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productivity

Understanding and Moving Past Boredom

Jaclyn Baker
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What does boredom mean to you?

Do you look at it as a positive, negative or something in between type of emotion?

Do you feel like your habits tend to make you feel bored more easily, such as too much screen time? 

If you could convert boredom into creativity, would you?

So, even though it may not always feel like it, boredom is a feeling – and something we can control.

We just have to put the work in.

The next time you catch boredom creeping up, you can try putting your phone away! 

If you aren’t careful, 10 intended minutes of screen time can turn into an hour.

Social media is a great way to keep in touch with loved ones and can be a great tool when used in moderation.

Sometimes when we start scrolling, it can be hard to stop, and before you know it, the afternoon has escaped you.

Any form of screen time, whether it be scrolling through social media, texting or playing games, can negatively impact our motivation and distract us from our goals.

When we notice boredom creeping up on us, grabbing our phone can feel like the fastest and easiest form of entertainment.

Although it may initially distract you, it likely won’t establish a long-form solution.

Instead, we recommend putting your phone in a different room and immersing yourself in a creative activity. 

Creativity can be practiced in so many ways. It all comes down to finding an activity or two that brings you joy.

Singing, dancing, writing and gardening are all great activities to explore.

What are you waiting for? It’s time to get creative.

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Feel Like You Have Too Many Things On Your Plate? Here’s What To Do

Jaclyn Baker
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We all have those days when our to-do list feels completely unattainable and stressful.  

Believe it or not, your to-do list may not be as intimidating as anticipated.

Just because a particular task feels complex doesn’t mean it is! 

An overwhelming to-do list has the potential to become a simple one with a few mindset shifts.

Make a Decision

Have you ever put off making a decision (big or small) due to the fear of making the wrong one?

The thing is, the longer we put off making a decision, the harder and scarier it tends to become.

It’s so easy to tell yourself…

 “Oh, I will decide once I have more information.”

Or,

“I can’t decide XYZ until I figure out XYZ.”

Even though decision-making isn’t always easy – it’s part of life. Procrastinating can be exhausting both physically and mentally.

Making decisions faster can help give you more time in the day to focus on other activities, which in turn can help you knock more items off your daily list. 

Come Up With a Strategy For New Tasks

We all have those tasks we do on a daily basis that are pretty smooth sailing. 

But what happens when we have to do something new?

Working on new tasks is unavoidable – whether it be personal or professional.

Doing anything new for the first time can be draining and potentially take twice as long as it ideally should.

The good news is there are several tactics out there that can help make completing new tasks easier and faster such as listening to music or munching on your favorite snack.

Give it a try and see what happens. 

Done is Better Than Perfect

Spending 3+ hours on a task that should ideally take around 30 minutes won’t necessarily result in a better outcome.

More often than not, overthinking tasks can lead to more mistakes and limit our ability to be creative.

Accepting and embracing that done is better than perfect can potentially transform your overall productivity. 

“Don’t mistake activity with achievement.” – John Wooden

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Mastering The Art of Motivation

Jaclyn Baker
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Have you ever started a certain project excited and ready to take it on…

But as time went on, you started noticing your motivation dip? 

It happens more often than you may think – especially with larger tasks.

Breaking tasks up into three sections: the begging, middle, and end can help make the overall process much easier.

The Beginning

Motivation comes from within, and it is often easier to get motivated while doing tasks we love. 

Having to do something and wanting to do something are very different things. 

Going into a project with a positive mindset from the very beginning can’t necessarily guarantee a smooth journey. But it will make it much more likely.

Starting a project with a positive attitude and a clear end in mind can help give you the drive to keep going even when it’s hard. 

The Middle

Having a clear goal is the first step. 

The second step is putting it into action. 

Remember, you don’t have to finish everything on your list in one sitting. 

In fact, it’s often ideal not to.

Our brain can only go for so long without a break. 

Progress takes time. If you catch yourself starting to lose motivation at the halfway mark – take a break.

You may need an hour, or you may need a day. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you and respect its limits and the process. 

The End

Not all of us get stuck in the middle of a task.

Some of us thrive during the start and middle but slowly start crashing towards the end.

Even though you’re so close to being done, all you want to do is walk away. 

Staying motivated to finish a project is much easier said than done. 

It isn’t all about willpower.

It’s about understanding your patterns and what makes you tick.

If you are the kind of person who needs regular breaks, take them!

If you are the kind of person who thrives working with music in the background, listen to music.

