My Sustainable Productivity Manifesto

Here is the sustainable productivity manifesto that I promised in my last newsletter—a set of guiding principles for supporting ourselves as humans as we try to regularly do creative and intellectual work (such as academic writing). Since we all have highly individual needs and working styles and are juggling different sets of responsibilities, the specifics of how to best support ourselves will vary wildly. And so this manifesto is grounded in an ethos of experimentation (#4).

I strive to encourage, both for myself and others:

1.     Practices that are sustainable, meaning they don’t lead to burnout and don’t diminish our sense of self-trust or self-worth.

2.     Practices that fold in rest and pleasure, and that are embedded in our broader lives as whole people.

3.     A culture of naming and acknowledging what is hard about creative and intellectual work.**

4.     Respect for our own unique brains, bodies, needs, and rhythms, paired with a spirit of experimentation, so that we can figure out specific structures, strategies, and actions that help us as individuals do the work we want or need to do.

5.     A deep sense that our own innate worthiness isn’t contingent on what we produce or get done (or on anything else).  

6.     Honest reflection on our current capacity—on our existing commitments, larger priorities, and energy levels—when we’re setting goals and figuring out our boundaries.

7.     Flexibility and self-compassion in planning and goal-setting, so these processes can be adaptive and remain supportive when our initial vision doesn’t match our reality.

8.     A strategic approach to our work (including our writing, especially if we are short on time) and an effort to rein in perfectionism.

9.     And at the same time, recognition that the creative process (for academic writers, the process of developing, refining, and communicating ideas) involves distinct phases that we generally can’t skip past or radically compress.

10.  Attentiveness to the particular phase of the creative process we are currently engaged in for a given project, and curiosity about what steps will move us forward at that phase.

11.  Connection and community around our writing or any other difficult work we are doing, in whatever form feels comfortable and supportive to us as individuals, at whatever points in the process we need it.

12.  Tapping into our “why”—the sense of purpose that motivates our creative and intellectual work (or other sorts of work!).

And I strive to avoid:

1.     Shame-based framing, both for process (since the specific processes that work for us and the specific kinds of support that we need are highly individual) and for output.

2.     Any sort of perfectionism related to sustainable productivity! (Sometimes we won’t get the rest we need, etc. It’s all okay!)

**The third principle above—“acknowledging what is hard about creative and intellectual work”—was inspired by a discussion in Michelle Boyd’s wonderful book Becoming the Writer You Already Are. Boyd reflects on how academic writers often mistake difficulties intrinsic to the writing process (that are hard for everyone!) as reflecting their own inadequacy as writers, because academics tend to not talk openly about their writing challenges.

---

Institutional requirements and overwhelming workloads at some universities—as well as tight timelines for particular writing projects—push many academics toward schedules and practices that don’t feel sustainable. I don’t have any magic solutions to these structural problems! But my hope is that some of these principles (translated into specific actions that make sense for you and your life) can help make your broader work life feel at least a little less difficult—and maybe help bring renewed energy and momentum to your writing practice.

Even putting aside external pressures and constraints, the principles here aren’t always easy to put into practice. I myself have tendencies toward perfectionism and a history of harsh self-talk and all-or-nothing thinking (probably related to my ADHD, which I’ll write about at another point). And so it’s been important for me not to approach these principles as a checklist or set of metrics, but as gentle nudges toward mindsets and practices that help me use kind self-talk and settle more easily into my deep work.

---

Links about the crisis in Minnesota:

• Kao Kalia Yang wrote a beautiful and devastating essay: “Letter from Minnesota: If They Take Me and Leave the Children”

• I’ll share Naomi Kritzer’s resource again: “How to Help if You Are Outside Minnesota.“

• If you’re an academic and you benefit from regular coworking, check out my Support & Accountability Community, which I’m using as a fundraiser to help support immigrant families. (Summer-only options now available!)

Take care, everyone.

---

If you received this email from a friend or colleague, you can subscribe at https://tiliaeditorial.com/newsletter-signup.

