Hi Reader,

First! I'm going to be in New York (for the Shoppe Object and NY NOW trade shows) from August 11-14, and then in Atlanta (for the Black in Ecom conference) from the 15th to 19th. If you'll be in either of these places and want to meet up, or have tips for adventures and eats, please email me back. I have a little extra time in both cities.

I've been thinking about productivity and time management lately. If you are sick to death of productivity, read on!

I went to my local CreativeMornings talk the other day, and the speaker, Marisol Ortega, talked briefly about one thing that used to frustrate her that she's now more at peace with, and that's the amount of time it takes her to just think about a project before beginning it (a friend on Threads told me she calls this phase, "percolating"). The thinking time means she's never going to have a super fast turnaround on any illustration project. She said that now she realizes the thinking phase is part of the process, and this matches perfectly with how I feel about writing.

Whenever I need to write something that feels big (for me, that means anything more momentous than a newsletter or blog post -- my UPPERCASE magazine business column, or a written interview, for instance), I feel like I'm seriously procrastinating. I used to be frustrated about how often I'd pop out of my seat and grab a snack or do anything else but write. But now I know that getting fidgety and leaving what I'm doing to come back to it later is part of the process. I also will break the work up into tiny bites with big spaces between. So I come up with the topic one day, and that's all I have to do. A few days later, I work on the outline, but don't have to write anything, etc.

The other thing that used to frustrate me was that whenever I had to be "on" for a webinar or some kind of speaking or teaching, I'd get so behind on work tasks, because I'd be useless for the rest of the day. I enjoy public speaking while I'm doing it, but I find it hard to focus on tasks before or after my talks. I'm trying to schedule extremely light work days whenever I have an online appearance, and no work at all if it's an in-person appearance. Thinking of this as just part of the process is a huge relief, and it allows me to be realistic about how long things are actually going to take me.

Anyway! I came here to talk about a book that could be a huge shift in how I think about productivity. It's called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. I read it on vacation, and my husband and I talked about all the ideas that were popping around in my brain on our hikes and at our meals. The main point of it is that we have a finite amount of time, and of all the things to see and do and be, we're going to get to do practically none of them, so we might as well quit panicking about trying to fit everything in.

That kind of sounds like a bummer, I know, but the book is practical, funny, and so reassuring. It is also packed with interesting historical and philosophical anecdotes. A few thoughts I appreciated:

The discussion around productivity tips and tricks that I've tried before and never stuck to! "Nobody in the history of humanity has ever achieved 'work-life balance,' whatever that might be, and you certainly won't get there by copying the 'six things successful people do before 7:00 am.'"
Making a decision closes the door on your other possibilities. But! Not making a decision does just the same thing, as you run out of time to do the thing you're deciding on. I am a bit of a ditherer, and not great at making big decisions about future plans. This was a nice push that it's better to make a intentional choice and experience it than spend your life never choosing.
The general idea that "being on top of things" and "getting caught up" are just ideas and not necessarily things we need to aspire to -- and why you should stop trying to "clear the decks."
The idea of paying yourself first -- with time (and money!).
The idea to keep the number of works in progress to a limited amount. I'm always trying to work on way too many things, thus making slow progress on all of them.
Being pleased to settle for things that fall short of your ideals.
How the internet is a giant machine for missing your life.
Letting go of the anxiety of the uncontrollability of the future.

And so much more, but, as an as-yet-incurable problem solver, I'll leave you with this passage I want to take to heart myself:

Develop a taste for having problems. Behind our urge to race through every obstacle or challenge, in an effort to get it "dealt with," there's usually the unspoken fantasy that you might one day finally reach the state of having no problems whatsoever. As a result, most of us treat the problems we encounter as doubly problematic: first, because of whatever specific problem we're facing; and second because we seem to believe, if only subconsciously, that we shouldn't have problems at all. Yet the state of having no problems is obviously never going to arrive. And more to the point, you wouldn't want it to, because a life devoid of all problems would contain nothing worth doing, and would therefore be meaningless. [...] Once you give up on the unattainable goal of eradicating all your problems, it becomes possible to develop an appreciation for the fact that life just is a process of engaging with problem after problem, giving each one the time it requires – that the presence of problems in your life, in other words, isn't an impediment to a meaningful existence, but the very substance of one.

Interesting Clickables

If your business is craft related, I highly recommend becoming a member of the Craft Industry Alliance. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections. You can use the code: CIAANDAEOLIDA to receive 20% off your first payment at any membership tier.
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We worked with Silver + Salt to rename and rebrand their business to Stórica Studio. Read about how it went on their blog. Natalia on our team was inspired by owner Christine's heritage and love of Spanish words.
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