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Coach Janet’s Top 5 Procrastination-Busters

Procrastination eats away at our ability to achieve the success we want in our business and personal lives. It steals hours, days, months and years, and delays the benefits associated with completing our actions. Practice these five tips to start taking action today!

1.     Find Your Motivation

Think about the goals you are trying to attain. Spend a few moments visualizing what could be achieved and what you could gain if you take action. Then think about the consequences of NOT taking action. What fears could motivate you to take action today? Often the task that has the most negative consequences of NOT doing it is often the MOST important task to complete.

2.     Do The Worst First

Often the biggest, worst thing you need to accomplish will be the thing that causes you to procrastinate on it and everything else on your list. By procrastinating on the least enjoyable, most troublesome, or fearful activity you will only have it waiting there tomorrow, possibly even bigger and messier than it is today. Get the worst thing over with early so you free yourself mentally and emotionally to do other things more effectively.

3.     Start Small

Often just looking at a large task is enough to cause us to look in the other direction. The more apparent complexity there is to a task, the more likely we will procrastinate. Just as you would never try to drive across the country in one stretch, don’t try to take on all of a job from the start.

Sometimes the best way to stop procrastinating and complete a major task is to take a small slice and complete just that piece. In order to do this, you may first need to spend some time breaking down the larger project into smaller individual tasks so that you can see your progress and stay motivated. Completing one task motivates you to complete another. It’s a snowball effect. Commit to doing one thing today and you will find you will accomplish even more.

4.     Become Action-Oriented

Often once you take a step to complete a task, you find the momentum builds and you are able to continue. Get into the habit of not even having to think about getting started; build action into your routine every day so that you begin your day with the momentum needed to complete your tasks.

5.     Remove Distraction

We all have habits we revert to when we don’t want to begin a task: organizing our desks, going out for coffee, cleaning the house. If you know that you get distracted easily then schedule short burst of time, 30 to 60 minutes, to focus on an important task. Remove yourself from environments that pose distraction, shut your door, turn your phone off, turn off the TV/radio and focus for that short period of time.

“A journey of 1,000 leagues begins with a single step.’’ – Confucius

Janet Bonaguro is a Certified Business Coach with FocalPoint Coaching. She works with business owners and executives in order to improve revenue, profitability, productivity and teamwork. For more information please visit her website; for more of her coaching tips see her Merchant Profile
on LynnValleyLife.

March 29, 2013 in Blog, Guest Voices, Merchant Mentions

LV Optometry employee plans Mexican aid trip

April showers bring May flowers, and for Krista Phillips at Lynn Valley Optometry, May is the month her dreamed-about non-profit endeavour will finally blossom.

Krista is part of a team of young people who are travelling to an impoverished area of Mexico to  work with small communities and help meet some of their needs. Krista is hoping people who are interested in promoting this kind of work will consider donating towards the group’s trip (donations must be collected by April 14). Read on to hear more about the project, in Krista’s words:

 

Tell us about the project!

For two weeks in May, I will be going to the Copper Canyon in Mexico with a team of young people from Coquitlam Alliance Church. While in the canyon, we will be spending time with the Tarahumara Indians and bringing food and supplies to them in their very small, impoverished communities. We will spend some time in the orphanage in Guacayvo, help to build a church, and be hiking into other remote areas of the canyon. We plan to bring food and clothes, and I’m hoping to bring some glasses as well.

What inspired you to get involved?

It broke my heart when I heard that the people had been collectively jumping off the cliffs as families in order to avoid dying from starvation. I really felt called to go do what I could to help, even if it’s only for a short time.

What is your biggest hope for the trip?

That’s a tough one, mostly because I really don’t know what to expect. I know it’s going to be a huge leap out of my comfort zone to be in a completely different country with different culture and way of life, but my hope is that I can make a difference to the people there.

What kind of support are you looking for? Be specific as you can.

Thoughts and prayers are a huge one. Mostly for health and safety while we’re away. I do have to raise funds for my portion of the trip as well, and donations would be immensely appreciated. We can offer tax receipts as well.

What do you do at Lynn Valley Optometry?

I get to be the one who helps people pick out a fabulous pair of frames and match the best type of lens for them to see. I love it. The patients and customers we have are the best I’ve ever worked with, and at Lynn Valley Optometry, we really are a work family, not just co-workers.

