Sustainable Productivity

Happy One Year Birthday to the Sustainable Productivity Podcast! This episode recaps how we got started, the data recap of year one, plus what is next for the Sustainable Productivity podcast as Susan brings this project to a close.

This episode introduces a (potentially) recurring topic - a headline roundup, specifically productivity headlines this time. Does this sounds familiar: you open your phone or email and there are headlines coming at you. What is click bait and what is evidence based? How do you know what to invest in and what to dismiss? You are way too busy to waste time on hype, so this type of episode is here to sift through the noise to help you find solid recommendations to help you live a more sustainably productive life. 

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. How to work less, live more, and be more effective - advice from 1906
2. The ultimate approach to boost your productivity... really?
3. Dr Perlow and her quiet hours

Meditation is a burnout balm - a way to get still to get going. We often hear messages of rise and grind, get up and get after it, be a goal getter.  But I want to suggest an easier, softer way of learning to be in the world. Because you can learn a new way. Well being can be learned. It is not something you have or don’t. You can cultivate it different ways and the path we often do not choose is stillness. 

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. What the research says about meditation and burnout prevention / recovery
2. Meditation to soothe mental, emotional, and physical pain
3. A mindfulness meditation to overcome procrastination

Sustainable Sue listeners sure love books! These Literary Life Lately episodes are all about books. These are always a big hit and are some of the downloaded of all episodes. Packed with more recommendations than any episode before it, you will surely find something to add to your To Be Read list.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. The breakdown of Susan's 2023 reading year - total number read and abandoned plus the most popular book of the year
2. 2024 reading plans, goals and projects
3. Twenty-one books, plus two more series, discussed giving you over fifty books to consider for your next read

Establishing and nurturing creativity as a spiritual practice can be a balm to a burned out soul. On this episode you will get to eavesdrop on a conversation between friends about cultivating creativity, where creativity intersects spirituality, and how to do that while still paying the bills. Chip has been a chaplain and school headmaster. He is an author, a creative, and refers to himself as Susan's “unofficial chaplain,” which is exactly right. We can’t wait for you to meet Chip Bristol. 

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. Susan will introduce you to her "unofficial chaplain"
2. Creative blocks and the tapes running in our heads
3. The argument for why everyone is creative and everyone is spiritual

Today’s topic is more than just how or why to declutter. You will be pleasantly surprised to find most - if not all - things on today's episode are projects that can be decluttered in a day. These are quick hits - some maybe even 5 minutes start to finish. Once you have acted on your slump with these quick hits, you might find you have energy and inspiration to keep going. And if not, hey at least your linens shelf is in order! 

Download a checklist at this link to keep handy to refer to as you knock out these quick hits!

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. What happened to this week's glimmer
2. Why short declutter projects are sometimes a better choice
3. Extra credit for each item to help keep you organized, plus an 11th bonus quick hit

The close of one year and start of another often makes us reflective and in a goal setting frame of mind. Where did we spend our time, how do we feel about that, and where do we want to go. While dreaming is of course part of goal setting, it does not end there. Goal setting does not have to be a cold, remote robotic process. Learn what questions to ask to improve your chances to creating that life you really want.

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. Quarterly check in on Susan's goals - including specific questions you can ask yourself about your progress
2. Goal setting 101 - less about SMART goals and more about practical steps to get where you want to be
3. Repeatable action steps that apply to any goal you can dream

My wish for you as we close out 2023 with this episode is that you notice what makes YOU happy and fulfilled. I know you are accomplished and busy. May you find peace and contentment as well. This short episode comes out on Christmas Day 2023. So many of you are moms who get overlooked on Christmas. I see you and want to suggest some guiltless gifts you can give yourself.

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. Who benefits from you giving yourself gifts
2. Ways to find out what gifts you would even like to have
3. Free guiltless gifts you can give yourself TODAY - no shopping or wrapping needed

Often habits, goals, schedules and routines go right out the window with the chaos of the holidays or normal times. There is a Sustainable Productivity tool that can help you find the Minimum Viable Product to keep your goals and values involved in your day to day. Press play below to learn how to get things done when you have no time and less energy.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. What is Minimum Viable Product?
2. Real life MVP examples.
3. How to determine your Minimum Viable Product in various situations.

