How to Stay Motivated and Get Shit Done

January 16, 2015 - 6:27pm - by Alyson Shane

Life is insane right now.

I walked into the office today with a million things on my plate and of course another million smaller things popped up along the way. Add to it managing client work, personal projects and secret (soon to be not-so-secret) projects I spent the morning feeling like I'd much rather crawl under a rock than actually do any of the stuff that I need to do.

Except I can't.

So instead of throwing myself a pity-party I decided to spend my lunch hour jotting down a few of the ways that I get shit done and stay motivated when I feel like this:

Figure Out What I'm Avoiding, and Why

I'm scared by things that I don't know but that doesn't make a lot of sense when I say it out loud, so here's an example to illustrate what I mean:

I want to get into podcasting but I have no idea where to start, so I Google "how to make a great podcast" and open a bunch of tabs, but then get overwhelmed by all the new information and, oh hey, Reddit sure looks interesting right about now... and then 45 minutes later I still haven't finished that first article that I started. 

It's easy to put off things that make us go beyond our comfort zone or, in my case, confront the fact that I don't actually know everything about everything. 

Figuring out why I'm avoiding something helps me start taking steps to work at it.

Make Time by Making Time

I know I sound like my mom but seriously I'd never get to the gym if I didn't pre-pack my gym bag the night before. Same goes for laying out work to get done in the morning and organizing my thoughts the night before by creating daily to-do lists (my saving grace). Little things like that make me feel a million times more organized (even when I'm a total gong show) and can really save time.

Put The Goddamn Phone Down

Otherwise known as: get the hell off social media, which I have a huge problem doing. I put my phone face-down, close my tabs (yes ALL of them) except what I need and have notifications disabled on both my iMac and my Macbook, so nothing "pops up" to notify me on my screen while I'm attempting to focus.

I've also had some really good experiences with SelfControl, which is a tool that allows you to set a timer which will cause your browser to behave like it's offline. You can whitelist or blacklist certain sites so that you don't have to totally disable the internet (calm down) while trying to focus. It's a Mac-only product, though. PC users can use Freedom, which is similar.

Figure Out When I'm Most Productive

I kick the most ass in the morning. In my ideal world I would get up, hit the gym or go for a long run, then settle in with a cup of coffee and do my thing until about 3pm which is when my energy takes a nosedive. 

Also: take breaks! If I've been working for several hours and feel my brain waters getting low it's totally okay to go for a walk to grab groceries or (just this once!) check out what's happening on Twitter. I try not to guilt myself about these breaks (though sometimes I fail) but I know that letting my brain chill out can really boost productivity if I've got a long haul ahead of me. 

Get Lit

Obviously I don't mean getting stoned and useless. I mean sitting somewhere where it's bright, preferably near a large window or (when the weather permits) sitting outside. I have a great goose-neck lamp from IKEA that I love at my desk, but sitting anywhere with some nice non-fluorescent lights is key to getting work done and not ruining my eyesight or giving myself a headache.

Organize My Mess

I'm a neat freak and I hate working in sloppy spaces. Sure, when I was writing 30+ page papers in university and had several stacks of reference notes all over my desk for one particular project I could handle it, but that's different. What I mean is the keeping the area around where you're working clean (or relatively so).

Is it dusty? Are there old dishes everywhere? Are there leftover papers, pens, notepads, books, whatever all over the place? For the love of god put it away. 

Clutter clutters the mind, or however that saying goes.

Also if you're a girl putting fresh flowers in your work space make you at least 96% more productive. Scientific fact.

What about you? Do you have any tips for getting shit done and staying motivated?

Hi, Thursday

January 15, 2015 - 10:07pm - by Alyson Shane

Took a chance on a bold lipstick choice today. It's by Lush Life by M.A.C. and I am obsessed.

Woke up at 6am for a #DoughnutDate with Colin and Adrian at Parlour Coffee followed by breakfast at Wanabee's in West Broadway which is the greasiest, best diner I've been to in ages. 

Hanging with two of my favourite guys first thing in the morning put me in a great mood & productivity is at an all-time high! TIL I work best when fueled by sugary goodness.

Work has me crazy-busy but I've got some seriously cool projects on the burner that I can't wait to share with you guys! 2015 is on track to be insane.

Happy Thursday, my loves.

xox yr girl Shaner

Talkin' Tech: Facebook at Work

January 14, 2015 - 5:46pm - by Alyson Shane

Back at the office and real life after three awful days of the flu. Feels good to be eating solids again! Currently inhaling a turkey & cranberry wrap from Diversity Foods. Amazing.

