Sustainable Productivity

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:

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:

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!

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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.

What does biochemistry have to do with sleep? What if I told you that sleep is linked to a more Sustainably Productivity life? On this week's episode you can learn about what is happening in our bodies when we sleep, why shift workers are more prone to obesity, and why cravings for fat and salt happen more often when you are sleep deprived than when you are rested. The episode wraps up with a few tips that might help you sleep better tonight!

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People are surprised to learn that Susan doesn't track phone usage. Getting rid of your phone is often one of the first strategies articles about productivity offer.  We are bombarded with messages that we need to change just about everything about our lives in order to become a better person, starting with detaching our phone from our lives. This episode is about how Susan came to that decision and why it may or may not be a Sustainably Productive goal for you too.

This episode is about one of Susan's favorite things in the world - books! Reading is one of Susan's favorite hobbies, and hobbies are a component of the Mental Well-being dimension of Sustainable Productivity. On average, Susan reads about 15-20 books a month, but the recap provided in the episode is limited to the books that stood out because just running down every book each month would be the audio equivalent of watching paint dry.

This episode is for those who are tired of carrying the meal planning load. Meal planning burnout is no joke. When you can't even believe your people need to eat AGAIN and you just want to pretend dinner is not a thing, hit play on this episode. You will hear about four strategies that are working for Susan right now to make tedious meal planning a little more sustainable. At the end there are three bonus ideas about how to use the three dimensions of Sustainable Productivity to set Future You up for success. 

Sustainable Productivity can be the answer to burnout and its soul sucking after effects. In this introduction to the burnout recovery principles, listeners will hear what Sustainable Productivity is NOT. Then Susan introduces two key questions to ask in order to make habit changes for short and long term habit change that sticks. Floating through life aimlessly can reduce your quality of life just as much as striving all out all the time. It is time to meet in the middle and Sustainable Productivity is that sweet spot. 

Stress has always been a part of our lives - since the beginning of time. How we have handled it has changed, leading us to the breaking point we live in today. The pace of life is no longer sustainable and we are avoiding addressing the elephant in the living room - our response to stress. Stress will never go away, the problem is in how we manage it. In this episode you will learn about how stress affected our ancestors and how it affects us today then you can learn a few tips and tricks for coping with stressors that will inevitably come into our lives.

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