Canadian Small Business Women

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3 Tips To Get The Most Out of The Holidays!

yvonne

It’s that time of the year where there is a lot going on that could so easily compete for our attention, or stress us out. Here are three tips to help you get the most out of the holidays and enjoy it as well.

  1. Set the Intention

Decide on what you would like to get out of the holidays; is it to spend more time with family and friends, is it to be stress free, is it to ensure you don’t overspend going into the New Year, or is it to reflect and plan for the year ahead. Whatever it may be, visualise what it is you want and create a clear mental picture of it. In “My Book on Mindset”, I talk about ‘Picture’ and the Power of Visualisation; the more we are able to clearly picture what we want, the more it becomes reality as our actions and thought process begin to align to the image we are holding.

  1. Stay Focused

Once you’ve set the intention on what you want out of the holiday, it’s time to plan and focus. With a lot of what I’m going to call holiday fanfare, one can very easily get distracted – family and friends wanting your time, giving of gifts, Christmas events, and retailers working double hard to lure you – hence the need to stay focused and have a plan.

Create a list of the top three items you want to accomplish, and constantly refer to it to keep you focused.

If your goal is to not overspend this season, set a financial budget and avoid the temptation to buy unplanned or expensive gifts, sales events, or splurge on outings.

If your plan is for a stress-free holiday, define what that means to you, identify those things that would usually stress you, and plan on how to avoid them.

  1. Plan to Enjoy the Season

I believe this is a season of love, joy, and good tidings. Make a decision to fill your mind and heart with gratitude, and choose to enjoy the season. Choose an attitude that in spite of what may be going on, and all of the hustle and bustle, you will be thankful and grateful for what you have. The more gratitude we have, the more we open ourselves for more – the simple Law of Attraction – what we are, we attract. Allow yourself to take in the Christmas music, the movies, and the good cheer.

The decision is yours to make on what you get out of the season. Set your mind on what you want, focus on what you set your mind to do, and open yourself to enjoy the season. Your mindset determines your attitude, your attitude determines your choices, and your choices determine what you get out of the holidays.

 

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.

She can be reached at:  http://www.oliveblue.com/ . https://www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . https://twitter.com/oliveblueinc. https://www.youtube.com/user/ChangeYouWantTV

Multi-tasking: Are you an Addict?

Sheralyn

Hi, My name is Sheralyn and I’m a recovering addict.  They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Yes, I am a former multitasking addict and I struggle daily with the constant urge to do more, more, more.  While I certainly don’t wish to make light of addiction, the reality is multitasking is a 21st Century affliction both epidemic in proportion and idealized as virtue. It’s time for a reality check.

When we multitask, we labour (literally) under the illusion that we are doing more, making better use of our time, increasing our efficiency and possibly even that we are saving ourselves or our companies, time, money or both. It has become a much prized value and “ability to multitask” a staple skill set to include on our résumé. Recent research suggests however that such a staple should perhaps not be so prized after all.

Multitasking, studies show, “doesn’t make us any more efficient………we actually perform tasks more slowly because brains need extra time to toggle between tasks.”  Additionally, there is an increasing body of evidence that concludes it is actually bad for us.  “How is it bad? It impedes short-term memory, decreases overall mental performance, and causes stress, hormonally triggering “a vicious cycle where we multi-task, take longer to get things done, then feel harried and compelled to multi-task more,” says journalist John Naish. And the brain-toggling that comes with ongoing multi-tasking shortens our attention, eventually addicting us through spurts of adrenaline continually being released. In the absence of multi-tasking, one study reported in The New York Times concluded, “people feel bored.” (1) That’s right – we’ve become so addicted to all this action and in the process so acclimatized to the “value” of multitasking that the new social norm involves conversations that are vehemently competitive as we seek to establish who is the busiest and can get the most done in the least amount of time. Gone are the Downton Abbey days of one staff to light the fires while another polishes the silver and a third helped dress the Dowager Countess – these days we are each of us individually expected to keep the homes fires lit, burn the candle at both ends at work, set out the silver for dinner while simultaneously cooking it and keep track of it all using our various social media devices. Plus dress the kids and drive them to school, sports or piano practice! (My kingdom for a Governess!)

