The Productive Woman
The Productive Woman
Laura McClellan
A podcast intended to help busy women find the tools and the encouragement to manage their lives, their time, their stress, and their stuff so they can accomplish the things that matter most to them.
Productive Living: Sacred Rest, with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith – TPW473
This week's episode features my conversation with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of Sacred Rest, about the 7 types of rest we all need and why they're so important. Honoring sacred rest can make a big difference in our quality of life I'm excited to share with you my conversation with internal medicine physician, author, and speaker Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith as part of our Productive Living series. Who is Saundra? Saundra is a board-certified internal medicine physician, speaker, and award-winning author. She is an international well-being thought leader featured in numerous media outlets including Prevention, MSNBC, Women’s Day, FOX, Fast Company, Psychology Today, INC, CNN Health, and TED.com. She is the author of numerous books including her bestseller Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity. Saundra lives in Alabama with her husband Bobby and their two kids.  How Saundra got started About 15 years ago, despite having a fulfilling career and a busy family life, Saundra became burnt out. She was in one of the busiest times of her career and didn't want to quit her practice or anything else she was doing. Rather, she wanted to learn how to thrive (and not just survive) in her career while still enjoying her family and maintaining her personal life. This desire has inspired her journey and life's work, which is to learn more about her own rest deficits and teach others about how important rest is in their daily life, especially when it comes to productivity. A typical day for Saundra There is no such thing as a typical day for Saundra, mostly due to her busy schedule. She considers herself to be a multi-passionate woman, meaning she doesn't limit herself to one area of interest. She wants to explore all her passions without limitations. As a result, she has a lot of freedom and for her, this produces a meaningful life. When she is free, she is able to be her most productive and happiest. She does have some structure in her day when it comes to her morning routine, though. Each day, she tries to do a self-assessment to determine how she is feeling (something she never did before, contributing to her burnout). Is she tired or stressed out? What areas of her life are taking up the most energy for her and how can she restore this energy? If she can identify the area in which she is feeling the most depleted, she will focus on that area during the day. In the evening, she takes time to wind down her sensory input, simply because she tends to be on sensory overload a lot. She's an introvert who enjoys space and peace and quiet. Because of this, she has to create white space in her evenings in order to relax. This allows her to sleep deeper and longer. The importance of sacred rest Saundra was inspired to write her book after seeing so many patients in her medical practice who were suffering from lack of rest, just like she was. She would check the patient's vitals and remind them to relax but this wasn't helpful long term. What the patients needed and wanted to hear from her was how to fix the exhaustion they were feeling. Saundra began to have conversations with her patients about rest and how they are restoring themselves. This type of conversation was uncommon to have at a doctor's visit and wasn't always easy for her patients to understand. But, Saundra used her own real-life examples, which really helped her patients to see what was happening. When writing her book, Saundra was sure to include her own experiences as well, recognizing the relief that comes when you realize you are not the only person going through a particular experience, especially when it's your own doctor. People pleasing work-aholic go-getters don't excel at rest ...
