Announcements

If we all could succeed as scholars by scheduling our fifteen minutes of writing a day, an entire industry of scholarly productivity advice would wither. But we can’t, so Dr. Katy Peplin and I are offering you an alternative in our upcoming workshop: Will This Work for Me? Experimental Approaches to Scholarly Life. Discover what works for you, and under what conditions.

The workshop will be held via Zoom on Friday, October 16 from 12 - 3 pm EDT. No need to stress if you can’t make it live. All participants will receive the replay and transcript, along with a custom workbook to be used alongside the workshop and to support ongoing experimentation.

Registration is a one time payment of $55 (and the strategies you’ll learn will pay dividends to your future as an academic!). Grab your spot HERE.

Here’s how I know that “good enough” can almost always replace “perfect.”

In graduate school, when I submitted my  “Dissertation_FINAL” document, it had a few lingering typos (whoops!), and I still became Dr. Kate Henry, PhD. Perfection was not a requirement. How do I know that my final document had typos? I’m a high achiever and recovering over-thinker; I’ve reread the document many times since submitting it in 2020!

As a high achiever, it’s hard to identify what bad vs. good enough vs. perfect vs. overwork looks like… especially the high-pressure work of graduate school. One thing I’ve gleaned from years of self-inquiry (and working with my brilliant coaching clients) is that “good enough” is a much more sustainable goal than “perfect” will ever be.

“Sustainable” is an abstract word. Similar to “green,” it might imply a product or process that’s supposed to be good for the environment, but I use it to think about developing a productivity system that supports you physically, emotionally, and mentally, so you can get things done without overtaxing or overwhelming yourself. Sustainable productivity is a way to work that tends to your internal environment, if you will.

If we want to get technical, Merriam-Webster defines sustainable as “Of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” 

The idea of harvesting a resource sounds a little creepy when applied to a human being, but I like the sharpness of this definition. When we think of personal resources like time, energy, focus, or spoons, we do in fact use them up to complete our tasks. If we overexert ourselves and use too many of our personal resources, depending on our individual life context, we may experience post-exertional malaise or burnout.

An ideal productivity system will have wiggle room so you can maintain it both during challenging times and when everything is moving according to plan. 

When you’re trying to personalize a system or approach, it helps to start with standard definitions like the one above. It might resonate with you, or you might decide to develop a definition that feels more personally applicable. Here are a couple of creative ways to define sustainable for yourself:

Reverse Engineer It

What does unsustainability look and feel like? By brainstorming the opposite of the experience you’d like to have, you can visualize a more positive experience.

In my case, an unsustainable system would require me to change my approach often or to make decisions in the moment when I’m fatigued, and to only work on projects in the high-pressure days before a rapidly approaching deadline.

With these descriptors in mind, my sustainable system would be repeatable, eliminate decision-making, allow for a lighter workload during chronic-illness flares, and offer the spaciousness for me to start on projects before the pressure of the due date kicks in.

All of these aspects require intentional planning and scaffolding, like reviewing my schedule on a regular basis, revising my task list as needed, and regularly checking in with my priorities when balancing multiple projects. None of this means that I can’t enjoy short-term sprints to work on projects; rather, it means that a short-term sprint becomes an intentional choice rather than an unintentional rush job. 

Work With Synonyms

What are synonyms for sustainability, and does one of them stand out to you? By considering different interpretations of the word, you’ll gain some clarity around what a sustainable system looks like for you.

Here’s a list of synonyms for sustainable that I personally relate to:

Justifiable, viable, legitimate, maintainable, supportable, rational, tenable, reasonable, sensible, well-grounded, explainable, and confirmable

I like this list because it is focused on what feels true to me in my own life. I want a sustainable approach to my productivity that is reliable and realistic. I need to confirm what works for me and actually supports me without requiring more energy, focus, and time than I truly have to give. I invite you to look at a list of synonyms like this to see which relate to you

If you want to develop a sustainable approach to your productivity practice, I invite you to join Dr. Katy Peplin and me for Will This Work for Me? Experimental Approaches to Scholarly Life, next Friday October 16th from 12-3pm EDT (will be recorded). All participants will receive a customized workbook to be used alongside the workshop and to support your ongoing experiments. Learn more and sign up here!

Curiosities

• I am obsessed with Polar’s Strawberry Creme seltzer and Trader Joe’s Cherry Vanilla seltzer. I’m not usually a seltzer girly, but I feel like TJ’s seltzer has a little less bubbly bite than other kinds, which I’m into!

• Thanks to Austin Kleon for the recommendation to listen to Twisted Teens. I’ve clocked many listens to all of their albums, but my favorite is “Florida Water Blues,” and my current favorite song is “Swamp” (here’s a cute music video). It looks like they have another album coming out in November!

• Catherine LaSota, my favorite Creative Coach, is running a Be Your Own Daddy retreat on October 23 to help creative people make actionable plans. I attended a previous BYOD workshop and got a lot out of it! If you’re curious, you can learn more about her BYOD universe by checking out her free, recorded Design Your Daddy workshop.

• Rebecca Makkai published a cool newsletter in September called “Write your Novel in a Calendar,” where she tracked important dates for three different novels in an online calendar to help track important events and timelines. Such a simple, but effective move!

Take care and talk soon,

Dr. Kate

Email: [email protected]

Website: katehenry.com

Podcast: Honing In

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