By Kellee Weinhold, TPII Productivity Coach
Welcome to the Productivity Post!
Each(ish) Tuesday, I share some of the ideas and strategies that inform my coaching in UNSTUCK: The Art of Productivity*.
Sometimes, I even record a coaching session! (This is not one of those weeks.)
In response to popular demand, a new Unstuck: The Art of Productivity is starting next week! If you’ve ever wondered what the Unstuck program is like, today’s post is meant to give you some insights. Today I am turning over the post to a current UNSTUCK participant to SHOW you what happens when you start to take back your writing life.
Participation in UNSTUCK includes membership in a secret Facebook group, where members talk about their challenges and successes, and take the time to share both writing goals reached, and obstacles recognized. Facebook is great for this, and we use it for weekly theme encounters like Tally Tuesday – when participants share their accomplishments since starting the program — and Warrior Wednesday – when participants articulate the interventions (political or otherwise) that they want to make through their work.
Today being Tuesday, this morning I posted this:
It’s Tally Tuesday! Time to acknowledge what you have accomplished since you started your UNSTUCK journey. As you waffle about, anxious about whether to share your experience, remember: 1) Different people started at different times. 2) Word counts/submissions are not the only measure of accomplishment. 3) Comparison is the thief of joy.
Oh and remember that taking time to celebrate will lead to more success!
Share away!
Here is one of the responses (published here with permission):
“I made peace with myself. I’ve accepted that what I write will not be perfect but that any writing I do is progress and a taking part in a discussion, and more importantly, perhaps, that it’s a form of resistance.
This helped me keep the assorted blue meanies at bay so that I could write.
In the last couple of months, I completed my book revisions and wrote two articles. And submitted all of them. And as I wrote, I became happier with what I was writing and could relax and enjoy the meandering process of deep thinking through writing that inevitably takes me to unexpected places. And also, as I wrote, particularly through the book revisions in my response to the readers’ comments, I found a stronger and more confident voice. I learnt a whole bunch of ways to keep the feelings of overwhelm under control, which feels particularly timely, as I’m on my first year of a full-time job.
I’ve worked on my words and my stories – for instance, “I choose to…” instead of “I have to…” (“the only thing I have to do is die” makes me smile every time), which is incredibly empowering – and banished negative self talk.
I’ve seen there are ways to lead a more balanced life and that it’s ok not to be the most productive faculty member. I choose balance.
I accepted that it’s ok to fail, and that even if/when old patterns sometimes re-emerge or I just don’t get to my morning pages one day or don’t make it to the gym for a week, it doesn’t mean I’ve become “that person” again.
I also achieved a bunch of things not work related but that I’d been wanting to do for a long time, mainly getting a CGM for my kid and adopting a kitten.
I started meditating again. And I recommitted to making kindness a guiding principle, be it in my dealing with colleagues, students, friends, family, strangers, or myself, in my teaching, in my reading, or in my writing.
I submitted my article at 2am this morning and was up at 5 with my son. I feel kind of gross physically, but immensely relieved and thankful.
This was the last of my big writing commitments. So today is ALL going to be about taking the time to celebrate and be grateful.
So thank you Kellee and everyone in this group for all the advice, sharing, and support. This has been transformative.”
This kind of breakthrough happens ALL THE TIME in UNSTUCK! The combination of daily emails, video coaching, strategies for time management, boundaries, and confidence-building, and the community engagement through Facebook or the UNSTUCK Forum create a powerful culture of support and accountability that change participants’ writing lives forever. Not only do UNSTUCK participants start sending out those articles and dissertation chapters that had been stalled for months (if not years)…they do it while maintaining a healthy work-life balance and dedicated self-care.
So, don’t be afraid, and give it a try!
If you would like to be part of the UNSTUCK journey, Registration is open