Sustainable Productivity during an Ongoing Crisis

Things are intense in Minneapolis right now! Please check out local writer Naomi Kritzer’s recommendations for how to help if you are outside Minnesota.

And a quick update to my last newsletter: I’ll now be donating all money I receive from Support & Accountability Community enrollments to organizations supporting immigrant communities in Minneapolis through the end of February. I’ve added a summer-only option; and the summer cowriting calls will now be three days per week. (For $100, you can get some summer writing support, and the money will go to organizations filling urgent community needs in Minneapolis.)

I wrote the first few paragraphs below back in the fall—and then added some additional thoughts based on the current situation in Minnesota.

---

 I hesitated in using the phrase “sustainable productivity” to describe the primary focus of my group coaching programs and newsletter, because the word “productivity” can call to mind a mindset that doesn’t center people’s humanity.  

People are not machines. It’s deeply problematic to think of productivity as trying to wring as much output from ourselves as possible.

I’ve seen comments by various people in recent years who are trying to shift away from using the word “productivity.” And I’ve also seen an uptick in the use of qualifiers that humanize the word: sustainable productivity, slow productivity, heart-focused productivity.* 

I decided in the end to use one of these phrases, because I think that “sustainable productivity” can be a useful shorthand for the practices that help us do the work that we genuinely want to do but sometimes struggle to get done. 

I think it’s essential to explain what I mean by “sustainable productivity.” And so I’ll share my sustainable productivity manifesto in my next newsletter (on Thursday).

---

But I’ll add a few thoughts now that stem from the current crisis in Minneapolis.

Our usual priorities may shift (or even be completely upended) in times of crisis or when our communities need urgent help. At the same time, no one person needs to do (or can do) everything.

I’ve been reminding myself—and friends have been reminding me—that it’s important to take care of ourselves, connect with people in our communities, and figure out a limited set of things we’ll do at a given moment, based both on broader needs and on our own capacities.

I’ve been blown away by all of the organizing that is happening all around Minneapolis and Minnesota—by the bravery and dedication of so many people.

And also, I’ve talked with people who have been putting some of their ordinary responsibilities on hold so they can put intense effort into protecting the community and helping neighbors. Their current efforts may be hard to sustain for the long haul.

I’ve gotten behind on my scheduled work in the stress of recent weeks. And so for the moment, I’m working to get caught up and holding off on devoting chunks of my usual workweek to volunteer efforts. Maybe I (and other people people like me) can step up some of our efforts in the community at the point that others need to scale back? I know (based on my own capacity) that I’ll still need to keep my efforts targeted: a particular weekly shift to pack emergency food boxes, particular days for doing ICE patrols by schools. (Of course, maybe the current crisis won’t drag on!)

---

I am excited about my Support and Accountability Community for Academic Writers, and would love to be able to channel payments from people enrolling in the community to local efforts in Minnesota to support our most vulnerable populations. (Even if ICE leaves Minnesota soon, various needs will be ongoing for a while.)

If you’d like to talk with me to see if the community would be a good fit for your needs, you can join the interest list and check the box saying you’d like me to contact you for a 10-minute call.

Take care, everyone!

• * “Heart-centered productivity”—one of the phrases I mentioned at the start of this newsletter—is from Jocelyn Glei’s Hurry Slowly podcast.

---

If you received this email from a friend or colleague, you can subscribe at https://tiliaeditorial.com/newsletter-signup.

Program Flash Sale - All Proceeds to Minneapolis Orgs

I’m based in Minneapolis, where people are being abducted by ICE from workplaces, homes, and cars. ICE is detaining people (including many citizens) based on skin color, without warrant or probable cause. My spouse and I have been hearing shocking stories from within our networks.

I’m raising money to support vulnerable groups in Minneapolis this week through a “flash sale” for one of my new programs: a Support & Accountability Community for academic writers that will run from June 1st through December 18th. (You can read about the program here; if you have any questions, send me an email at ellen@tiliaeditorial.com.)