Nov 22, 2023
54 min
Preparing for a Joyful Holiday Season – TPW472
In this episode we’ll talk about preparing for joy in the upcoming holiday season, all while remaining productive and keeping our most important priorities in mind. How can we reduce our stress and increase our joy this holiday season? I think I mentioned in an episode early this year (actually late last year!) that my word for this year is joy. It’s something I’ve tried to turn my attention to throughout the year, reminding myself to look for and intentionally cultivate joy. I’ve been thinking about joy in the context of the coming year-end holidays--for our family, that mostly means Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for you that might include Hannukah, Advent, Las Posadas, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, or others. Whatever holidays you celebrate during this time, we all look forward to them with anticipation and expectation of joyful gatherings, but the year-end holidays can also be stressful, especially if family situations are complicated or, like me, the last weeks of the year are also a very busy time in your job or career. I was surprised by one article I read that cited a study that found “49% of Americans report feeling anxious during the holidays, with two in five saying it negatively impacts their mental health. Their biggest concerns include inflation, gift shopping, and dysfunctional family dynamics.”  So in looking ahead to this time, I started thinking about, and then researching, ways to minimize the stress and amplify the joy of this year-end holiday season. Preparing for a joyful and productive holiday season can be especially important for women who often shoulder a significant portion of the holiday planning and organizing responsibilities. 1. Set the foundation for a joyful holiday season The importance of mindset and intention-setting for a joyful holiday season.  Like any time or year, it’s important to remind ourselves that we and how we feel are not at the mercy of our circumstances. Our emotions--whether joy or anxiousness or anger or any other--result not from our circumstances, but from what we think about our circumstances. We can choose our thoughts and manage our minds. It’s not easy--certainly not for me--but it can be done. Start now to practice both awareness and intentionality in this area: * Be aware of your feelings.  * Remember it's not a matter of right or wrong; they just are.  * Identify the thoughts you are thinking that create those feelings.  * Decide on purpose whether you want to keep thinking those thoughts or choose others:  * How do I want to feel right now in this situation?  * What thoughts do I need to think in order to feel that way? Manage expectations and reduce holiday stress. One writer reminds us to “be realistic and upfront about what your family can do. Make a list of what is possible and prioritize your most important events and activities for you and your family. Then, pace yourself. Organize your time. Keep in mind that it’s the holiday “season” (not “day”) and spread out your activities to lessen stress and increase enjoyment.” Again, this comes down to awareness and intentionality. What do you want to do during this holiday season, and why? Do you like your reasons? If not, then rethink the plans. Staying present is more valuable than giving presents. I read a great reminder from <a href="https://www.linkedin.
Nov 15, 2023
39 min
Productive Living: Productive Business Communications, with Elizabeth Pearson – TPW471
This week I talk with author, speaker, and executive career coach Elizabeth Pearson about developing systems to manage how we communicate with others and why this is important to our productivity and peace of mind. Managing business communications is a key element of a productive professional life I'm excited to share with you my conversation with author, speaker, and executive career coach Elizabeth Pearson as part of our Productive Living series. Who is Elizabeth? Elizabeth is an executive career coach who helps women navigate job changes, succeed in male-dominated fields, and launch their own companies. Elizabeth has contributed to Forbes, Entrepreneur magazine, Yahoo, and HERMoney.com and has been an expert guest on national networks including NBC News.  She has been a keynote speaker for women in business talks at Meta, Oracle, Marriott, Northwestern Mutual, Amazon, and many more. Elizabeth recently released her first book Career Confinement: How to Free Yourself, Find Your Guides, and Seize the Fire of Inspired Work, and is the host of the Working Moms' Guide to Sanity Podcast.  How Elizabeth got started Elzabeth's professional background is in corporate sales, where she spent about 15 years in consumer package goods sales.  