Books are at the core of what makes Sustainable Sue who she is. Averaging 200 books per year provides a great opportunity to explore all kinds of genres, but titles in the productivity genre are a particular favorite - mostly because that is where her book will be shelved.

Someday. This is not a book launch announcement.

Of all of the productivity books that Susan consumed (reads, underlines, highlights, flags pages, saves the whole reference section, connects with the authors, etc), a few titles stuck out that are reviewed in this episode. Three specific titles will be reviewed, along with a couple highlights from each book and a discussion of how they relate to the ideas of Sustainable Productivity.

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. One title that is an oldie, but goodie
2. A second title published in the middle of the pandemic
3. A sneak peek of a new productivity book that will be published at the end of December

Is this the most wonderful time of year or what?! Time for an impromptu check in to see who is showing up - Sustainable You or Burned Out You. There is still time to make adjustments to bring a little more peace and a little less chaos to your life this holiday season.

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. Back to basics of maintaining a Sustainable You
2. Managing FOMO around all the holiday fun
3. Wrap up with an encore of the most listened to episode of the year

Welcome to the first annual Sustainable Sue’s guide to gifts and gift giving. Of course the purpose of holidays is to give a perfect gift, right? WRONG! But how do you manage the expectations in a way to make meaningful connections in a way that does not leave you broke, angry, disappointed, or all of the above?

Applying the Sustainable Productivity principles and questions to gifts and gift giving could offer you a new path forward this holiday season. Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. Susan offers a permission slip that could save your sanity this holiday season - it could be a gift to yourself!
2. Real life strategies Susan's family has adopted around gift giving
3. Suggestions for gifts in each dimension of Sustainable Productivity, including a special section for teens and young adults

Let's introduce you to a new component of Sustainable Productivity - contribution. For some it might be career, for others it might be raising kids or running your home. It might be a combination of these plus an active volunteer life. Only you know what contribution means to you. 

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. Workshopping the expansion of Sustainable Productivity
2. Momento Mori - what it means and how to embrace the concept
3. Could doing more help relieve burnout?

Gratitude is a surefire cure for the crabbiness that comes with burnout and overwhelm.

Think about the things that you have gushed about loving or the fact they make life sustainably productive at some time or another. Then you find yourself grumbling about them because you are overwhelmed and feeling a lot of pressure. Generally overstimulated and your circuits are blown.

Can you relate? Now its time to learn about the Sustainable Sue go-to tool. That is gratitude. Sure, it might feel cheesy and cliche to you. But often cliches exist for a reason - they work! Let’s take a look at why gratitude can help when you are feeling overwhelmed and how to get started cultivating your attitude of gratitude. 

Although it is not EASY, a simple way to live a more Sustainably Productive life is to connect thoughts, decisions, and actions with intentional living. The guest on this episode, Candace Folden, is the right person to teach us all about this.

Candace Folden is the owner of Solstice Counseling and Consulting in Greensboro, NC. Seven years ago Candace opened her practice to help people recover from the effects of toxic, neglectful parenting, as well as helping couples rediscover their intimacy and connection.  When she is not working, you can find Candace at the ballroom dance studio, hiking with her dog Felix and spending time with her partner and son. 

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Intentional living in small and big decisions.
2. Real talk about juggling multiple roles.
3. A common struggle Candace sees in women and where they might find relief.

Imagine a holiday season that is productive - you enjoy the activities that are meaningful to you with the people who are meaningful to you. 

Now imagine that same holiday season is one you actually want to repeat or even continue long term. 

Here at Sustainable Sue, our wish for you is to create a holiday season that you can wrap up without feeling glad it is over and that you need a vacation to recover from. Or worse, a holiday season that you cannot get through without numbing out on the ever present excess of food, drink, spending, and general over-doing it. 