I’ll donate 100% of the payments I receive from anyone who registers for this group through this Sunday to organizations providing food support and rent relief funds to immigrants who haven’t been able leave home or to go to work for fear of being targeted by federal agents. I’m planning to split donations between the Joyce Uptown Food Shelf and Rent Relief for Minneapolis School Families.

Alternatively, if you’d like to support additional organizations directly, here is a longer list of organizations to support. (You may know of others as well!) If you donate a total amount that is equivalent to the enrollment fee for my Support & Accountability Group, I’ll enroll you in the group! Just email me a screenshot that shows the amount you donated and the name of the organization; you can crop out your own personal details, of course.

Take care, everyone!

Warm Wishes for Rest and Play

What a year! ICE abducting people. Attacks on higher ed. Devastating budget cuts. I hope you and your loved ones are safe. I’m sending warm wishes to all of you.

For me, this fall included an ADHD diagnosis and a 3-month period of frequent insomnia (which thankfully seems to have ended). My newsletter has been on the back burner, and now I have the energy to return to it.

I’ve been writing a sustainable productivity manifesto, which I’ll be sharing in the new year. I’m also writing some “deeper dive” posts about particular parts of the manifesto, as well as a personal post with some thoughts about how being neurodivergent shapes my specific work processes and approach to editing.

For those of you wrapping up your semesters, I wish you well with the final flurry of tasks. And I hope you all have some time in December to rest and play—to do some of the things that recharge you and bring you joy. Take care, and I’ll see you in the new year.

Adding in Friction, Embracing Momentum

The 5-second rule. 20-second rule. 10-minute rule.* These “rules” are all either about slowing yourself down (so that you don’t act on an impulse that nudges out higher priorities) or about grabbing onto the fresh energy of an impulse you want to be following.

1. The 10-minute rule: If you feel the urge to do something that’s not the thing you’re focused on, try telling yourself, great, you can totally do that thing!—as long as you wait 10 minutes first. At the 10-minute point, it may be that the very important task that occurred to you no longer feels so urgent, or that the pull of the fun distraction you remembered doesn’t feel as strong.

   If you’re in deep work mode and you think of an internet task (or something else that’s not the thing you want to be prioritizing), jot the task down on a list. (Keep a notebook or app open for scribbling down any stray thoughts or tasks you want to come back to later.) And then…go back to whatever you were doing instead of breaking your focus and potentially being sucked down into a rabbit hole.

2. The 20-second rule: Set things up so that you can’t instantly access the things that distract you.

   Set up internet blockers. Turn off non-essential notifications on your phone, and leave your phone in another room. Add a 20-second (or longer!) barrier to accessing the distractions that you mindlessly reach for or that feel especially alluring. This strategy might be a “set it and forget it” situation—one-time changes to how you set up your physical and digital workspace—or might involve some daily setup or tweaks.

3. The 5-second rule: There’s something you want to do and you think, okay, time to get down to it! Try counting down from 5 (5…4…3…2…1!) and then actually doing the thing on 1, before you can talk yourself out of it or talk yourself into a lengthy delay.

   Maybe this strategy can help you with things like getting up promptly in the morning, taking out the compost, pulling out your exercise mat and doing some jumping jacks, sitting down to your writing without putzing around for a while first, calling to schedule an appointment…

   The 5-second rule is about acting on the energy and momentum of an intention before that energy fizzles.

I use all three of these strategies—but I want to start leaning even more heavily on the 10-minute rule and the 5-second rule in particular.

• The 10-minute rule is about cultivating a patient mindset. It’s about staying out of the “excitable-puppy-chasing-after-every-squirrel-that-darts-in-front-of-you” mode, even when ideas aren’t flowing freely and writing feels hard. (Of course, the 20-second rule can help keep squirrels off your path!)

• The 5-second rule is about embracing the energy that comes from setting an intention and not getting in your own way.

These rules of course aren’t actually rules—just tools! Play with them and see if they are useful to you in your writing practice, your work day, or your home routines.

