I could NOT believe it when I heard the news item about putting sponges and dishcloths in microwaves to sterilise them! Apparently a good idea on the face of it but a few fires and gassed out kitchens later - perhaps not. I have to say though this professor from the University of Florida has benefited from a huge amount of low cost marketing with this report.

Ok the report itself may have taken two years and lots of money! - I’m guessing. But the actual marketing of it - genius or pure luck - who cares at this point? Not only did the BBC run the news of the report in the first place, but it also got on to the front pages of our national papers, then it was back on the BBC due to the fires and accidents it caused and it was being discussed even further on the radio today. Practically the whole country is discussing the putting of sponges and dishcloths in the microwaves!

Now what other ideas could have the whole country talking? Something so simple, that it affects anyone who owns a basic household item or appliance and because of its nature has the national media covering it, even before the burns and scalds and noxious gasses made an appearance!! That’s one thought that got me thinking last night.

The other thought is - what about common sense? Putting anything dry in a heating device will just make it drier, no? Or what about pouring boiling water over a bowl with your sponges and dishcloths in? Or, perhaps not the most money conscious option, but what about buying a new one every week or so?

My whole life and career as a single mum is based on common sense - not the luxury of it, not the mere existence of it but the actual, blatant necessity of it. Career mums (single or not) will hear me now… Common sense is my modus operandi, my mantra, my guiding light - without it - I would not get through one day.

Common sense in my daily life a single mum means that I don’t put dry or slightly damp sponges in the microwave (even if a professor does tell me that it’s safe!); it means that I don’t give my daughter sweets before bed time (or EVER actually!); it means that if the petrol gauge on my car is low - I put more in. Ok these are simple examples, but how many of us actually use common sense in our businesses?

A strange question to ask any business owner perhaps as, to keep everything organised and running smoothly, it would seem at least a modicum of common sense would be needed. However, it surprising the amount of times that our normally common sense-laden heads go all ‘kaplooey’ (that’s a technical term that is!) when faced with our business and the work we have to do in it.

For example, many small business owners (myself included) work far too many hours - thinking that it just has to be done, they have to keep going etc etc - you know the drill!

But what about working too hard or so hard that at some undefined point we just burn out? It happened to me this weekend just gone. There I was innocently suffering with what I would class as a little sniffly cold and before I knew it I was laid up in bed with the flu, head spinning, cold sweats and runny nose. Only just REALLY back on my feet today, a little cold, that common sense should have told me to rest up from just for half or one whole day, laid me up for nearly a week! That’s good for business isn’t it?!!

So I suppose what I am saying is we can be as cool and collected, using full amounts of common sense with our ‘normal’ lives, as we like, but when it comes to our business, (the source of our income, our pride, our sense of purpose, our yin…), then we can lose perspective and start behaving like the energiser bunny! or just a very stupid animal caught in the headlights of must do…must do…must do…!

My business coach (a wonderful lady called Lorraine Cohen of http://www.powerfull-living.biz) tells me off when I start to lose my perspective (i.e. working at 11pm and checking emails!) and become bunny-like - she reminds me that if I don’t look after myself (Self-care is her term) then I won’t be able to look after others OR my business. It’s common sense you might say, but it’s strange how many times I need to have that bit of common sense waved in front of my face.

I suppose you could think of it as our brains being the sponges and our businesses the microwaves - leave your sponge in for too long and it will melt!!