Then one day, like a lot of women, she wondered whether this was all there is. She seemed to have everything she could ever want but it still didn't seem like enough, no matter how hard she worked to convince herself. She was a working mom who was secretly suffering, going through a sort of spiritual bankruptcy. Elizabeth was angry with herself for not feeling as fulfilled as she thought she should, but also recognized that her dissatisfaction came from suppressing an entrepreneurial spirit she had had for many years. Elizabeth finally decided to make some major changes by moving her family to central California and leaving her safety net behind to follow her dreams. She is now an executive career coach helping women at all stages of their lives and careers. A typical day for Elizabeth There really is no typical day for Elizabeth and she enjoys it that way. However, a usual day for Elizabeth starts between 5:30 and 5:45 in the morning. She walks to Starbucks first thing (a 3-mile round-trip walk), listening to an audiobook or music along the way. Once she's back at home, she'll get the kids off to school, shower, and get ready for her day. Regardless of the work that goes on during the day (client meetings, interviews, or writing), she tries to be wrapped up by 4:00 and focuses on family and personal activities. She enjoys watching TV, writing or journaling, cooking, and spending time with her daughters. In the evenings after getting her kids to bed, she tries to be in bed herself no later than 8:30 or 9:00. Sleep is incredibly important for Elizabeth and she strives to get as much as possible. It's one of the most important things that contributes to her productivity. Productivity tools Elizabeth recommends Elizabeth uses a mixture of pen and paper and technology to manage her busy days. She makes a daily to-do list because she enjoys checking boxes and crossing things off. She uses habit trackers to see where she is spending her time, which is something she writes out and color codes on paper. Elizabeth likes to use calendar blocking to set aside time to do specific things, like creating social media posts (specifically LinkedIn, which she likes to treat as a personal website where she represents herself and her brand.) Elizabeth encourages women to regularly post on LinkedIn, write articles and posts,
Nov 8, 2023
51 min
Seasonal Productivity – TPW470
In this episode I talk about ways to stay productive in different seasons and how to feel (and show up as) our best year-round. Staying productive through seasonal changes . . . After my conversation last week with Lahana Vigliano about hormones and productivity, I’ve been thinking a lot about the cyclical nature of our lives as women--not just hormones, although hormones and their effects do create a cyclical rhythm to our lives--but also the cyclical nature of our world, as we cycle through one season after another. How does that affect our productivity? There are different meanings of “seasonal” * Hormonal seasons, especially for us as women  * Seasons of life (like childhood, college, career building, child-rearing, empty nest, retirement)  * Nature’s seasons -- fall, winter, spring, and summer I did some research and found some tips for productivity in any season. I'm mostly talking about nature’s seasons, but many of these apply to the other types as well Recognize the Seasonal Changes Productivity can naturally fluctuate with the changing seasons due to factors like daylight hours, weather, and temperature. It's essential to be aware of these changes and adapt your routine accordingly.  Some studies show, for example, that in general people tend to be more energetic and productive in the spring, more creative during the fall, and less productive and more likely to procrastinate during the summer  On the other hand, Forbes cites a Harvard Business School study that indicates workplace productivity can improve during crummy weather, speculating that there are fewer alternatives to work during bad weather than when the weather outside is warm and sunny. When we’re stuck indoors during beautiful weather, we’re more likely to be distracted by daydreaming about what we could be doing outside.  To the extent seasonal weather affects our health, it can also affect our productivity. For example, that same Forbes article refers to Bureau of Labor statistics that “while less than .5 percent of workers miss a day of work because of the weather during the warmer months, that percentage increases to almost 2 percent during the colder months.” Stay Flexible It's okay--even necessary--to adapt our routines as the seasons change. Flexibility is essential in maintaining productivity and mental health. As noted, I mostly want to talk about how this applies to nature’s seasons, but in my research, I came across several articles about something called cycle-syncing, which specifically talked about increasing overall productivity by adjusting your activities and routines to your menstrual cycle. A Forbes article advocates the idea that women’s four hormonal phases can serve as a “blueprint to launch, execute, and finish projects of all kinds,” saying that “each phase of your cycle provides you with amazing brain superpowers,” and encouraging women that “By synching our professional life to our females...