Learn three strategies you can use now to avoid holiday burnout

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. Susan climbs on her time management soap box
2. How holidays amp up unvoiced expectations leading to premeditated resentments
3. How to choose yourself over others to prevent holiday burnout

You cannot remove all stress from your life. Nor can you manage stress - that is like pinning jello to a tree. But you can change how you respond to stress - this is stress resilience. Since there is no right or wrong way to approach stress resilience, each person can have a unique way of designing a life that increases stress resilience. Don't accept that voice in your head that says you don't have time for one more thing. Stress research has proven over and over that if you don't take time for stress resilience, your body will force a break on you with injury or illness.

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

1. A $15 glimmer Susan resisted for weeks
2. Mistakes 20-something Sue made regarding stress prevention and stress management, plus a story that is guaranteed to make you laugh
3. Why you need to increase stress resilience starting today

As recent at 20 years ago "digital clutter" would not even have been on our radar, let alone a component of a Sustainably Productive life. Cell phones, tablets, laptops, and digital assistants are set up for home or work or both. Kids are getting devices at younger ages and schools are embracing digital learning environments. Episode 24 took a deeper look at physical clutter and this episode will take the same deeper look at digital clutter.

Here is what you can expect to hear on the episode:

A productive weekly review is part planning session and part retrospective. There are a zillion ways to do a weekly review, of course, but this episode represents the Sustainable Sue-specific steps so that you can start somewhere. It is about consistency and progress - not about perfection.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Why Susan has not showered in way too many days
2. Why a weekly review is important
3. Specific steps and questions to guide you through the weekly review process

Previous episodes gave you the background about why each component of the Health and Fitness dimension helps you prevent and recover from burnout. Now get more small adjustments you can make in each area. If you have been struggling to gain traction in any of these areas, this episode is for you. It may just spark an idea that help unlock a new way forward for you!

Here is what you can expect to hear:

1. How the SPM became a glimmer.
2. Practical adjustments that you can start today to improve your health and fitness habits.
3. Free resources to support your habit change efforts.

Basically this whole episode is an SPM - a Sustainable Productivity Moment. We have spent a couple weeks talking about change and transitions. Learn what people, places, products and things are helping Susan create a sustainably productive life. The goal is to highlight small things or adjustments that create a life we don’t feel like running away from. While each Sustainable Productivity Moment may seem small, together they create powerful change.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Why it is important to identify what is making life sustainable and productive - in any season.
2. Three major things helping Susan survive thrive this fall - one in each Sustainable Productivity (SusPro) dimension.
3. Rapid fire round of small things helping to move the SusPro needle forward.

It has been awhile since we have checked in on what's happening in your literary life lately! Did you know reading books has been scientifically proven to lengthen the number of years you live? Talk about a sustainable way to live! If you or your loved one is a reluctant reader, you will get tips to address this so you too can live a longer life.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Why readers live longer and what you can do to join the ranks.
2. Fun, quirky books Susan completed since the last Literary Life Lately episode.
3. Two books that were meh, plus one that you need to borrow or buy TODAY.

If you have ever uttered the words," I'm just not creative!" this episode about the science of creativity is for you. If you know you are a creative being but struggle for consistent time and inspiration to maximize that creativity, this episode is for you.

Tresha Faye Haefner is an award-winning author, creativity coach and speaker. One of the few people to hold a master’s degree in humanistic psychology, with a specialization in creativity studies, Tresha uses research-based methods to help others develop their most authentic creative abilities, both for the sake of artistic expression, and personal well-being. She often tells her classes that she began writing only so she could have the credentials to teach workshops to other innovative writers and poets. Tresha joins the Sustainable Productivity podcast to teach about the science of creativity.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Why science and creativity DO mix.
2. What bumpers and guidelines an award winning, published poet uses to regularly produce work.
3. Hear Tresha explain how her online writing group is "a gym membership for her muse."

Recorded in segments over the course of her sabbatical, Susan explores the reason why sabbatical is important, what tends to derail good intentions, and talks about lessons learned during the two weeks she pretended she was retired.

In the coming weeks the weather will start to transition to cooler temps as we transition to fall. Labor Day in America is 1 week away from when this goes out and we all consider that the unofficial end to summer - also a transition. Let's talk about how we can make these big and small transitions Sustainably Productive.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. More about Sustainable Sue's personal and professional transitions.
2. Why now is a time to change habits and routines.
3. 5 tips for making the transition Sustainably Productive.