Have you been involved in community projects before?

Over the past two years, in the winter months, I’ve collected warm articles of clothing, blankets, socks, etc. for people in need in Vancouver, as well as the Coquitlam area. I am currently trying to get involved with Habitat for Humanity as well, but my schedule hasn’t co-ordinated with their orientations yet. I’d love to find other projects to get involved with though, because I am really discovering my passion for outreach!

 

Thank you, everyone, for your help. The support I’ve already received has been overwhelming!

 

March 24, 2013 in Blog, Current News, Merchant Mentions, Notable Neighbours

Advent of spring means LV Day coming soon!

Happy Spring, everyone! Snowdrops and crocuses are currently doing their annual warm-up act for the daffs and tulips that will soon be putting on a show.

But they aren’t the only ones busy doing their thing. The organizers of the annual Lynn Valley Days community celebration have already been at work getting the stage set for this popular event, so here’s a heads up of what you need to know!

  • First off, tickets for the Friday night gala dinner dance, set for May 24th, go on sale beginning Sunday, March 24th. This has been a sold-out success for the past two years, and tickets move fast, so get yours now! All details are here.
  • All the world loves a parade, so start planning your entry now. All the parade details and application forms are available in our Lynn Valley Days section, along with contact details for this year’s parade marshal, Gillian Konst.
  • Lynn Valley Days is the North Shore’s longest-running festival, and one of its most popular. And it doesn’t just happen by magic! Please pitch in by becoming a sponsor or volunteer. Neighbours helping neighbours makes the world go ’round

March 20, 2013 in Blog, Community Events, Current News, Lynn Valley Day

Almost-spring days give cause for celebration

From Lynn O’Malley’s typewriter:

These first sunny days of almost-spring make me realize how cabin-fevered I had become! There are still a few weeks ’til spring officially kicks in, and an even longer haul ’til we get some reliable, lasting warm weather, but in the meantime it feels like some small seasonal celebrations are in order.

So what’s a person to do in Lynn Valley, when the crocuses are crowning and the breezes are beckoning? Well, here’s a list to start with:

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March 8, 2013 in Blog, Current News, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, O'Malley's Musings

Leave space in the garden for Project Sunflower

Last fall, those of us at LynnValleyLife HQ had a great time reading the nominations for our first-annual Good Neighbour Award, which wrapped up at the end of December. In fact, we had such a good time, we realized we’d need another fun community initiative to keep us busy until the contest kicks off again in November!

So we put our heads together to plan a new neighbourhood undertaking – and we’re calling it Project Sunflower! We’re asking people to jump on board and plant one, two or a whole patch of sunflowers in their front gardens this spring. Wouldn’t it be great to drive (or walk, or bike) through the neighbourhood, and see hundreds of sunflowers brightening our yards and streets as summer progresses?

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March 4, 2013 in Blog, Community Events, Eco-Awareness & The Great Outdoors, Getting Involved, Project Sunflower

John Gilmour enjoys the present while planning for the future

John Gilmour’s name and face are familiar to anyone who has followed Lynn Valley issues and politics over the past few years – because if there’s one thing John likes, it’s meeting the people in the neighbourhood.

His self-confessed passion for networking started early. He never confined himself to one group of friends in high school, he told LynnValleyLife during a recent chat over a green tea at Waves; instead, he circulated among many different groups.

It’s a skill that’s stood him in good stead over his many years as a community volunteer. One of his first leadership posts, in fact, was way back in 1987, when as a recent BCIT marketing grad John became president of the Vancouver Junior Chamber of Commerce.

But community work soon had to take second place to home life. In 1992, he and his wife Susan started a family; Daniel is now 20, and Jenny is a 16-year-old Argyle student, but when they were younger four hands helped keep everything running smoothly when the kids were growing up.

Things changed in 2006. John was itchy to get involved in the community again, and was referred to the Lynn Valley Community Association. They welcomed him on to the board, and since then he’s held roles from membership director to president.

While still an avid member of the LVCA, John has recently stepped off the board and is looking forward to serving the wider neighbourhood in a variety of other ways. Later this year, in tandem with other involved members of the community, he will be launching a blog called North Shore Futures. John points out that its acronym, ‘NSF’, is also a nod to NSF’s alternate association – ‘Non-Sufficient Funds.’