Nov 1, 2023
32 min
Productive Living: Hormones & Productivity, with Lahana Vigliano – TPW469
This week's episode features my conversation with clinical nutritionist Lahana Vigliano about the importance of balancing our hormones and getting our gut health in check in order to feel our very best and boost our productivity. Hormones and productivity I'm excited to share with you my conversation with clinical nutritionist and CEO + founder of Nuvitru Wellness, Lahana Vigliano, as part of our Productive Living series. Who is Lahana? Lahana is the CEO + founder of Nuvitru Wellness and a board-certified clinical nutritionist with a passion for helping women realize that there is a root cause for their symptoms, even if they have been dismissed by healthcare before. Her company Nuvitru Wellness specializes in women's hormones and gut health and uses functional medicine lab testing to personalize the patient's journey. She is obsessed with creating natural remedies, researching, reading romance books, lifting heavy, and cooking meals for her family. Outside of work, she is a mother of two and a wife. Her family is the inspiration behind Nuvitru and continues to encourage her through everything. I’ve been looking forward to talking with her about hormones and productivity. How Lahana got started Lahana has worn multiple hats since she was very young, so being a wife, mother, PhD student, and business owner comes naturally to her, although it's not easy. As for how she got started with wellness and nutrition, Lahana can trace it back to discovering her love for health at age 5, when she decided she wanted to become a doctor someday. However, while on the pre-med track in college many years later , she realized that was not what she wanted to do after all. She didn't like the concept of being diagnosed with something and then given a pill to fix it, without any further research or thought put into it. She preferred having more of a prevention mindset. How can we prevent things from happening in the first place? How can we use food and lifestyle habits to improve our health? Of course there is a time and a place for emergency medicine, medications, and the more traditional medical approaches, but in general, Lahana wants to approach health in a more hopeful way, with the focus being on prevention. We cannot do and achieve what we want to if we are not feeling well. Lahaha's work is centered around helping others feel their best so they can live the life they want to. A typical day for Lahaha Lahana says the beauty of entrepreneurship is that every day is different, but she still has a sort of template that she follows. On an average weekday, she gets up, gets the kids ready for school and off to begin their day. Then she makes herself some breakfast and tries to fit in some "me time", doing a bible study or listening to a podcast. Other times she will just sit in silence, especially if she's experiencing a more stressful time. Lahana enjoys habit stacking, but also recognizes when she may need a break. During the mid-morning,  she does a bit of work, gets some exercise in (she does this 5 days a week and includes strength training), and returns to work again. In the afternoon, Lahana takes the time to schedule a lunch break for herself, which she feels society has gotten away from. She uses this time to read, watch TV, or do something else she enjoys. After her lunch break she works for the rest of the afternoon, stopping to get her children from school. In the evenings, she makes dinner for her family and then works a bit more. She also sometimes does some homework or any reading that needs to be completed, although she tries to do most of her school work on the weekends. After a long and busy day, she tries to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. Productivity tools Lahana recommends
Oct 25, 2023
58 min
Productive Living: Mindful Financial Independence, with Emily Guy Birken – TPW468
This week I talk with financial writer Emily Guy Birken about overcoming financial anxiety and confidently pursuing mindful financial independence. Having confidence in our finances can lead to a more fulfilling and productive life I'm excited to share with you my conversation with educator, author, and (unlikely) financial researcher Emily Guy Birken as part of our Productive Living series. Who is Emily? Emily is a former educator, a self-professed lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer specializing in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. With a focus on helping people take their finances from stressful to stress-free, she is the author of five books including The 5 Years Before You Retire and Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, written with Joe Saul-Sehy. I’ve been looking forward to talking with her about financial matters. How Emily got started Emily likes to tell people that she "tripped and fell backwards" into writing about money. Her background is in teaching high school English but in 2010, that ended when she and her husband moved from Columbus, Ohio to Lafayette, Indiana. She also happened to be pregnant at that time with their first child. Emily's plan was to take one year off of teaching (because she was unsure of who would hire her so far into her pregnancy). Since Emily and her husband went from two incomes to one, she decided to start looking for some freelance writing work. One of her first gigs was for a personal finance website called ptmoney.com. This type of writing may sound out of the ordinary for Emily but she had always had an interest in finances, especially when her financial advisor father would discuss his work. While writing, Emily was able to bring her literary sensibility and the base knowledge she learned from her dad. She was initially intimidated by the financial world but eventually found that financial writing was an excellent fit for her. Her initial one year off from teaching has now turned into thirteen years. Emily has remained exclusively in the personal financial community this whole time and continues to enjoy it. She enjoys thinking about how money fits into our daily lives and how she can make the topic of money palatable to others. A typical day for Emily Later on in her adult life, Emily was diagnosed with ADHD, which put a lot of things into context for her. Emily realized that what worked for her as far as productivity goes may not work for others. With that being said, a typical day begins early in the morning between 5:00-5:30, when she begins her day's writing even before getting dressed. Emily has found that one of the most satisfying parts of productivity is when she feels like she's getting a head-start on her day and her work. By starting this early, she feels she can work on things before her actual day starts and she is less likely to procrastinate. Around 6:30 am, Emily will stop and walk around the neighborhood and is usually back by around 7:15, which is when her husband and kids are awake. They have breakfast together (which includes Wordle and coffee) and she gets the kids off to school. Emily then focuses on work emails, working on her financial spreadsheet, and other admin work. By the time she is done with that it is about 9:30 am and she will return to her writing. She works continuously until her children are home from school at 3:30. In the evening, Emily spends time with the kids, tidying up the house, making dinner, and getting everyone to afterschool activities.