There isn’t a set-in-stone rule book for staying motivated. If there was, we’d all be following it. 

When in doubt, follow your instincts and trust the process.

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Overcoming Procrastination in 2022

Jaclyn Baker
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I don’t know what I should do.

I am afraid I will fail.

I keep getting distracted.

I don’t have what it takes to move forward. 

If any of those thoughts sound familiar, you are not alone. Starting something new can be scary. And when something scares us, we can often procrastinate. 

The limiting beliefs we listed above are feelings. And feelings are not facts. 

Just because something feels true doesn’t mean it is. Remember – limiting beliefs are easy to form. But they are also easy to break. 

Success Breeds Success

Small wins are far from small.

Appreciating and acknowledging previous small wins can give you a newfound confidence boost when you need it the most.

Thinking about previous success stories can help remind you that you are strong and have what it takes to succeed in whatever you want to do. 

The next time you catch yourself feeling afraid to start a new task – don’t dive in headfirst. Instead, do something unrelated that you know you excel in.

Doing so can help get your creative juices flowing and your confidence soaring.

Having No Limits is Limiting

Being faced with too many options can be stressful. 

Having unlimited options in front of us can often lead to feelings of indecisiveness.  

Instead of spending time and energy sorting through dozens of options, pick the one that feels best at that moment.

You can always change your mind later on if need be.

Act The Way You Want to Feel

It’s so easy to tell yourself, “I will go to the gym or apply for that job once I feel motivated.”

When we wait for motivation, we risk it never finding us.  

When we go out and find motivation, we secure it.

We can’t always force ourselves to feel a certain way out of the blue. 

However, we can go out of our way to engage in activities that we know bring us joy, confidence and motivation.

If listening to a certain song makes you feel upbeat and motivated, listen to it more often!

“Action will destroy your procrastination.”  – Og Mandino

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New Year’s Resolutions – Stages of Change

Jaclyn Baker
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By: Tanya Kramer, LPC

Everyone’s New Year’s resolution journey is unique, and what works for someone else may not work for you.

With that being said, here are a handful of best practices that may be able to help you set resolutions this year.

Image Source

Consider what “Stage of Change” you are at right now. 

Please see the Stages of Change graphic above. 

Once you’ve acknowledged where you are at now, see if you can move a step closer to taking action. 

Then you can decide if you are ready to take action by January 1st. If you are not, that is completely fine – don’t rush it. 

Make a plan before taking action and then decide when you would like to start taking action. 

On the designated date, take action on your resolution. This date doesn’t have to be January 1st if you need more time.

If you slip, hold yourself with grace. What did you learn? Are there additional steps you may need to add to your plan? Take action again.

How Do I Make a Plan Before Taking “Action”?

While creating your plan, you’ll want to think about the current patterns and behaviours you would like to change.

You will also want to see if anything needs to be addressed before getting started. 

If you are a visual learner, it can be helpful to draw yourself a map.

Brainstorm any barriers that might impact your success and then come up with possible solutions. 

Example – Quitting Smoking

 

In the example above – the individual realized that they tend to smoke while studying, in the morning, when they are bored, and during social events. 

Quitting smoking or any habit for that matter can’t be achieved overnight, and there may be some setbacks along the way.

Now, setbacks are all part of the process. Even if your journey doesn’t turn out as planned or takes a bit longer than anticipated, don’t give up!

You can achieve anything you set your mind to!

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4 Ways To Manage Work Related Stress

Jaclyn Baker
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Even when you love what you do, occasional work-related stress is unavoidable.

Not all stressful events can be prevented, but there are plenty of steps you can take to keep them at bay. 

Start Your Day Right

It all starts in the morning…

As tempting as it may be to hide under those covers for just 5 more minutes, 5 minutes can easily turn into 20…

And before you know, you are late for work. 

Chances are you don’t want to jump into your workday feeling stressed/rushed due to sleeping in.

You’d want to start the day feeling relaxed and well-rested. 

Almost all tasks feel much harder when time is of the essence. 

Opening up your email and getting your list in order just ten minutes earlier than you usually do can help you feel ahead of the game and give you some extra confidence. 

Stay Organized

Have you ever had one of those days where you were supposed to email something over to a co-worker but completely forgot until they sent a friendly reminder?

You quickly open up your desktop but can’t find the document anywhere. At that point, you can’t even remember if you saved the document. 

That’s when the nerves start to kick in. Not such a fun feeling.

We’ve all been there or in a similar situation at least once.

We’re human, and it happens.

