Episode 25: Sustainable Sue Talks Time Management

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.

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

Links to Learn More

Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

By |2023-09-11T17:12:26-04:00July 24th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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Episode 24: 10 Tips for Conquering Clutter

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.

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

Links to Learn More

Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

By |2023-07-17T08:12:49-04:00July 17th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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Episode 23: Managing Media with an Eye Toward Sustainability

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.

The Media Pyramid as described in the episode. Read the full article by Faris Yakob at this link.

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

Links to Learn More

Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

By |2023-07-10T07:36:22-04:00July 10th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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Episode 22: How Your Relationships Impact Your Personal Productivity

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 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.

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

Links to Learn More

Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

  • Sign up for episode emails, weekly essays, and links so you never miss a thing!
  • Read more about the nation’s return to religion as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks at this link
  • CIGNA’s full report “Loneliness and the Workplace” can be found at this link
  • Revisit what cortisol does to your body in Episode 1: Stress, Evolution, and Burnout by clicking here
  • Laura Tremaine’s book The Life Council gives more insight into why relationships are important and how to cultivate different types. Order her book at this link
  • Here is the recent pillow project Susan mentioned in her SPA this week:

We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

By |2023-07-03T10:44:56-04:00July 3rd, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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Episode 21: Special Guest for Literary Life Lately!

Special guest alert! 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 this special guest 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.

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

Links to Learn More

Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

By |2023-06-26T09:22:06-04:00June 26th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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Episode 20: Why You Need to Celebrate

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

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

Links to Learn More

Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

By |2023-06-19T08:33:34-04:00June 19th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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Episode 19: How to Get the Rest You Need

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 reduce this deficit.

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

Links to Learn More

Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

By |2023-06-12T08:27:52-04:00June 12th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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Episode 18: What Does Burnout Have to Do With Nutrition?

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.

Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” wherever you get your podcasts.

Links mentioned in the nutrition and Sustainable Productivity episode:

    By |2023-06-05T07:36:54-04:00June 5th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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    Episode 17: Sustainable Sue, the Book Bully

    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

    As always, even if you are not a book lover, this guidance applies to whatever your hobby is. If you love to lift weights, where do you get inspiration and recommendations for exercises and routines? Travelers don’t know where to go before they actually travel – if this is you, how do you learn the best places to hit in a new city? Maybe instead of a book bully, you wish you had a foodie bully – someone to recommend recipes, restaurants, and techniques to improve your food experience. Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

    Links to Learn More

    Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

    We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

    By |2023-05-29T08:21:30-04:00May 29th, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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    Episode 16: Fitness Without a Finish Line

    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! Listen at the link below or search for “Sustainable Productivity with Susan Sanders” everywhere podcasts are available.

    Links mentioned in this episode of the Sustainable Productivity podcast:

    We would love to hear from you. Send your feedback on the episode, suggestions for future show topics or guests, and anything else to Susan@SustainableSue.com or in a DM on Instagram.

    By |2023-05-29T10:34:53-04:00May 22nd, 2023|Show Notes|0 Comments
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