Been reading heaps today about Facebook's new Facebook at Work App but am unsure about how I feel about it. I use Google Drive both personally and professionally and am really happy with it. 

Plus Facebook at Work doesn't offer document sharing between profiles or in groups (yet) which is a big dealbreaker for me. 

It's smart of Facebook to start really targeting a more professional (read: adult) audience since from everything I've read young people aren't really gravitating to it and using it as their main social platform anymore, but the idea of having separate work/personal Facebook accounts seems a bit cumbersome IMO.

Also, there's already everyone's favourite (sigh) professional network, LinkedIn, and I already consider updating my LinkedIn to be enough of a hassle that yet another profile to manage and toggle between grates at my nerves a bit.

Though Facebook seems to be focusing on chat and Groups and less on showcasing online resumes, LinkedIn is apparently considering integrating a chat feature sometime in the future and is going to be releasing tools to make it easier to connect with co-workers this quarter, so it looks like it might be moving towards a more social experience than just trolling through other people's work histories.

I don't know, while the whole " no ads & no tracking user data" is appealing, it would take a lot for me to move away from Google Drive, Skype and the myriad of other social networks that I already frequent for my professional work. 

It doesn't really matter anyway, because it's not available for us plebes at the moment and Facebook is still testing well into the forseable future.

Right now, though? I'm happy keeping my Facebook use the way it is: as a distraction from my work, not as an integral part of it.

What about you?

#Project 365 - Sick Day

January 12, 2015 - 4:45pm - by Alyson Shane

Week one success! It was an interesting challenge to take photos of things and people; I think this project will be good for my mindfulness and keeping up with activities instead of just hibernating indoors which is what I want to do when the weather gets this cold.

I was feeling under the weather all last week and initially chalked it up to tiredness but as it turns out I have the flu. I haven't been able to hold anything down since last night which sucks because I really enjoyed the leftover noodles from Ashley's dinner at Bangkok Thai on Saturday night. They aren't as nice coming up as they are going down, though.

TMI but whatever.

Currently sipping peppermint tea with ginger pieces and watching The English Patient. I've seen it before but I love the story.

When I was in university we read In The Skin of a Lion which is another book by Michael Ondaatje and takes place in the same universe as The English Patient which this movie is based on. It's historical fiction so what I mean is some of the characters carry over between novels which was a pleasant surprise. 

Last night we started reading Station Eleven which is terrific so far. Tonight after John gets home he is going to make me some soup and we will read a bit more, together. I love our "Book Times" before bed and am really looking forward to it.

Until then I am going to try and keep my stomach calm and hang out on Tumblr. Join me if you're so inclined.

Re-Watching "The Newsroom"

January 9, 2015 - 8:02pm - by Alyson Shane

because John has never seen it before. Last night we curled up on the couch and finished S1 and I fell back in love with Aaron Sorkin's writing. 

I don't care if it's an unrealistic interpretation of how most large-scale newsrooms would actually handle the news.

I don't care if everyone shouts way too much to actually retain their jobs.

I don't care that Maggie is a total puss and they could have written her to be a much stronger character.

I don't even care that it's full of monologues about how we could have, should have, ought to be doing things differently.

In fact that's why I love it.

It's also an interesting opportunity to revisit events from a few years back and reflect on them, knowing what I know now.

We're starting S2 this weekend and then on to S3, which I haven't seen and have deliberately been not-watching until John catches up.

Honestly though, as much as I want to watch it, I don't want to see it end.

Good thing Game of Thrones comes back this March.

Je Suis Charlie

January 7, 2015 - 6:09pm - by Alyson Shane

I'm a writer and an artist. 

I always have been, I always will be.

I believe in freedom of speech, and I also believe that satire and humour are two of our most powerful tools in our rhetorical arsenal.

They are how we explore challenging and uncomfortable ideas.

They are how we open up dialogues about religion, sex & sexuality, politics, and anything else that ruffles people's feathers. 

Satire and humour are crucial to our development as a society, and Charlie Hebdo pushed the envelope in both areas.

They did so regularly, and did so without apology.

They challenged people's beliefs, their values, their fears. 

They regularly poked fun of people's religion, political leanings, the values that they held dear, and forced them to take a good, hard, long look at themselves in the mirror and ask

"Is this really what I want to believe in?"

Well... at least it did for some of us. 

Others reacted with fear, hatred, violence, and vitriol when confronted with things they would rather not see. 

It takes a brave person to accept that others do not agree with you.

The individuals who acted in Paris, killed 12 people and injured 11 others, were cowards.

Cowards who took themselves, their religion, and the opinions of others too seriously. 