Let's dig a little deeper today - imposter syndrome and the importance of small deaths. You know, the light stuff life is made of. For me imposter syndrome shows up as that voice in my head that says, “Who do you think you are?”

Or “Why do you think you are the right person for this?”

Sometimes it is condescending, “Stay in your lane, honey. Let the real writers/podcasters/creators do this.”

Susan explores the idea that imposter syndrome is feeding some fear that is keeping her stuck. Let's shine a spotlight onto these imposter syndrome feelings - it might show us that this monster behind the curtain is really a tiny, shriveled nothing just trying to act tough.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. How fear is connected to imposter syndrome.
2. Leveraging a corporate America problem solving strategy for a creative problem.
3. Pep talks from an 18th century poet, an ancient Roman philosopher, and a modern day women's basketball coach.

Digital clutter impacts our health and wellness as much as physical clutter. It IS part of our environmental surroundings. Digital clutter covers communication like emails, texts, DMs, and voicemails (for those of us who are dinosaurs that still leave and accept VMs), social media including Snaps, likes and saved ideas from Facebook, Instagram or TikTok; photos on your phone, on your computer or in the cloud (not to mention what has been sent to you in shared files, texts, emails and DMs). Then there are all of the digital files and folders.

I have been trying various tips and tricks for a couple years to try to dial into what will be sustainably productive for me to finally get on top of this digital clutter. I think I have a system and that is what I want to share with you. What habits and actions I do each week to manage the digital clutter.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. A 5-step process for tackling digital clutter.
2. A real life example of what Sustainable Sue does each week to tackle digital clutter.
3. The SMART way to tackle any habit change.

Burnout is beyond stress and the right hobbies can be just the antidote you need to relax, recharge, and regroup. Burnout is a real thing - not something you can manage through or toughen up against. Think about what was happening in your life today. Maybe you felt like you were withdrawing from friends and responsibilities – isolating yourself. Or after months of battling stress at work, you find yourself procrastinating on completing projects and tasks. If you don't take time for hobbies to recharge today, your body will make time through illness later. There are small steps you can take today to prevent this.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Differences between stress and burnout.
2. Physical and mental benefits of hobbies.
3. Practical suggestions to find the right hobby for you.

When does self-care become self-soothing? The phrase “self-care” seems to have morphed into a catch phrase and punch line these days. Is a glass (or bottle) of wine after a tough day really self-care? Are you really taking good care of your colleagues by bringing a couple dozen donuts to the office? Part of making the distinction between self-soothing and self-care is that self-care allows you space to be uncomfortable.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Definitions and examples of self-care and self-soothing.
2. First aid for emotional road rash.
3. Questions to ask yourself to determine if you need self-care or self-soothing.

Does it seem to you like some people are just better at time management? Why is it some people seem to be able to accomplish so much more than others? Why do some days feel like you really nailed it and some days feel like time just got away from you?

Spoiler alert! It is not really about time.

Time is a fixed entity each day - we all have 168 hours in a week. How you approach time and the systems you set up around that times is what matters. This means that you need to decide what are the most important things in your day first and fill in the other tasks and activities around it or deflect them to another day, time or person. This episode will help you do that.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Why time management matters.
2. How to get real and honest about what you want to spend time on.
3. Practical suggestions to make time work for you - all 168 hours per week.

When we talk about physical clutter we are talking about two kinds – paper and objects. Paper and objects both come into your life for different reasons and hold different meaning. These are the stacks of papers that don’t ever seem to be filed or the influx of children’s artwork that you can’t stand to throw away, but also can’t stand to have stacked on the dining room table. This is the lack of systems that make you miss paying a bill. These are the gifts that you received / inherited that you did not like but feel the need to keep. We are talking about the paper and objects that make you feel weighed down when you see them. This is what we mean when we refer to clutter.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. How many hours you lose to lost things and what it means for your physical health and wallet.
2. Real life examples and how all dimensions of Sustainable Productivity are impacted.
3. Practical suggestions to slowly but surely address the clutter.

