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Positively Living®: Shame-Free Productivity Conversations

The Positively Living® Podcast brings you shame-free productivity conversations for the overwhelmed multi-passionate creatives, caregivers, and multi-taskers who never clock out, juggle countless responsibilities, and quietly wonder if there's a better way.

Hosted by Lisa Zawrotny, Productivity Coach and founder of Positively Productive Systems, the show replaces rigid productivity rules with flexible approaches that respect your energy and priorities. Through solo episodes, expert interviews, and live coaching sessions, Lisa covers the topics that actually affect your ability to move forward: stress management, habits and systems, decluttering, self-awareness, boundaries, mindset, entrepreneurship, and more.

This is productivity for real life, helping you breathe easier, move forward sustainably, and make space for what matters most to you.

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Positively Living®: Shame-Free Productivity Conversations

Planning a Day That Works for You

March 23, 2026 • Lisa Zawrotny • Episode 306

0:00 | 19:05

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Traditional planning advice doesn’t take real life into consideration. It assumes we have endless energy, zero interruptions, and the motivation to do it all. When we follow this advice, the act of planning itself becomes a source of stress rather than a solution, making it feel like we’re up against a mountain we can't climb. That’s why this week, on episode 306 of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast, I’m tossing aside the “hustle harder” productivity idea and introducing a burnout-proof alternative so you can plan a day that works for you.

In this episode of the Positively LivingⓇ Podcast, I’m introducing the Minimum Effective Day (MED) approach to planning so you can do less with intention, focus on what’s truly essential, and create a more sustainable and effective daily rhythm.

Key Takeaways:

Strip away your aspirational tasks and identify your three “must-dos” for the day.
Treat basic needs (hydration, movement, rest, etc.) as critical elements of your plan, rather than luxuries.
Plan for a moment of joy or relief to embrace your humanity.
Anchor your day with one protected block of time to protect your day’s center of gravity.
Interrupt the cycle of self-criticism by defining what “enough” looks like and allowing yourself the grace to end the day without finishing everything.

Remember, you are a person, not a productivity machine. You can find the Minimum Effective Day mini-training at positivelyproductive.com/resources

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!

Learn more about Positively LivingⓇ and Lisa at https://positivelyproductive.com/podcast/

Stop trying to fit into someone else’s productivity rules! Grab my free Productivity Toolkit, a collection of workbooks designed to help you explore how you work, uncover what truly matters to you, and create your very own energy-friendly systems. Get it here: www.positivelyproductive.com/plpkit

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

(Find links to books/gear on the Positively Productive Resources Page.)

Dance Song Playlist V1, V2, V3

Music by Ian and Jeff Zawrotny

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