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durhamregion.com 2 The Citizen January 22, 2015 Brooklin business owners strike a balance Chamber of Commerce's recent group discussion centred on how to stay motivated in business Parvaneh Pessian ppessian@durhamregion.com BROOKLIN -- Like most entrepreneurs, Antoinette Burrell loves the freedom of setting her own schedule and following her own rules, but she admits there are downsides to working alone. "One thing that I have a lot of trouble with is staying motivated," said Ms. Burrell, president of HeavenlyGiftBaskets.ca, during a recent Brooklin Java Jolt. Launched in October by the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, the event is held every other Wednesday to bring Brooklin business owners together for coffee and conversation. Participants, who don't have to be members of the chamber to attend, are encouraged to discuss projects they're working on or issues they may be facing to receive feedback from other professionals. Ms. Burrell has been attending the meetings since they began and raised the topic of motivation at the Java Jolt on Jan. 7, seeking advice from her peers. "What are some ways that you try to stay motivated and not slack off or not lose energy for what you do?" she asked the group. Michelle Palma from PFSL Investments said she works alone most of the time as well, and relies on friends or people in a similar line of work to keep her on track. "I'll be like, 'I need an accountability partner, I need to know that I'm not going to slack and that I'm going to actually do what I need to do,' so we'll text each other at the end of every night to see how we did that day." Others suggested setting short- and long-term goals to stay focused, watching videos on motivational speakers and tackling the most arduous tasks first so the rest of the day feels lighter. Cam Steed, founder and CEO of Smashed Abacus -- a digital agency that provides social media consulting to global clients -- said it's important to allow yourself the ability to relax and work at your own pace. "One thing I've noticed is a standard eight, nine or 10-hour day, I genuinely have a hard time filling; there's just not that much to do in my line of work without pestering people or becoming overly analytical," he said. "So if I can put in a five-hour day of meaningful, productive work, I'm happy to take some time to tidy up my house, grocery shop or do other things." Sometimes, taking a break to do chores can actually help provide the boost needed to return back to work refreshed, he added. "I find that sometimes when I start cleaning the house in the morning, if I do a half-hour of vacuuming or if I go to the gym for an hour, now I'm awake and I'm more inclined to come back and do work." The idea for the Brooklin Java Jolt stems from a roundtable discussion held in Brooklin this past September. Many local business owners expressed a desire to improve the business community through more regular meetings. "It's actually doing really well for what we wanted to accomplish up in Brooklin in terms of getting business owners out," said Kyle Paterson, member relations lead at the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. "It's brought in a bunch of new faces that we haven't seen before and given them an opportunity to network and connect without having to leave Brooklin." The next Brooklin Java Jolt is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 4 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Brooklin Community Centre, 8 Vipond Rd., Brooklin. WHITBY -- Kyle Paterson, member relations lead for the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, led the Java Jolt event for local business owners to discuss various topis of interest at the Brooklin Community Centre on Jan. 7. saBrina BYrnes / MeTrOLanD A Metroland Media Group Ltd. Publication thecitizen Tim Whittaker - Publisher Joanne Burghardt - Editor-in-Chief Mike Johnston - Managing Editor Fred Eismont - Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak - Classified Advertising Manager Abe Fakhourie - Distribution Manager Lillian Hook - Office Manager Cheryl Haines - Composing Manager PH 905-579-4400 CLASSIFIEDS 905-576-9335 GENERAL FAX 905-576-9335 NEWS FAX 905-579-1809 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1H 7L5 Member: Ontario Press Council, OCNA, CCNA, SNA. All content copyright