This week's focus is the impact of media on your personal productivity. Media is a component of the Environmental Surroundings dimension along with clutter. Basically all the inputs that are physically and virtually in your environment - news, movies, books, TV, podcasts, social media, and magazines that you take in on a daily basis.  Learn from  Jose Ortega y Gassett: “Tell me to what you pay attention and I will tell you who you are.”

Ignoring media altogether is not sustainable - there are productivity gains to be had from its consumption. But you need to understand what is coming in and what it is doing to your productivity in the long run.

Here is what you can expect in this episode:

1. Learn what science shows is the impact of media in your body at a cellular level.
2. Recommended ceilings of time to consume on various types of media - think Food Guide Pyramid of media.
3. Practical suggestions to make media work for you, not against you.

Relationships are a component of the Mental Well-being dimension of Sustainable Productivity. When we talk about relationships in this context, we are talking about 2 different kinds of relationships – internal and external. In this episode we will dive into the relationship with your Higher Power (however that looks for you) as well as coworkers, spouses, and friends. Who is contributing to a sustainably productive life and what to do about those people leaving you drained and empty.

Here is what you can expect in this special guest episode:

1. What is one of - if not THE - most important relationships you can cultivate?
2. When to know if cutting corners is the right thing.
3. Science tells us how relationships impact our physical health.

It's that magical time of the season - time for a reading round up and all thing literary life lately. This installment is extra special since Susan's sister will be joining her on the microphone. Before they offer up thoughts on who and what they have been reading lately, Elli and Susan chat about literary life NOT lately.

Here is what you can expect in today's episode:

1. What memories around reading exist for the Edwards girls.
2. How books and reading shaped their parenting.
3. Differences between reading as a kid and reading as a parent.

In honor of Susan's 49th birthday, this episode is all about how to celebrate. We range from the woo woo to the practical and everything in between. Whether you are a reluctant or newbie or veteran celebrator you will find something for you in Episode 20.

Here is what you can expect in today's episode:

1. A walk down Susan's memory lane in batches of 7 years (and why 7 years).
2. Examples of small, but mighty ways real people celebrate themselves and others.
3. Suggestions for adjustments to get celebrate yourself and others.

Rest is so important that it is a component of all three dimensions of Sustainable Productivity. In this episode Susan highlights the work from Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith in her book Sacred Rest and expands it to apply to Health and Fitness, Mental Well-being, and Environmental Surroundings.

Let's be clear: rest is not sleep. Rest is an active or passive activity you participate in so you can recharge and restore. Consider this quote by an anonymous source:

"When I am resting because my body is weak, I need to remember that I'm not wasting the day doing nothing. I am doing exactly what I need to do. I'm recovering."

Think of rest as more of a “timeout,” rather than a “go home.”

Here is what you can expect in today's episode:

1. Why rest is a component of each of the Sustainable Productivity dimensions.
2. Signs and symptoms of a rest deficit.
3. Suggestions for adjustments to improve rest in all aspects of life.

Most of us grew up with nutrition messaging like the food guide pyramid and learning "You are what you eat!" Then life gets in the way, we numb out on unhealthy foods and eat our feelings so we can continue to RISE AND GRIND! Listen to this week's episode to learn a new way forward when it comes to nutrition - a productive way forward that is sustainable long term. This is not about a diet. This is about fueling for the life you want to create for yourself so you can show up the way you want to, not just running on fumes.

One of the frequent questions that comes into the Sustainable Sue inbox is about where to find book recommendations. Susan does not mind being a bit of a book bully, pressing books into people's hands and sending unsolicited recommendations at random. But her tastes may not line up with yours. Or you might be in a book rut and need to find a new book bully to tell you what to read.

Here is what you can expect in today's episode:

1. The Sustainably Productive adjustment that took Susan 48 years to start and only took 60 seconds to complete
2. Where Susan finds her recommendations
3. Why anti-recommendations have value and how to use them to your advantage

It is one thing to make a Sustainable Productivity adjustment to your habits, but it is another thing to fully embrace that adjustment mentally and emotionally. Susan had to create a new normal around Fitness for herself in order to make it Sustainably Productive - something that worked for me long term. Fitness means so much more than who crosses the most finish lines or is the fastest or thinnest... despite what you may see in today's culture and on social media. Here is what you can expect in today's episode:

1. The full story of Susan's fitness background and why it lead to burnout
2. The two areas where Susan made adjustments
3. Practical, actionable adjustments and what that looks like today

Additionally, today's episode launches a new segment you won't want to miss!