I'm furious. I'm horrified. I keep asking myself "what can I do? How can we continue to defend freedom of speech against people who are willing to do anything to suppress it?"

So I'm doing the one thing I can do: write about it. 

I'm expressing my support for the murdered members of Charlie Hebdo and their families, for the ones who remain and will keep writing, drawing and publishing, and for the kinds of cultural dialogues that the paper (and ones like it) force us to engage in.

If we don't challenge ourselves as a society, if we don't poke fun of beliefs, scrutinize ideas, and otherwise make ourselves uncomfortable we can't ever move forward. 

We will continue to live in fear, to be afraid of speaking up about difficult subjects too often, or too loudly, or at all.

We will have failed as a society.

Let's try not to do that anymore.

#project365 - Making Memories Project

January 6, 2015 - 9:40pm - by Alyson Shane

I've decided to try my hand at #project365, where I'll take one photo per day, every day, for a year and post it to my Instagram.

(Taken today, on day 3, of the project. I love these lights in West Broadway)

I know it's a "trendy" thing to do, but hear me out:

I'm also a writer. A writer who wants to write more in 2015 (and always!).

I used to write heaps. When I was a student I posted almost every day about stuff I saw, was doing, had done, you name it.

In the age of "business-based blogging" I'm seeing so much less of that style of sharing and storing memories.

Remember when we used to do that?

I mean, there are still some bloggers who do. 

(Tony & Raymi,  to name a couple)

But me? I haven't as much, recently, but that changes today.

As part of my #project365 endeavour I'm also going to blog more frequently. I'm talking 5+ times a week, including a weekly #project365 post which will wrap-up the week and highlight some of my favourite moments.

About life, love, adventures, random thoughts, the silly stuff I find online. Whatever.

I want you guys to see every side of me.

Here goes, hope you enjoy the ride!

xox

yr girl Shaner

Starter Stories - My Roslyn Apartment

January 4, 2015 - 8:41pm - by Alyson Shane

Roslyn Manor. The Roslyn.

Built in 1909 and rumoured to be haunted, it is an incredible old red brick building with weird turrets, huge sunrooms, winding staircases and heaps of history; I've been obsessed with it since I first rode the bus into Osborne Village when I was 14.

When I moved back from Ontario I stayed a short stint with my parents out in the suburbs but after an infuriating winter of waiting for busses, frozen feet, and a severe lack of anything to do that didn't require a 20-minute drive, I moved the heck out of there the moment spring started to arrive.

This is where my Starter Story apartment began. A big thanks to Urban Compass for inspiring me to share my memories in Roslyn as part of their "Starter Stories" series.".

I applied to live in a 1-bedroom which was one of two one-bedrooms in the whole, sprawling building. Most suites in The Roslyn are massive apartment-style townhouses with sunrooms, walk-in pantries, dining rooms and bedrooms upon bedrooms.

Not mine.

(The amazing old hallways with beautiful woodwork)

My tiny corner apartment on the 5th floor was less than 350sqft.

It had 12ft ceilings; an incredible claw-foot tub; huge windows that let in a breeze no matter which way the wind was blowing, dazzling sunlight and (unfortunately) every sound the neighbours made.

My little apartment overlooked a narrow courtyard which separated the two "sides" of Roslyn Manor and my bedroom and kitchen were right across the courtyard from walkways which attached to back kitchens in larger suites, likely for hired help

That's what my suite used to be: a butler suite, or for a fancy level of hired help.

But for a single girl like me, it was perfect.

(Me, terribly sick, in the living room)

I repainted the living room wall a deep chocolate and got matching pillows for the couch.

I tucked a tiny red chair (which I still have) in the little window alcove in the living room.

I strung Christmas lights up around my bedroom, which was so tiny that I had to turn to the side to walk around my bed and get to the dresser.

I loved bringing people over for the first time and hearing their gasps of delight as we crowded into the old elevator -the first residential one in the province- and closed the heavy copper cage door. That elevator still ran smooth as butter. We took it to the 5th floor, rounded a sharp corner and walked across a tiny, narrow concrete footbridge across the courtyard.

This was when people lost it.

"This is how you get into your place?!" they would gasp and I would laugh and smile and guide them further, into another hallway, around another corner, and into my little L-shaped slice of heaven for a glass of wine.

I loved that apartment endlessly; it was the first place that I truly felt was my own. 

(So many parties and memories made around this table)

I danced to Fleetwood Mac while mopping the floors; I spent hours curled up on the couch watching old movies; I opened all the windows during the summer and let the sounds of Osborne Village echo off the coved ceiling.

I lived there for a magical year before I moved to a cheaper, larger, shared apartment so that I could begin my studies at the University of Winnipeg.