What then is the alternative?  Drawing media attention (and in fact building momentum of late) is the discussion around the benefits of solo tasking.  It doesn’t require much research to know that having a single – minded focus will help you achieve a level of attention to detail that you simply can’t have while multi-tasking.  Solo tasking requires you to schedule appropriately, ensuring adequate amounts of both your time and resources are allocated to the task. In the scheduling, you will clearly think ahead to what your project entails and properly anticipate all requirements. You increase the odds significantly that you will complete the task during that time-frame because it is the only thing required of you. Distractions and time wasters are substantially reduced because you are not transitioning between various computer screens, running from office to office or scrolling through multiple search engines and then getting sidetracked by social media. (Face it you DO get sidetracked by social media.) In short, if you are polishing the silver you are doing a VERY god job of polishing the silver.  The fires can then be lit when darkness descends – a time more suited for that particular job.

There is such a value placed on the commodity of time now that we have become accustomed to making calls while we drive or sending emails from our laptops while eating lunch.  Hopefully you are using Bluetooth but what happens when the caller requests you to make a note of something? Do you pull over to write it down? Swerve madly all over the road as you attempt to talk, drive and write? And what of your laptop? How many times have you spilled (or come perilously close to spilling) your lunch or coffee all over the keyboard.  The “benefits” of multitasking are rapidly lost when you have an accident in either scenario.  Better for your physical and mental state to solo task.  If you’re driving a car, for Pete’s sake just drive and couldn’t we all use even 15 minutes break to eat and recharge our batteries? Your efficiencies will gain exponentially when you return, refocused and re-energized.

If you work in a creative field sometimes “ideas happen.”  They don’t always conform to a schedule, heck I’m sure you’ve even woken up in the night with a brilliant idea. Solo tasking doesn’t have to put an end to that  – keep a notepad handy and if an idea for another project does makes its way into your head don’t shut down the whole works – just jot the idea down in point form so you don’t lose your train of thought and then immediately return to what you were doing.  Make organizing your time (not juggling it) the virtue and valued skill set. A properly organized and prioritized workday, with single – minded focus and clarity of objectives, will ultimately make you more productive than trying to juggle a three – ring circus. Because unless you spent years of practicing to become a juggler – something is bound to get dropped!

 

(1)www.todayschristianwoman – march april 2013

 

As Owner and Principal partner of “Writing Right For You” Sheralyn is a Communications Strategist – working together with entrepreneurs to maximize profit through effective use of the written word. Looking for web content that works, blog articles that engage or communications strategies that help you get noticed?  Contact Sheralyn today. Sheralyn is also the mother of two children now entering the “terrible and terrific teens” and spends her free time volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Sheralyn Roman B.A., B.Ed.

Writing Right For You

Communications Strategies that help you GET TO THE POINT!

416-420-9415 Cell/Business

writingrightforyou@gmail.com

LinkedIn / Facebook / www.writingrightforyou.weebly.com

Dealing With Stress

sandra

 

 

As an entrepreneur stress can become a natural state of being.  There’s so much to do and not enough hours in the day to get it all done, and if you’re a solopreneur, the responsibility is totally in your hands!  This can be enough to drive the most efficient of us crazy, and in those moments of overwhelm, it can leave you wondering if having a desk job was really as bad as you once thought it was.

I’m no stranger to feeling stressed.  Even with meditation, yoga and a morning jog, there are times when I’ve had moments where I’m still left wondering where I will find the courage and strength to go on in difficult times, when the obstacles seem insurmountable!  Stress can take you right off track and take away your focus from the goal of growing your business and pursuing your passion.  It drains your energy, it takes a toll on your relationships and it takes up valuable time that you could be using to take your business to the next level!

Often, our main source of stress comes from fear.  Fear of the unknown, failure, or even success!  When we encounter obstacles, especially when we are starting out, it can be easy to consider these challenges a sign that your business isn’t meant to be.  If you’ve studied the stories of anyone that has achieved great success in their business, or life in general, there is rarely a time when barriers were not encountered.  What made those people successful was their ability to persevere and maintain their focus in spite of those challenges.  They have a strong belief in their vision and that is what gives them the ability to push through the obstacles and make their dreams a reality.

When you feel stressed, take a quick moment to ask yourself what exactly is stressing you out.  Is it the worry that the product or service you’re offering won’t attract any customers?  Are you taking on too much and need to hire someone, but you’re afraid you can’t afford it?  Instead of allowing stress to take over, take control of it and dig deep to find the root cause of your stress.  Only then can you find ways to minimize or eliminate it.

As entrepreneurs, we can’t allow stress to take away our power to make our dreams come true.  We all have a gift to share with the world, a purpose, a calling that is waiting to be fulfilled.  We have to believe in ourselves and have faith that everything is working out as it should (regardless of if it’s the way we want it to).  When we believe in ourselves and what we are doing, it makes it easier for others, including our future clients/customers to do the same, allowing us to grow our businesses from a place of authenticity and true service.

 

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She is working on her first book, Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!

Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

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