Today we are talking about what is making life sustainably productive this spring. This episode is originally publishing on May 15, 2023 and I know many mothers who refer to this month as Mayhem. Or May Madness. When I start to spin out on the business of life, it helps me regroup by identifying what IS working. Things that are working have gone through iterations of Sustainable Productivity adjustments. This episode will give you insight into the before and after scenarios in the hopes that you can identify areas of your life that need small adjustments, learn how to make adjustments, and celebrate success.

Sometimes on the podcast we will talk about existential questions like why we do the things we do, what happened in our childhood to make us the way we are, and how to move forward when you are so burned out you can’t sit up straight. Today, it is a topic that might seem more trivial and purely surface level. But I assure you there is always more to what meets the eye. Listen to the latest episode for a look into how Sustainable Sue cleans the kitchen.

Its time to see what's happening in Sustainable Sue's literary life lately! It has been awhile since we have checked in on what Susan is reading. This episode expands past books to include magazines and prepping reading material for business travel or vacation. Of course we talk about a few books Susan read since we caught up last. Some books were a hit, some a miss, and one was in the paranormal fantasy genre. Yep, not a typo - paranormal fantasy. And that is not one of the books she abandoned.

Everyone knows exercise is good for them, yet we don't seem to be able to consistently start and continue a fitness program. In this episode you will learn why exercise is important to our Health and Fitness, what the components of fitness are, and get a few tips to inspire you to start, return to, or keep going on your exercise routine. Don't worry - this is more than just lace up your sneakers and get running!

Subscribe to the Sustainable Productivity podcast so you never miss an episode

Susan's hope for this episode is that you will hear acceptance of what she likes and doesn't like - and that this will help you figure out yourself a little bit more. This is how we discover what is truly productive for the REAL us - no sense continuing something long term if it does not serve us or bring us joy.

If we are lucky, we will live long enough to change and grow. What is considered productive today, will be different in five years. What used to be sustainable ten years ago is no longer tenable. Shifting perspective and reframing priorities are skills that we will all require as we go through life. No one can do reframing sustainable and productive better than today's guest - Ainslie MacEachran.

Ainslie MacEachran is a former professional cyclist having competed all over the United Staes, Belgium, Holland, and Ireland. He owned and operated health and fitness facilities for 25 years and was a personal trainer and USA Cycling Level 2 Cycling Coach for 15 years. Ainslie now operates Source Fitness and Health, an online store for exercise equipment and lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife and two kids.

Habit change is easy when it can be done in a perfect world. But none of us lives in a vacuum. We are challenged by schedules, other people's chaos, shifting priorities - you know the stuff that makes up life. And we don't always want to avoid these things either - a friend coming to town is a good thing. A last minute cancellation in your schedule can be freeing. But it can impact the success of our habit change.

In this episode Susan walks through the results of the first quarter of 2023 - it is truly the tale of two halves. But this is life on life's terms. You will hear a transparent and real scenario of habit change set back, questions to reflect - not ruminate - on what happened, and what this means for the long haul.

Quick Bonus Episode!

Your life is made up of routines whether you like it or not. The Sustainable Productivity question for you is - How are those routines working for you? On this episode Susan teaches about the difference between schedules and routines and a theory she relies on to keep routines consistent. After walking through some real life examples, Susan will provide three practical strategies you can use to improve your morning routine, evening routine, clean up routine - ANY routine! Don't let another day go by with your day running you.

In this episode Susan shares how she reads about 200 books each year. Although books might not be your thing, the suggestions she shares about different ways she fits reading into her schedule during different seasons of life might work for your hobby of choice. Listen to learn some tools and tricks that might help you find more time to read, craft, exercise, sing, or whatever brings you joy.