Oct 18, 2023
1 hr 2 min
Productive and Low-Stress Travel – TPW467
After a summer full of cross-country trips, I thought it was a good time to discuss tips and tricks for travel that allows you to accomplish what needs to get done and still have time for fun. A little planning goes a long way when it comes to travel I used to have to travel a lot for work, so I had packing, planning, and getting where I needed to go down to a science. Since COVID-19 arrived in 2020, I'd virtually stopped traveling, so I'd forgotten my best travel routines. Then suddenly this summer I found myself taking several trips within just a couple of months--for a reunion, to visit our kids and grandkids who live in other states, and on business. This recent travel has made me reconsider the steps I took in the past.  Planning productively Gather all the info in one place We get email confirmations for most things, and electronic boarding passes, etc. Of course we could look at our email inbox to find that information, but to be most efficient, create a single place where all those can be gathered.  I use, and recommend, TripIt Pro. You simply forward your confirmation emails for flights, lodging, rental cars, etc., and it creates a consolidated itinerary that you can review in the app on your phone. TripIt can even be set to find those emails and import them automatically. In addition to storying and sorting all that information, it sends alerts about check-in availability, delays, gate changes, etc.  If you prefer to go analog, you can use a notebook or folder to gather all confirmation info, boarding passes, etc. In fact, even if you rely on digital devices for collecting and consulting your travel information, consider printing copies anyway. Batteries can die; cell signal can dissipate or even disappear, and websites can crash, so having a hard copy of the crucial travel info can be a lifesaver. If you’re traveling internationally, be sure to research entry requirements for your destination. Scheduling Before you make reservations for your travel, think about the best times to fly. By that I mean not only the best times at the airport or train station, but also the traffic en route. For example, we travel from DFW airport, which is on the opposite side of Dallas from where we live. We try hard to schedule flights at times that will let us avoid going through Dallas during the morning or evening rush hour. Aside from that, according to some sources, Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to have the lowest flight prices, so consider flights at the beginning of the week rather than on the weekends.  If you don’t have someone to drop you off and pick you up for air travel, use airport valet parking if it’s available. This avoids the time and aggravation of cruising through the parking garage looking for an open spot and having to travel from the arrival terminal to the departure terminal to get your car when you get home. Airport valets meet you near the terminal entrance at a prearranged time and take your keys, and then you can walk right into the terminal. When you return, they monitor your flight so they know if you’re delayed or the gate changes and meet you at the terminal entrance with your car. I've found that valet parking at the airport usually doesn’t cost much more than self-parking, and is worth every penny. The service I use will even wash and vacuum my car while I’m gone if I elect that option, so my car is shiny and clean when I return. Safety Familiarize yourself with the safety situation of your destination. Some apps and websites provide woman-centric safety ratings for cities and countries. For American travelers, the U.S.