*Sources: I learned about the 10-minute rule from Nir Eyal’s book Indistractable. I came across the “20 second-rule” framing in an essay by Gayle Scroggs for The ABD Survival Guide; James Clear’s book Atomic Habits develops a similar strategy in a lot more detail. The idea of the 5-second rule comes from Mel Robbins’s book The 5 Second Rule, though I first learned about it from Dani Donovan’s The Anti-Planner.

Dealing with the Stress in Our Bodies

Welcome (at long last) to my newsletter! Thanks for signing up.

My vision is for these newsletters to be short and sweet—most of my missives will be significantly shorter than this one! I'm an avid reader of books and other resources on "sustainable productivity" and self-care, and in each missive I will highlight a favorite resource or two. I see myself as a fellow traveler on the sustainable productivity journey and not as any kind of guru. I've dived into these resources because I myself find them helpful! 

I'll also sometimes put on my editor's hat and write posts focused on various topics related to the craft of book writing or academic writing more broadly.

---

Today's focus: how can we take care of ourselves in times of chaos by finding ways to deal with the stress in our bodies?

In 2019, sisters Amelia and Emily Nagoski published a book called Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. They explain that stressors activate the stress response in our bodies, while stress is the “neurological and physiological shift that happens in [our bodies] when [we] encounter one of these threats” (5). When we're dealing with a stressful situation, there’s a distinction between handling the situation itself and dealing with the stress in our bodies that comes from the situation. As a stress response, our bodies are flooded with adrenaline, cortisol, and glycogen. We need to do something to bring our bodies out of the stress response so that the “neurochemicals and hormones” can “shift…into relaxation” (7).

As individuals, we don’t have much control over the stressors that we are collectively dealing with at this political moment. Of course there are actions we can take! But the barrage of stressors is likely to continue.

Maybe especially in situations that are chaotic and where we feel relatively powerless, discharging the stress in our bodies is all the more important. After three nights of insomnia last week, I know that dealing with my pent-up stress is a top self-care priority for me right now. Maybe the same is true for some of you. 

The Nagoskis write about various ways to complete the stress cycle. Deep, slow breathing; positive social interaction; laughter; expressions of affection; crying; creative expression. They note that physical movement—exercise, dancing, even just tensing and then relaxing our muscles—is one of the most effective ways to complete the stress cycle (15). 

My own two favorite ways to relieve stress are to move my body and to sing with friends or family, since singing brings me joy. (Yesterday, I pulled out my guitar and sang kids' songs while my seven-year-old danced around.) I know that physical movement in particular is something I need on a daily basis, but it can be easy to let it get squeezed out of my schedule. I'm motivated by sticker charts, so I just reinstated my old system of taping a monthly calendar to our living room wall and giving myself stickers for getting in some movement. 

What are your favorite ways to complete the stress cycle? And maybe to find little moments of play or joy? Have you found ways to help yourself be consistent about fitting in the activities that relieve your stress?

Sometimes I need to work up a sweat in order to complete the stress cycle through movement. But especially when I'm feeling blah or unmotivated, I've found it helpful to make "getting in movement" really doable. Dancing to a single song. Doing a minute of jumping jacks. Stretching while I chat with my kids. Doing 15-minute workouts or 5-minute "hacks" on MommaStrong, an exercise program I've been doing since my older daughter was a baby.

I wanted to share the link to a series of ten 5-minute videos specifically focused on relieving stress—the "Pandemic Relief Hack-a-Thon"—that MommaStrong* created back in 2021 and that I recently discovered was available on YouTube. This particular hack-a-thon feels relevant and helpful at this difficult moment as well. Some of the videos involve more cardio (like the "endorphins to build resilience" video) and others are quiet and gentle (like the "pandemic stress relief using bilateral stimulation" video). Sometime when you need to relieve stress or reconnect with your body, you might check out these brief videos. I love using them as movement breaks during my day.

*In spite of the name “MommaStrong,” I think these videos could be for anyone, not just for mothers or parents!

Take care, everyone!