Never too busy to be BIG

When I first applied to be a BIG Sister, I was at an interesting point in my life. I had just turned 23 years old, was working on finishing up my Master’s degree while working fulltime and planning to start my Doctoral degree in the near future. I worked all the time. I would go home at night and watch TV or read a book and fall asleep early out of plain exhaustion. One day, I heard an interview on the radio with a couple of Bigs and Littles promoting the agency and my first thought was I wish I could do that but I don’t have time. As I continued to listen, the stories the Bigs and littles shared were amazing and you could really sense the special bonds they formed. I was so touched I decided to get in touch with the agency and it wasn’t long before I was hanging out with my little sister Becky for the first time.

Becky had just turned 16 when we were first matched. She had a big sister for a few years but she had moved away. When I first met Becky I knew our match was perfect. She was a witty, silly, energetic young girl who loved to be creative, but through a more low-key outlet. As our relationship developed we started doing lots of interesting and exciting activities. We really enjoy having dinners together, playing board games and doing crafts like painting and bracelet making. We also do lots of seasonal activities: Christmas crafts, Easter egg decorating, and we even tried fall centerpieces this year! We have been to a Loblaws Cooking class, went shopping at the mall, gone out to many local events (including BBBS BBQs, Bowl for Kids’ sake, etc.) and had lots of picnics this past summer. I am also a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Recreation Committee and as such Becky and I attend many events planned by this committee. The purpose of this committee is to organize events for all of the BIGs and littles in the agency. We recently had a meeting and I was very excited afterwards. The five BIGs on the committee are from such different backgrounds and everyone had great ideas and connections to get the ball rolling with lots of new activities! Without a doubt Becky and I will be gearing up for these activities soon as well!

As I write this blog post, I am almost 25 years old and just starting the 2nd year of my PhD. Although my daily routine hasn’t changed much, since becoming a BIG Sister I think I have changed a lotinside. I have noticed I let the little things slide now, and I don’t dwell as much on the big things. I look forward to my weekly meetings with Becky because it’s a chance to relax and take a break from the chaos that adult life surrounds you with. It’s a chance to have fun, try new things and push each other towards goals. It’s also refreshing to be around some of that youthful, joyous, free spirit that you can only find in a child. Wherever my life takes me in these next few years, I hope I will always have the opportunity to have a little because if I have only learned one thing, it is that you are nevertoo busy to be BIG.

By: Amanda Tracey

Rebecca & Amanda volunteer with BBBS at the Xmas gift wrap

Rebecca decorating Easter eggs!

This blog was originally posted on THINK big act big

Share your Productivity Secrets!

It’s easy to get distracted on the days I sit and sort through seeds

As many of you grad school newbies have probably noticed and as many of you grad school veterans know, grad school is awesome because you have loads of flexibility and a lot of independence. But with independence and flexibility comes issues with productivity. Of course productivity is an issue beyond graduate school but for myself maintaining acceptable productivity in grad school is one of the hardest things I have dealt with. I have learned a few things about productivity and figured I would share them here.

Your environment is really important. I can’t take work home with me because I know I would never do it. There are just so many more important things to do (like bake a cake, dust the book shelf and best of all…nap)! However some of my friends thrive when they can work from home because it’s quieter, there are less lab mates around to distract them and no student’s knocking at the door. I also find that having a tidy work space helps me work effectively and increase productivity. It’s less overwhelming and much less distracting.

Put the Iphone down or turn it off. Although it seems tempting to check your Facebook notifications (which mostly end up being for Candy Crush Saga), check what your friends are posting on Pinterest (it’s mostly just cute cats and excessively chocolaty cake recipes) or ask Siri what the meaning of life is….it isn’t worth it! I have been experimenting lately with a 55 minute rule. Every day I work for 55 minutes and then look at my phone, work for another 55 minutes and then look at my phone (repeat, repeat, repeat).

Calendars, daytimers, planners, to-do lists….There are lots of different options to help you stay on top and stay productive. There is something about making a list and checking things off that feels sogood. I love my calendar and I know Sharday mentioned this before too. If there is a task that I need to do every day, I still write it in the calendar. I start with those tasks and that gets me on a roll, check, check, check. From there it just seems to flow!

Don’t work excessively long hours. I accept that sometimes this is necessary but I find that if you have a goal, activity or engagement of some sort it keeps you on track and working hard during the day. It doesn’t need to be a black tie gala that you look forward to every night. Sometimes the things I look forward to are as simple as taking a trip to the public library to find a new read, meeting a friend for coffee, watching my favourite TV show or baking a cake!

If you’re stuck on something, take a different approach. One thing I have found that really helps is talking it over with someone. Talk it through with your Supervisor, or a colleague or even your parents! Sometimes just hearing yourself state the problem out loud is the first step to coming to a solution!

Have a hobby. You can’t focus on work all the time. Take some time and do something you enjoy. Play a sport, join a club, start volunteering, collect something or take up baking. Just take some time and relax like I talked about earlier this year and as did Rachel!

Hopefully you find some of these suggestions useful. Staying productive is an ongoing battle and sometimes it really is hard. How do you stay productive? If you have any tips we would love to hear from you! Happy Monday everyone!

Note: I have been watching Cake Boss all weekend and as such, the number of times I reference cake in this post exceeds normal limits.

 This blog was originally posted in Gradifying