Moving was bittersweet. It hurt to leave a place where I had learned so much about myself, where I had fallen in love and shared so many smiles, tears and memories with people that I held dear, but at the same time it was exciting to be starting a new chapter of my life.

Now, years later, I still walk by The Roslyn almost every day.

Sometimes, as I'm passing, I see a girl turning her key in the lock of the front door and stepping inside those walls that hold so much history and so many memories.

I imagine that she is me, in my younger days, taking that winding corridor, that silent elevator, to the little apartment that would come to shape so much of her soul. 

2014

January 1, 2015 - 11:11pm - by Alyson Shane

It's 2015.

I should probably write something profound. That's what people do in the New Year, right?

Here's my best shot at it. Fuelled by rum and gin and crepes:

2014 was the year I left my safe-yet-unhealthy 4+ year relationship.

It destroyed me. It still destroys me.

Last night I deleted the only video of him that I still had on my phone. I hadn't watched it in months, and seeing that face, hearing that voice tore me apart on the inside. I took it on the last "good weekend" we had before things started to really unravel and seeing and hearing, seeing that face, that voice using our silly couple-language, tore me apart.

But it was time to let go.

It was time to let go of my idea of that person. It was time to let go of the idea of the man that I was with, the idea of the man that I wanted him to be.

But that's how I want to remember him. I don't want to remember him as the person that he is, now. 

The person who couldn't handle the breakup; the person who made people choose between he and I; the person who slandered me to anyone who would listen; the person who harassed me for months.

I saw an awful, dirty side of him that I wish I could forget.

Breaking up is a dirty business and I don't recommend it to anyone.

But sometimes it has to be done.

Last night I decided to start letting go of the idea of the person that I once loved. It was tragic and awful and I could only do it with an empty glass in my hand because sometimes we need that push to do what's right.

It was right and it was hard and it was terrible.

2014 was the year I got fired from my first out-of-university job.

I was hired after a summer of floundering around trying to find work and I loved it. It was amazing, interesting, exciting, and stressful as hell. I used to have dreams about work. I dreamt about writing reports, pricing out items, walking around the giant building that they rent in The Exchange District.

But I wasn't trained properly.

I had a manager who was largely absent. I was the 4th person to hold that position in a year and a half, which speaks volumes.

When I was let go, it was without any notice and without any feedback.

It devastated me. I didn't know what to do with myself.

But I moved on. 

I found promise in a new job and, more importantly, in freelance work that has taught me more than being a "go-fer" at a larger company could ever have.

I started to look at my career path as something that I can shape to what I want, and not just climbing a corporate ladder somewhere.

It was liberating. It was terrifying. It was... amazing.

2014 was the year when I stopped partying so damn much.

Weekends wasted, talking about nothing of importance with people who forgot my words because they were equally as out of it and equally as uninvested in our conversation.

I guess everyone goes through a phase where they party, but I'm glad to be out of mine.

At least of the two-day-extravaganza variety.

Whew.

2014 was the year I fell in love, again.

But not that shitty half-assed love.

The kind of love that consumes you and eats you up and spits you out.

The kind where you wake up and think "holy shit I get to wake up next to and hold and talk to and fuck this person right here"

And you do. And every day is amazing. Even the shitty, awful, retched ones where you can't agree and cast dark glances over the top of yr keyboard. even those days.

I've never had that before.

I've never been consumed by something this way and I'm at the point where I'm honestly scared to talk about these things online, even, because aren't you not supposed to? Aren't writers only supposed to talk about heartbreak and meaningless sex and failed love?

Maybe, but then that doesn't make me much of a writer, does it?

Which brings me to my next point:

2014 was the year I wrote.

I scribble ideas everywhere.

I write poems, haikus, letters, blog posts, everything.

The words fall out of me and I can't stop them. I've never felt so overwhelmed with words and thoughts and messy, outrageous ideas.

This is the year that I've accepted myself as a writer. I used to be scared of my words. Of their permanence, that they might expose something of myself that I might one day want to forget.

But I'm not afraid of it anymore. It sounds crazy, but it's true.

Words define us. They make us who we are and, if we let them, expose the deepest depths of our souls. 

I don't want to run from that anymore.

I'm not scared of who I am.

So that's my 2014.

I could go into more detail. I gardened, I attended festivals, I met new people, formed new friendships, and learned so much. 

But these are the few points that I think really matter.

To me, and maybe to you.

Here's to last year: the totally transformative 2014. 

Here's to next year: may be it beautiful, bombastic, and may it move you and teach you things about yourself that you never knew. 

xo

yr girl Shaner