Oct 11, 2023
48 min
Productive Living: Finding and Using Your Voice, with Jessica Doyle-Mekkes – TPW466
Professor, vocal coach, and author Jessica Doyle-Mekkes talks about finding your voice (and your power) by speaking up and having confidence in what you have to share with the world. Finding your voice and using it fearlessly--how might that help you make a life that matters? I'm excited to share with you my conversation with professor, vocal coach, and author Jessica Doyle-Mekkes as part of our Productive Living series. Who is Jessica? Jessica is the Head of Musical Theatre at East Carolina University where she’s taught voice and vocal pedagogy since 2017. She works as a speaker, advisor, and clinician to individuals, groups, NGOs, and businesses small and large teaching women how to harness the power of their voices (those in their heads and the one coming out of their mouths). Jessica lives in Greenville, North Carolina, with her husband Don, their daughters Tallulah and Jolie, and a codependent chihuahua named Sebastian. Her first book, I'm Speaking: Every Woman's Guide to Finding Your Voice &amp; Using It Fearlessly, releases this month and is available for pre-order now on Amazon. The book was recently called, "a bible on how to stand your ground against trepidation" by Publisher's Weekly.  How Jessica got started Jessica has always had a passion for helping women find their voices, which grew from the women in her life who greatly influenced her. She noticed that women had been training for years in their profession and could speak really well about what they did each day. But when it came to asking for a raise, speaking with an important team member, or having other difficult conversations, they were coming up short. These women found that their education and life experience were not helping in these situations. Based on the conversations Jessica had with these women, she did additional research on public speaking, and combined with what she already did for a living, she decided to help women find their voices and learn to be comfortable asking for what they wanted and needed. Jessica's "side hustle" has since grown into a business in which she can combine her professional life with helping women every day. A typical day for Jessica Jessica likes to begin her day early and considers herself a lark, although she is more of a natural night owl. She gets up around 4:30 or 5:00 most mornings and uses this time before her children get up to write (she wrote most of her book in these early morning hours) and enjoy a cup of coffee. Later on in her morning, she does the mom things, along with her husband, like making lunches, double-checking homework, and dropping the kids off at school. From there Jessica heads to work. She is privileged to be able to create her own schedule, working with her students during the times that work best for her, and beginning and ending her day with what works best for her family and personal life. After getting her kids from school, Jessica will get a quick workout in while the girls are having a snack and then it's on to evening activities and occasional work events. Jessica tries to be in bed by 9:00 each night so she can get up early the next morning and do it all again. For Jessica, true productivity is saying no to things that aren't important and altering her schedule to fit her needs. She's learned that saying no and taking charge of her own time is hard because others may not like it. But she has found that if she is honest with others about her time and intentions, it's always better in the long run. Scheduling tools Jessica recommends If Jessica had things her way, she would keep her schedule and to-do's in her own head, but that wouldn't be effective. Instead, she uses a weekly pen-and-paper calendar in her home for famil...
Oct 4, 2023
58 min
Cultivating Flexibility and Resilience – TPW465
Psychological flexibility and resilience are key components of a meaningfully productive life, helping us navigate change and bounce back from adversity. We can't predict the ways in which our life will change, but we can learn to respond and adapt in productive ways The modern world is unpredictable and constantly changing. And change is not something I’ve been a fan of throughout my life. In fact, it’s been a challenge for me to adapt to change. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, as my husband and I have been discussing some big changes as we approach retirement--including downsizing from the house we love and considering plans to travel more in an RV to visit our kids around the country and see some parts of the country we haven’t seen before. While these changes are exciting, they also challenge my home-body-routine-favoring personality. As I’ve pondered all this, I’ve thought a lot about the importance of being flexible, adaptable, and resilient in the face of unexpected difficulties. As I dug into the topics, I’ve come to understand that flexibility and resilience are vital traits that can boost productivity by helping us accommodate change, navigate challenges with a positive mindset, and adapt to different situations. Definitions and Differences: What is flexibility? Oxford: “the quality of bending easily without breaking”; “willingness to change or compromise”  Dictionary.com: “the ability to bend easily or without breaking”; “the quality of being easily adapted”  Cambridge: “the ability to change or be changed easily according to the situation”; “the ability to bend or to be bent easily without breaking”  One self-described researcher named Anan Bari Sarkar, in a post on Quora, talked about “psychological flexibility” as “the ability to accept difficult thoughts and feelings without judgment, and to take action in accordance with your values. It is a skill that can be learned and developed over time.”  Another article on Medium describes flexibility as “the ability to adjust to changes in your life without creating stress or drama. [and notes that] Being flexible in life means that you can change your plans and adapt to new situations easily.” What is resilience? Oxford: “the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness”  Dictionary.com: “the power or ability of a material to return to its original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched”; “the ability of a person to adjust or recover readily from illness, adversity, major life changes, etc.”  Merriam-Webster: “the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress”; “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change”  Cambridge: “the ability to be happy, successful, etc. again after something difficult or bad has happened”; “the ability of a substance to return to its usual shape after being bent, stretched, or pressed”  From the Medium article I mentioned earlier: “People more inclined toward Resiliency can maintain (or regain) functionality and vitality despite trouble or setback. They effectively combine strength and adaptability. Natural confidence and a positive outlook allow them to view difficulty as opportunity and failure as growth.