The blog intends to offer information and commentary about decisions being made in the local municipality, and their ultimate affordability. “There’s not enough money not to pay attention,” he said, noting that North Van District’s cash reserves are not especially high.

John says he does a great deal of background research before offering his opinion on local issues. “Sometimes the best solution might not be the most realistic solution,” he says wryly. His day job as vice-president of marketing and development at Magusta Development, a company that builds affordable multi-family housing complexes, has helped him learn how to stretch a dollar to best meet the needs of the surrounding community. “We really do try to think about how it’s going to be for people living there in advance. We don’t just slap up a building. We give it a lot of thought.”

Along with neighbourhood issues and urban design initiatives, John is also president of the Friends of the North Vancouver Museum and Archives Society and is looking forward to seeing the construction of a 15,000 square-foot museum on the Lower Lonsdale waterfront in front of the Pinnacle Hotel. He’s always finding other ways of getting involved locally – when he spoke with LynnValleyLife, he and Susan had just hosted a Cool Neighbourhood evening to discuss reducing the eco-impact of the households in their neighbourhood around Ross Road Elementary.

But even though John’s fingers are never far from the calendar and contacts on his Blackberry, this busy volunteer still schedules time to just enjoy Lynn Valley living.

He says a perfect Sunday would start with a morning at Valley Church, where he enjoys meeting up with the 500+ regular attenders.  That might be followed by eggs and pancakes at home, then watching some football or doing some flower and veggie gardening. His favourite home-cooked dinner is barbecued salmon on their large deck – (“We hardly ever eat indoors”) – and he might cap off the day reading Bernard Cornwell’s latest historical fiction, or watching a PVR’d Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

There are still mountains left to conquer – he’s started ballroom dance lessons with his wife, for one! – and though John is contemplating a 10-year retirement plan, he expects he’ll be one of those people who is even busier once the post-retirement years hit.

Whatever road John takes, we just hope it isn’t one that leads out of Lynn Valley – he’s far too valuable here!  We’re sure his mom Sheila, the first executive director of the Capilano Community Services Society and a key player in many other local organizations, is pleased to see her son follow in her volunteering footsteps. Thanks, John – we hope many others follow your example!

– Peggy Trendell-Jensen, LynnValleyLife editor.

March 1, 2013 in Blog, Current News, Notable Neighbours

Coach Janet’s Top Five Ways to Accomplish More

The most successful people place high value on their time and constantly strive to use it more efficiently and effectively.

As Brian Tracy says, “The starting point of developing good time management skills is for you to realize that time management is really life management. It is the way you take care of your most precious gift.”

1. Plan In Advance
Peter Drucker said, “Action without planning is the reason for every failure.”
The highest achievers are all persistent planners, continuously setting their goals, then analyzing and re-evaluating their plans on how to achieve those goals. The failure to plan carefully can be very expensive in terms of the time and money wasted on activities that don’t contribute towards your goals.

2. Focus on Important Tasks
It’s important to understand the distinction between urgent and important tasks. Important tasks contribute towards your goals, while urgent tasks simply impose a timeframe. Be wary of any task that is not important, regardless of urgency. Focus your time on important tasks first.

3. Apply the Law of Comparative Advantage to Your Work
In your work life, the Law of Comparative Advantage says that you should assign, delegate, outsource or have someone else do any job that can be done at an hourly rate less than you earn, or less than the rate you desire to earn. You cannot earn your desired rate per hour during the workday if you are getting your car washed, picking up your groceries, dropping off your dry cleaning, or surfing the net. No doubt there are other tasks on your plate that are not essential for you to personally perform.

4. Be Prepared to Cut Your Losses
When you make a decision, or a commitment of time, money or emotion, that is not successful, your ego often compels you to continue, resulting in throwing good time after bad. At this point you are now investing not only your valuable time and money but also your emotion. Learn to take control of your ego: walk away from your mistakes and use that time on something more valuable.

5. Just Say “No!”
Just because you are willing and capable to do something doesn’t mean that it aligns with your goals and should be a focus of your precious time. The greatest time saver of all is the word “No!”

“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” (George Horace Lorimer)

Janet Bonaguro is a Certified Business Coach with FocalPoint Coaching. She works with business owners and executives in order to influence positive change in business. For more information please visit her website.

March 1, 2013 in Blog, Merchant Mentions