However, staying organized and ahead of the game can help prevent stressful events like that from happening.

“Plan ahead when you know a situation will arise that causes you stress. Recognize the triggers and have.” – Cathi Spence

Reflect/Prepare

None of us are good at everything. None of us are fearless. We all have things we wish we could improve upon.

Sometimes those fears or uncertainties can show up at work and cause a great deal of stress.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you have a fear of public speaking (which is very common) and your boss asks you to lead next week’s virtual conference.

Even though you are proud to have been considered, that doesn’t make you any less afraid.

You have two choices. You can either spend the rest of the week feeling anxious and stressed.

Or you can prepare yourself to the best of your abilities and remind yourself that everything will be just fine. It all comes down to the stories we tell ourselves. 

Forgive Yourself

None of us are perfect. We’ve all sent emails with typos, and we’ve all misunderstood an assignment at least once.

When we make a mistake at work, generally the first thing we do out of habit is apologize. 

However, at times we can forget one very important step.

We can forget to forgive ourselves, look for the lesson and move on.

In business and in life you never fail. You either live or you learn.

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You Can Still Network During COVID-19 – Here’s How

Jaclyn Baker
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Networking events are a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, grow your network and hand out business cards. 

As you know, in-person networking events and conferences have been put on hold for almost nine months now.

Just because we can’t actually get together with people face-to-face does not mean networking is off the table. 

We just have to go about it in a slightly different way. 

Keep on reading to learn how you can safely network during COVID-19.

Log Into Zoom Events Early:

Several speakers have been organizing virtual events via Zoom during the pandemic.

However, having solid one on one conversations via Zoom events isn’t always an option.

That is if you join the event on time…

A great way to sneak in some one on one time with the speaker is by attending the event 5 – 10 minutes early.

Chances are, the speaker will already be logged in to ensure everything is set up correctly.

You can take that opportunity to introduce yourself and even ask them a question if they have time. 

Follow Up:

Forming solid relationships takes time, energy and effort.

The simple act of following up only takes a few minutes but delivers results! 

Keep in mind, your follow up techniques don’t have to be fancy. 

A couple of days after the first meeting, you can send them a short and sweet email thanking them for their time and advice.

And about 2 – 4 weeks later, you can email them again to touch-base.

Be Active On Social Media:

Posting on social media is amazing, but it’s not always enough to form solid relationships with like-minded people.

Networking online does take some time and energy, but it will be well worth it in the long run.

Taking even 10 minutes out of your day to like and comment on popular content can help get your name out there. 

Don’t be afraid to start conversations with people who don’t know. Every friendship and business relationship has to start somewhere!

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Be Careful - Your Smartphone May be Hurting Your Health

Be Careful – Your Smartphone May be Hurting Your Health

Ryan Scott
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Smartphones can be our best friend and worst enemy at the same time.

They help us connect with loved ones, learn new things and can prevent potentially dangerous situations.

However, they can also be quite distracting and can prevent us from living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

With that being said, here are a few ways smartphones can be used to your advantage.

Sleep With Your Phone Off

Keeping your phone right next to your bed can be extremely distracting.

Even if it’s on silent, the light actually stimulates your brain to stay awake.

Not exactly what we want before bedtime.

So, you may be thinking to yourself “But, what about my alarm?”

Great question.

Invest in an old-fashioned alarm clock. You’ll be surprised how much easier it will be to fall asleep without all the distractions and need to check social media.

Exercise & Activity

The app store has an endless supply of apps to choose from.

Some of them are great for our health, while others are great for entertainment.

There’s nothing wrong with playing games on your phone once in a while.

But some of these games can become addicting and decrease your daily activity.

Exactly you should make the switch to fitness apps. Some apps track your steps, remind you to work out, or even guide you through workouts.

Again, there are several to choose from, so it comes down to personal preference.

Productivity

Did you know that putting full attention into our activities make us happier?

It isn’t exactly easy to fully concentrate when your phone’s constantly going off.

Take a minute to think about how many times a day you check your phone. It could be dozens!

Put your phone on airplane mode, turn off push notifications and enjoy the boost in productivity.

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Does Your Busyness Make You Feel Productive or Burned Out

Does Your Busyness Make You Feel Productive or Burned Out?

Ryan Scott
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“Creating change in the area of busyness can offer us improved physical health, greater peace and joy, and better, more connected, relationships. Having time for others and ourselves can offer us that sense of safety, value, and connection we were once looking for by being so busy.” Learn more about How the Glorification of Busyness Impacts Our Well-Being.

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