Sep 27, 2023
36 min
Productive Living: Creative Self-Care, with Mary Adkins – TPW464
Author, writing coach, and creative self-care expert Mary Adkins encourages us to make time for creative self-care and to give ourselves permission to fully express our creative side. Amazing things can come from letting go. Making time for our natural creativity to come out can improve our productivity and enrich our daily lives In this episode of our Creative Living series, I’ll share with you my conversation with lawyer, novelist, and writing coach Mary Adkins about caring for our creative side. Who is Mary? Mary is a graduate of Duke University and Yale Law School and is now a writing coach and founder of The Book Incubator, a 12-month program to write, revise, and pitch your novel or memoir. She is the author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next Pick, “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping and Real Simple), Privilege (Today.com “Best Summer Read,” New York Post “Best Book of the Week”), and Palm Beach (recently named one of the New York Post’s “Best Books of 2021”). Her books have been published in 13 countries, and her essays and reporting have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more. I’ve been looking forward to talking with her about making time for creative self-care. How Mary got started Mary has always had the drive to be creative and carve out time for her creativity, a spark she has had since she was a little girl. The instinctive drive to make things and create has been a big part of her life but writing is where she really came alive. Whether she is writing a fun, whimsical story or something more personal, writing has always fed and nurtured her. On the other hand, Mary also had an interest in law and attended Yale Law School. Once she graduated and got her first job as a lawyer, though, her true purpose was made crystal clear to her, which was to pursue creative writing. Within 7 months of starting her job as a lawyer, she left to pursue writing full-time. Mary is proud of herself for making this decision because she followed her heart. Initially, Mary estimated that writing a book would take about a year but it took closer to 7 years before she received a contract and was a published author. Since then, Mary has continued to enjoy her career as a novelist and writing coach. She teaches others not only the fundamentals of writing but how to make time for creativity. When Mary is not writing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 5-year-old son, who has just started Kindergarten. A typical day for Mary Mary makes a concerted effort each day to make time to write, in spite of what other things she needs to get done. She wants to write from her heart, whether that be journaling, working on a novel, or another piece she wants to publish. Mary tends to get this writing done very early in the morning, around 5:00 am. This is her quiet time with her coffee when she is at her most creative, which she likes to take advantage of. Mary also tries to get some exercise in during these early hours. Between the hours of 10:30 and 3:00, she is focused on running her business - coaching her clients, teaching classes, responding to emails, and other tasks. At 3:00 she picks her son up from school and then tries to wrap her day up by 4:00. This is when Mary wants to focus on her family, cook dinner, and wind down for the evening. In the past, Mary would work continuously up until it was time for her to go to bed, which would lead to anxiety and poor sleep. This caused her to have an unhealthy relationship with productivity so now she completely stops working in the evenings (with only a few ...
Sep 20, 2023
50 min
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