Literacy VISTA Webinar December 11 th , 2014



Name & Site



How are things going at your site?



What is one thing you are currently working on?

     What is the ‘VISTA Slump’ & Why are we talking about it?

Combating the slump  Tips and Tricks Tools for working through the slump      Motivation Turning ideas into action Ideas and general tips on productivity Maximizing your time when you’re incredibly busy Making the best of the Minnesota Winter!

Announcements  Including post-webinar activities Closing Question

  The Corporation’s (CNCS) research shows a trend that months 3 and 4 of service can be especially difficult, possibly due to:    VISTAs finally understand the scope of work & complexity of it VISTAs may not feel they have the competency to complete tasks General self-doubt Other tell-tale signs of the “VISTA Slump”:      Feeling a little stagnant in your plans for what to prioritize next or how to build on your knowledge and work from the first 3 months The reality of the living allowance is settling in Forgetting why you decided to serve/what excited you at the start Overwhelmed with “So many ideas, so little time!” Your site and work may be turning out different than what you expected

 The holidays are typically a crazy time of year with programs ending/starting, staff taking vacations, offices may be closed some days – so it’s even more important to manage stress and structure your time so you can remain productive  With the new year right around the corner, now is a good time to step back and re examine what you’ve done at your site so far.

 Disclaimer: Meant to be validating and productive; not us projecting how you

should

feel – some VISTAs may not experience the ‘slump’; but these tools can be helpful for everyone

1.

2.

3.

Nope, doing great! Bring on the holidays!

Feeling a little slumpy… “VISTA Slump” is my middle name right now..!

     Find out what is meaningful to you about your service Make the position your own  Re-read SuperVAD, remind yourself of tasks you were initially excited about  Revisit StrengthsFinder and think about way to incorporate your strengths into your work Do a little direct service to reconnect you to why you wanted to be a VISTA & to meet people/reconnect with the cause Put yourself first! Self-care is key.

Connect with other VISTAs

Motivation is the desire to do things & a crucial element in setting and attaining goals, and sustaining yourself in your work.

How to “infect” yourself with motivation      Do more of what you love, or bring your passions into your work Surround yourself with positive and encouraging people.  Determine who and how you want to be in life, and find like-minded people. Studies show that you become most like the 5 people you spend the most time around.

Focus on the shared mission  Remind yourself of the purpose of what you’re doing Set challenging goals (not unattainable, but not too easy!) Celebrate small wins!

Things that VISTAs find motivating:

Do you have great ideas that you struggle to put into action? Here are four tactics to get you started: 1.

 Meet with others To expand on your initial idea; seek out those who can approve “next steps”; or speak with people who have done similar things 2.

 Connect Online Spread your idea and initiate participation and feedback via online forums like social media 3.

4.

  Share your skills Chances are, you may not have every skill necessary to put your idea into action. Find people who may have ‘buy-in’ or vested interest in your idea, and see how different people can contribute to the whole Grow your idea If your idea works, take the time and energy to prove it & create growth.

Other tips from VISTAs:

   Find ways to build on your successes  Look back at the projects you’ve worked on so far. What worked really well? What didn’t work? Can you change what didn’t work to make it better?

Learn to differentiate between the important and the urgent. What’s important is not always urgent and what’s urgent is not always important.

For a couple of days, take an inventory of how you spend your time  This is a useful approach to identify if there’s time you are wasting that could be used doing other things

         If you’re feeling unmotivated, try establishing some kind of incentive system & reward yourself when you get things done Schedule in some time during the course of the day to take small break or go on walks   Science has proven that mild exercise throughout the day is good for concentration and productivity. So don’t feel bad for leaving the office for a bit – science says you should!

Also, be sure you are actually taking your lunch break, even if you don’t need to eat.

Utilize the 50/10 rule:  Work on one important task for 50 minutes and then take a 10 minute break to refocus Plan your day ahead in the morning or the night before  Start the morning by making a to-do list or put on together before you leave the office at night.

If you can do it in two minutes or less, don’t write it on the to-do list. Do it & move on.

All things being equal, do the hardest, least fun thing first and just get it over with Cut big jobs into small chunks, order those chunks by importance & then work on one at a time Update your to-do list regularly! Crossing things off feels great!

Establish smart and efficient systems for all your tasks, big & small, and stick to it.

Super busy? Step-up your time management skills  Resources:  Myhours.com: Enables you to track your work time, projects you work on and tasks you perform   Toggl.com: A website that helps you keep track of different tasks you work on like a stopwatch – click start & stop when you begin or finish a task to see how long it takes – can be used to determine just how much time you spend on the internet, checking email or facebook!

Manictime.com: a program you can install that tracks your computer activity automatically

   Free to-do lists:   Todoist – achieve blazing efficiency! http://www.todoist.com

Remember the Milk – manage your tasks quickly and easily www.rememberthemilk.com

Free Online Calendars/Planners:    30 Boxes – “the World’s best online calendar” http://30boxes.com

My Memorizer – a reminding service that sends reminder emails or texts to your phone http://mymemorizer.com

Passion Planner – an all-in-one weekly appointment calendar, journal, goal setting guide, to-do list, and gratitude log – able to print planner pages for free! http://www.passionplanner.com

Other:          Mindtools.com

TedTalk: Shawn Anchor “The happy secret to better work” TedTalk: Elijah Miles “Our Neighborhoods” TedTalk: Brene Brown “The power of vulnerability” TedTalk: Matt Cutts “Try something new for 30 days” TedTalk: Dan Ariely “What makes us feel good about our work?” TedTalk: Dan Pink “The puzzle of motivation” TedTalk: Ken Robinson “Bring on the learning revolution TedTalk: Nilofer Merchant “Got a meeting? Take a walk”

           Snow-shoeing Cross-country skiing Snowboarding Ice fishing Cuddling Not feeling guilty about not exercising Seeing family Knitting/crocheting Cozy scarves Hanukkah Ugly Sweater Parties   Suggestions from fellow-VISTAs:    Develop winter hobbies – it is 5 months of the year, after all!

Join a gym Put in extra effort to get out of the house & see friends!

Great things about winter:    Pine-scented everything Hot cocoa; apple cider!

Ice caves              Chance of snow days Christmas lights Catching snowflakes on your tongue “We all look great in puffy coats” Winter Carnivals Hockey season Ice skating Cookies Snow forts Watching the snow fall Fireplaces Reading books by fireplaces Ringing in the New year

     Invest in a “happy lamp” Take Vitamin D pills Plan your next vacation/adventure Do something kind for a stranger Look at cute pictures of babies and baby animals.

Seriously.

The best way to get through the VISTA Slump is knowing that it

won’t last

forever.



Next Quarterly Reports due January 15

th 

Next Literacy VISTA cohort training dates: Jan 23

rd

and Feb 20

th

– updates to come



New host sites: spread the word!



Post-Webinar activities

  Stress management TedTalk Self-care handout & assessment

What is one thing you are looking forward to in the upcoming weeks or during the holidays?

Amy Krill, VISTA Leader [email protected]