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Summer Fun?… Not For Everyone.

Creative Commons Image Courtesy of kokopelli1330

There is something about the summer that just makes it hard to get work done, am I right? Maybe it’s the heat. It definitely slows you down! Maybe it’s the sunshine and seeing all the other people outside enjoying it, while you’re sitting inside… working away… or procrastinating… reading this blog. Maybe it  is caused by residual expectations of summer implanted in our heads from school when summers meant absolute freedom. There was one day last week when I decided I was going to get a lot of work done and I locked myself in my apartment. In total, I probably put in about an hour of good solid work and spent the rest of the day binge eating and staring out the window, wishing I were outside, too.

Like fate, I stumbled upon a list of suggestions to beat procrastination (and be an ideal, productive member of society?). They were more or less unrealistic. For example, “get up everyday at 5am” is physically impossible as far as I am concerned. And being super tired all day makes me less productive. “Turn off all technology for at least an hour while you do your most important work” – this sure is difficult considering everyone’s most important work is usually done with technology.

However, there were a few really helpful tips to stay productive that I will summarize for you here!

For your physical and mental well-being

• - Start your day with at least 30 minutes of exercise (I’m still trying to make this happen, but it’s still good, classic advice, no?)
• - Drink a litre of water early in the morning – hydration is key!
• - Take one day off a week – but seriously disengage. No internet, no work, just relax and do something fun.
• - Make a plan. Whether you make a plan for the week on Sunday or make a plan for the following day the night before; it will help you focus and take away the anxiety of decision making when you are supposed to be working
• - Keep a “Things to stop doing” list

To manage your technology

• - Turn off electronic notifications
• - Turn off your phone during the chunks of time you devote to work (see below).
• - Don’t check your email first thing in the morning. This can tie up a lot of your time and present new tasks that can wait!

Now get to work!

• - Just do it! When starting a new project, that is the hardest part… starting. So just start already!
• - Schedule your time (hence, “make a plan”). Say you’re going to work for a solid hour; schedule half an hour break to check Facebook, get some fresh air, what have you; schedule another hour of work, and so on. Be strict with yourself and stay on track! That is probably the hardest part.
• - Working in these blocks of time will keep you more focused – people work best when they are fully engaged and able to concentrate!
• - Break up big tasks into smaller tasks and reward yourself when you meet these smaller goals!

So those are my tips. Easier said then done, I know! But I hope that you will join me in trying to work better through the hardest season of the year to get work done!

Goodbye May, Hello June!

May just flew by, didn’t it? I can hardly believe it is already June! I think I say this every month! But honestly, the speed with which these monthly wrap-ups seem to pop-up is intimidating! Well, can’t stop time, can we? So let’s get on with it!

What happened in May? This was admittedly a slow month, which I will attribute to having to adjust our bodies, minds, and clothing choices to fluctuating temperatures as summer hesitantly takes the stage.

The top blogs this week were from Andrea, who wrote two very interesting posts in the same vein of roadside treasure hunting:

The Symbiotic Act of Garbage Picking

Garage Sale: Lost in Translation?

On Twitter, @helpimahostage alerted us to an ad with a sweet Acura X-Wing for sale, and the fact that we are seriously lacking some important categories on our site:

Finally, the big Facebook announcement this month came yesterday when the good people of the world found out that Winnipeg, (you know that city in Manitoba?), is getting an NHL Team! Go Canada! Go Jets Go!

Thanks for another great month everyone!

The Worst

The moment you realize that you’ve changed can be an alarming one. I had ‘my moment’ recently, when something that many people would consider to be their worst nightmare happened to me… and my first instinct was to blog about it (guess I’m a bona fide blogger now!).

So what was this horrible incident? It wasn’t that bad, really. Just had my life flash before my eyes in a room full of people, no biggie right?

You may have been previously made aware, but I am oh-so-close to finishing my Bachelor of Commerce degree from Gustavson UVic. It can be high-stress, with lots of group work and many, many presentations. A lot of people hate public speaking; I’ve never really minded it and I’ve always been pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

creative commons image courtesy of Lee J Haywood

And then there was Tuesday.

Spending the weekend at Sasquatch probably didn’t help, going to bed too late the night before probably didn’t help, getting more nervous than I’ve ever been about a presentation definitely wasn’t doing me any favours. Leaving my notes at my seat was an incredibly silly move. I had two minutes to pitch a venture concept that my roommate and I thought up, and I knew my stuff. I was feeling great (but kinda groggy), confident (but kinda shaky) and I was ready to go (mostly).

Nailed the first sentence, and then blanked. Laughed it off, re-started and got stuck on the same word. Panic, panic, PANICKED. Left the class to compose myself, knowing that I’ve never seen anyone do that in a presentation. Ever. I gave myself five seconds to get my game face on and I charged back in. All four of my professors were looking at me apprehensively, the class was probably waiting for me to throw up on myself or faint.

I grabbed my notes, and I killed it.

In a room full of 60 people, the last thing you want to do is screw something up that you know you rock at. If you’re lucky, it’ll be a room full of friends like mine. And even if it isn’t, you’ll survive… with a funny story.