Practical productivity in academia

Natalie Houston discusses practical productivity in academia.

Podcast Notes

Guest: Dr. Natalie Houston

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Opposition to the term productivity Productivity defined

Productivity, to me, is not about doing more things faster. It is about doing the things that are most important to me and creating the kind of life I want to have…

To do something with ease is to bring a kind of comfort and grace to the task. It can also be more room [in your life]… Living a life with more ease…

Challenges and approaches for faculty

• Blurring between work and non-work time
• Protect quality time for your most important work/projects
• Creating appropriate boundaries
• Schedule blocks of time to let
• Commit to avoiding digital devices before bed
• Establish a bedtime for ourselves
• Articulate an ideal weekend/Saturday
• Enlist partner’s support in fulfilling that ideal day

The idea of a sabbath day in many spiritual traditions is to set aside a day for rest.

• Create transition rituals to help acknowledge the move between work and personal time
• Don’t force yourself to use digital tools, if analog work better; perhaps a hybrid system might work well, in some cases
• Todoist

Email

Multiple touch points

Challenge with accessing email on our phones

Taking breaks

Set an alarm

A timer is my most important productivity tool. You can use a timer in so many parts of your day.

Timing a break enhances the relaxation of that break.

Recommendations

How to manage references with Zotero, by Catherine Pope (Bonni)

IDoneThis.com (Natalie)

The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance, by Stephen Kotler