WHEN PEER PRESSURE IS POSITIVE, IT’S CALLED PEER SUPPORT! January 2014

Top 5 Reasons to Join the Monthly Support Network Calls  Learn new and creative strategies for family strengthening and support  Build a stronger community of peers  Be a change maker and let your voice be heard  Develop more tools for your toolbox  Learn healthful strategies for work-life balance

Sharing Our Collective Success Name Center One family support success story

Kick off the New Year Right: 6 Practical Tips to Simplify Your Life Originally published by Mohamed Tohami on April 17, 2012 on Tohami

6. Do Most Important Work First Stop checking first thing in the morning Instead, do your most important work first When you check first, you do everyone else’s important work before your own You’ll cross more off your to-do list if you wait to check even an hour or two later than normal. (Idea comes from Courtney Carver – Be More With Less)

5. Start The Year Off With A Clean Slate Whether it’s your office, classroom, or bedroom, when you’re decluttering, start with a clean slate: completely empty the room, closet, or drawer Put back only the things you truly need or love It’s much easier (and more fun!) to single out things to treasure than to single out things to toss (Idea comes from Francine Jay – Miss Minimalist)

It’s OK to say NO! Participating in social activities and “being there” for friends and loved ones are worthwhile things, but *you* need to choose which ones to devote your time and energy to Don’t succumb to the notion that declining an invitation makes you a heel Try practicing saying no once a day! (Idea comes from Allan Douglas – Simple Life Prattle) 4. Just Say No!

3. Stop Multitasking By focusing on one thing at a time, you get more done, and lose the craziness of trying to maintain multiple tasks in your brain at once It will give you a feeling of peace and space that will allow you to simplify other areas of your life (Idea comes from LJ Earnest – Simple Productivity)

2. Check Your Check List  Revise your To-Do list  If your list is 20 items long, but you typically only get 3 to 10 things done a day, put only 3 to 10 of the most important things on your list for the next day  You won’t feel bad about the tasks you didn’t get done, and anything more will be a bonus (Idea comes from Beth Dargis – My Simpler Life)

1. Finding The Time Make a swap. Each day, shorten one thing you normally do by minutes (watching TV, surfing Facebook) Then spend that time doing something with an impact: read, go to bed earlier, take a walk, etc Small changes make the most difference over week, month and year (Idea comes from Matt Madeiro – Three New Leaves)

Peer Success Stories

Open Q&A What questions would you like to ask other family workers? What story would you like to share? What resources would help you in your work with families? Peer-to-Peer Sharing

Portal Resources  Collaboration > Family Resource Center Association > Community Library > Family Development > Family Development Support Network Collaboration Family Resource Center AssociationCommunity LibraryFamily Development  Support Network PowerPoint  Training Templates  Support Materials

Next Network Call: February 27 12:00-12:45 PM