We’re celebrating 10 years of The Productive Woman podcast and I’m sharing some lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Who we are is more important than what we do…and other important lessons learned in 10 years of The Productive Woman podcast
This week’s episode is a milestone one. The very first episode of The Productive Woman–a short introductory “episode 0”–was published on July 1, 2014. That makes this week the 10-year “podiversary” of The Productive Woman. And I’m amazed to have made it to this milestone.
When I first launched the podcast, I wasn’t sure I’d make it to one year. I thought maybe my mom would listen to a few episodes, cause she loves me, but I wasn’t sure anyone else would. Why would they? I was nobody important or famous, no expert. I was just a wife, a mom, a lawyer, and someone interested in productivity since I was young.
I could not have imagined back then that I’d still be at it 10 years later, nor could I have imagined how much I’d learn along the way.
Milestone lessons
1. We make time for what really matters to us.
There are lots of things I say are important to me but I don’t take action on them. But planning, preparing, recording, and publishing an episode each Wednesday morning–I’ve made time for that.
Our calendar and our checkbook tend to tell the truth about what’s important to us.
2. Just start.
I’ve always tended to want to have everything perfect before I do anything–which has led to much stalling and many missed opportunities. When I decided to start a podcast, I signed up for an online podcasting course–30 days that took you from idea to first recorded episode. I spent that time learning about the logistics, equipment, etc., needed, setting up my website and my media host, and so on.
I intended to launch the first week of January. But week after week I kept finding reasons why I wasn’t quite ready. 6 months went by, and I hadn’t yet launched. But then I heard a message about starting and iterating, and finally took my iPad into my walk-in closet, recorded that first short episode, promised I’d be back the next week with more, and was off. Lesson learned: don’t have to wait until we feel ready; just start, and improve as you go.
3. There’s no right answer
When it comes to productivity and making a life that matters, there’s no one right answer that works for everyone. Productivity is a very personal thing, and what works for each of us depends on our individual situation–life stage, health, values, goals, priorities.
4. You are not alone
No matter how I might feel, I’m not alone. (I’m not the only one.) That might be among the most important things I’ve learned in 10 years of hosting this podcast and mastermind groups. Believing that I am the only one struggling with certain things causes me to put up walls that separate me from others. When we let those walls down, we find that we’re not the only ones–and we can start to share ideas, encouragement, and accountability.
5. Lean on others
We need each other. Brené Brown has noted that we are wired for connection. We talked about this in episode 423. A life that matters almost always matters in relation to people. No matter how much we accomplish in life, if we don’t have meaningful relationships we won’t be satisfied. Almost no one at the end of their life talks about regretting not doing more or achieving more.
6. Never stop learning
There’s always more to learn. I’d been reading and learning about productivity since at least middle school, and by the time I launched the podcast I was 54 years old. Yet I’ve continued to learn over time, all the more as I looked for good information and inspiration to share with you. Even now, I continue to learn new things that are useful to help make a life that matters. One example comes from my most recent guest, Britt Frank, who talks in her book about the fact that procrastination is a trauma response, not a character flaw.
7. Consistency matters
Small steps taken consistently will get you farther than the occasional big dramatic action. True for podcasting. True for trips. True for achieving any goal. We’ve talked about this before, recently in episode 475, discussing 2-minute habits that can help us keep our space and our life organized.
8. Good habits make a difference
When it comes to achieving goals, focus on the process (which you can control) rather than the results (which you can’t always). The best, most effective, goals are those that are about establishing and nurturing habits that will get you where you want to go.
- Writing:
- result goal: write a book (or maybe worse, get a book published)
- Process goal: write 1 page a day (or write 15 minutes a day)
- Result goal: get an agent or a book contract
- Process goal: submit 1 proposal a week
- Fitness/health:
- Result goal: Lose 10 pounds
- Process goal: Walk 15 minutes a day, or write down everything I eat, or hire a trainer and work out with her/him 3 times a week
- Job/career:
- Result goal: get a new job that pays $x per year
- Process goal: revise resume and submit at least one resume each weekday, or reach out to 5 professional contacts each week to ask for an info lunch or coffee
9. Listen to understand
It’s so important to listen to understand, not to refute–especially with respect to people who have different experiences, opinions, and perspectives than you. If you only interact with or listen to people who are just like you, you cannot and will not learn or grow. If we can’t talk about the things that matter, including conflicts, we can never solve them. On this point, I recommend the sections about conflict languages found in Britt Frank’s book, The Science of Stuck.
10. What matters most is not what we do, but who we are in the world.
I reiterate my manifesto from episode 396, because it’s still a great summary of what’s become important to me about meaningful productivity and making a life that matters. Check out the episode, where I expand on these, but it seemed appropriate to just mention them now:
- I have my beliefs and opinions about various things–some of them very strong–but I always keep in mind the very real possibility that I might be wrong.
- It’s impossible to be happy if my focus is on what I don’t have instead of what I do.
- Growing older doesn’t automatically equate with maturity, and maturity is a key component of a meaningfully productive life.
- My life today is the result of the choices I made yesterday and the day before and 10 years ago and 10 minutes ago. If I don’t like where I am today, I can make different choices to change the trajectory of my life.
- Disagreement isn’t hate; hate is hate. (And no one’s mind has ever been changed by someone standing at a distance throwing rocks at them.) Relationships matter.
- My job in life isn’t to make other people do good in the world. It’s to do good myself.
- I cannot control my circumstances, my environment, or other people. But I can learn to control my own mind, and thereby my emotions.
- The only way to get through life without constant misery is to extend grace to each other and to ourselves
Closing thoughts
10 years of hosting this podcast means 10 years of learning–from my research, from my guests, and from you. I am grateful beyond words for the opportunity to be a part of your life–you have been a very important part of mine. So thank you.
What do you think?
What have you learned from listening to this podcast? Do you have a favorite episode? Post your thoughts and suggestions in the comments section below or in The Productive Woman Community Facebook group, or email me.
Resources and Links
TPW Episodes
- Episode 000-Introduction
- Episode 396 – A Manifesto for a Life that Matters
- Episode 405 – Take It or Leave It: Productivity Advice that Might or Might Not Work
- Episode 452 – Making Time for What Matters Most to You
- Episode 475 -Twenty 2-Minute Habits to Keep Your Space (and Life) Organized
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Such a great episode. I appreciate the reminders. I’ve always struggled with need prove my value with what I do instead of who I am. Congratulations on 10 years!