal. Ask any child today what they want to be and chances are it will be something that they enjoy (a sportsperson, say, or a singer, or working with animals or simply just ‘famous’).

In fact, chances are if you asked an adult what they’d really like to be doing and they’ll tell you the same thing! Which possibly means that the essential difference between the two is that children are allowed the luxury of possibility, while we grown-ups are forced to deal with the constraints of reality!

•   What was your dream ‘when I grow up’ job? Did you achieve it? Use the Comment facility below to let us know…

Image by SaundraG

•   J.K. Rowling – Author of the Harry Potter books;
•    The Queen – No introduction necessary;
•    Dame Judi Dench – multi-award winning actress;
•    Margaret Thatcher – former British prime minister;
•    Michelle Obama – current US first lady;
•  Ellen McArthur – Round-the-world solo yachtswoman;
•   Julie Walters – British actress;
•    Kylie Minogue – Aussie songbird;
•    Oprah Winfrey – US talk-show superstar;
•   Angeline Jolie – Brad’s other half!

One of the biggest problems with lists is that they are so subjective. The list above is a case in point. Most of the women on there are British (the exceptions being Oprah, Angelina, Mrs Obama and our Kylie), which strongly suggests that people are heavily influenced by what happens in their close frame of reference.

On the other hand, many of the women on this list (the queen is an obvious exception!) have overcome adversary of one form or another on their paths to success: J.K. Rowling was a broke single mum when she wrote the first Harry Potter book; Margaret Thatcher was the daughter of a shopkeeper yet went on to become arguably the most powerful woman of her time; Kylie Minogue overcame breast cancer before her career became truly international; Oprah Winfrey endured a severely troubled childhood, experiencing both physical and sexual abuse, before reaching her current position of near-unparalleled fame and influence.

Or is helping others a larger factor in the inspiration stakes? Oprah has set up and contributed innumerable charities all over the world. J.K. Rowling continues to give away a large part of her fortune to good causes. And Angelina’s work for UNICEF, highlighting the plight of refugees, has helped draw much-needed public attention to the issue.

What inspires?
So what do women find inspiring in their fellows? Is it affinity with someone from the same nationality who has ‘made good’? Or is it admiration for anyone who has overcome adversity? Are inspiring women always famous? Are famous women always inspiring simply because they have gained recognition?

Surely inspiration comes in all ways and from any number of women. Perhaps your mother has inspired you. Or perhaps it’s been your daughter who provided the spark that set you off on a fantastic new journey. Maybe you had an inspirational teacher at school, or perhaps you’ve been inspired by media reports of, say, women in third-world or developing countries who have endured unimaginable hardships and made extraordinary sacrifices just to give their children a chance in life.

Who inspires you?
A Pampered Life is on a mission to find the world’s most inspiring women – as decided by our readers. Use the Comment facility below to tell us who inspires you, and why. The woman (or women – you don’t have to list just one person) can be famous or known only to you, living or dead. We will compile a list of the most popular names into a feature article down the track, and the best comment will receive a $25 Body Shop Voucher!

Images by Sarranheira For Baby, jkrfan, MellyMelFan and ElvisTR

So forget the ‘new’ innovations that are being brought out right now, if you really want to be cutting edge, hold out until you get hold of one of these babies. Mobile technology has never looked so simple, nor so clever (just ignore the dodgy spelling in the video – clearly the makers are scientists, not journalists!).

Click here to view the embedded video.

And now, the bad news… As a woman, you are more vulnerable to the adverse affects of global warming than men are.

Those are the conclusions of the United Nations’ State of World Population report. In general, women drive and fly much less than men; we also buy fewer carbon-intensive goods, are more likely to recycle and are more interested in using energy efficiently. We also tend not to trust politicians and business leaders on environmental issues, believing personal action is vital in tackling the problem.

The fact that women, being smaller, tend to eat less than men is also significant, particularly where the consumption of meat is concerned.

But despite this, it is women who will bear the brunt of climate change. This will not be so apparent in an industrialised nation like Australia, but in the poorer regions of the world, women are having to work harder, to leave school earlier (if they even get to go in the first place) and are more likely to face natural disasters brought about by global warming.

What can be done?

If the UN’s findings are correct, you’ll want to do something yourself to mitigate the affects of climate change, both worldwide and locally. A great place to start is 1 Million Women. The campaign aims to inspire a million Australian women to ‘take practical action on climate change by cutting one million tonnes of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse pollutant causing global warming’.

If you sign up, your goal will be to cut a tonne of carbon dioxide from your daily life within a year of joining. The campaign’s website delivers pointers on how to do this (for example, eliminating wasteful packaging such as plastic bags and bottled water), as well as putting you in touch with other women who, like you, are committed to making a difference.
At time of writing, 15,684 women have joined the quest. Perhaps it’s something you could think about. If the world is going to change for the better, it will take women to do it.

•    Are you doing anything to reduce your carbon footprint? Let us know…

Images by 1800recycling and 1millionwomen

Based on Cecily von Zigesar’s phenomenally successful series of books and bolstered by guest appearances from the likes of Lady Gaga, the show has generated controversy for its racy content.

But as good as a show is when aired, it’s never more entertaining than when the actors make mistakes. So here’s the Gossip Girl season one blooper reel… Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Feature image by flavorwire

Boobs and bums are back, ladies, with Kate Winslet and British model Kelly Brook possessing the best celebrity bods. Yay!

Do you agree with that? Or is there another celebrity bod you’d like to have?

Images by Lux Tenebra and clemato