Handled(ish): Productivity for the Imperfect
Handled(ish): Productivity for the Imperfect is a weekly podcast hosted by Betsy A. Hays, an educator, author and speaker who is a self-proclaimed productivity nerd. It's a practical and humorous look at productivity, how to get things done well, and how to accept that a lot of things will just get "done enough" -- and that's ok. The podcast is both philosophical and practical, and included in each episode are ideas that listeners can immediately use. Because she practices what she "preaches," the podcast is imperfect, like all of us, and hopefully serves as a reminder that the beauty of life is often in its imperfections.
Episodes
134 episodes
#134 - Fictitious Obligations
Is there something on your list or calendar that you keep telling yourself you have to do?In this episode, I challenge you to take a look at what I call “fictitious obligations" — the tasks and commitments we assign ourselves be...
#133 - What’s Going Right?
When was the last time you stopped to notice what’s already working?This week on Handled(ish), we’re taking a break from fixing, tweaking, and adding new habits. I’m sharing a few things going right in my own life -- from small changes t...
#132 - What's Your Fall Fun Plan?
Autumn is upon us! And before it turns to Winter (and the Holidays!), let's take a minute to decide on and plan some fun! The Fall season provides us opportunities and things that only happen this time of year, so let's figure out now what we w...
#131 - Please don't tell me what I should do
Do you cringe a little when someone tells you that you "should" read this, watch this, meet this person, do this, etc? I don't think you are alone, so it's time to talk about it. This episode talks about what to do when you are told you should,...
#130 – Better Together(ish): Getting the Right Kind of Help
Sometimes another person can make a good thing even better—but first, we have to let them.In this episode, I talk about sharing our ideas, listening to suggestions without immediately becoming defensive, and asking the right people for t...
#129 - What are you going to do with this fresh start?
It's September 1st! A great "fresh start" opportunity! The podcast doesn't often drop on the first day of the month, so why not take advantage of it and talk about this particular fresh start, and what we are all going to do with it? What have ...
#128 - Q&A about the Two Brilliant (and Unpopular) Ways to Win Your Workday
Some questions and answers to help you implement our two brilliant (and unpopular) ways to win your workday. Enjoy 🤍🩵💙🎙️ #HandledIsh #ImperfectProductivity #ProductivityTips #HandledIshHacks #StickieNotesWin #DraftOutsi...
#127 - Draft Handled(ish) Manifesto
Who says we can't all have manifestos? As I finish my new Handledish.com website, I'm thinking about positioning the content as part of a Handled(ish) Movement -- including a Handled(ish) Manifesto. My draft thoughts about this are in this epsi...
#126 - Two Brilliant (and Unpopular) Ways to Win Your Workday
Bold statement? YES! And I stand by it. Make these two things a habit and you will win (or at least win more of) your workday -- EVERY TIME you do them. Enjoy 🤍🩵💙🎙️ #HandledIsh #ImperfectProductivity #ProductivityTips #...
#125 - Get a Big Picture View of Your Life
We all have a lot going on, and keeping everything in mind at once is something most of us can't and don't want to do. The solution? Create four master project lists to help you keep a 50,000 foot view of your life, commitments and goals. Start...
#124 - Ditch Productivity Shaming!
I'm talking to you today. Well, ok, I'm talking to me, too. Productivity shaming -- making ourselves feel bad when we aren't as productive as we'd like to be -- is NOT HELPFUL AT ALL. Join the movement. Let's banish it forever!Enjoy 🤍🩵💙🎙...
#123 - When Progress isn't Linear
Why are we always surprised when progress isn't linear? I'm experiencing that this week -- and it's objectively ridiculous. Anything that has a timespan isn't going to go smoothly all the time, and when we expect it, we are a lot less frustrate...
#122 - Ditching All or Nothing Thinking and Working on Vacation
Before you get upset at the title of this week's episode - hear me out! You know I believe in plans and structure and processes and boundaries -- we need all of those to be productive in the way we want to be. However, sometimes we need to toss...
#121 - Sometimes You have to Do it Tired
Let's not let tired get in the way of us doing things that we have intentionally decided we want to do and/or will help us accomplish our goals. Yes, well-rested and energized is the preferred vibe, but we can't have that all the time, and we w...
#120 - Easy Isn't Always the Goal
In our quest for productivity hacks and all the things we do to make our lives easy, we may be missing the point that not everything is supposed to be that way. Yes, let's streamline and make efficient processes for a lot of things, but let's a...
#119 - Why Change is Hard
We all know change is hard, but have you thought about why? In this episode I talk about the relationship between change and identity, and how acceptance and experimentation with a light tough can lead to adapting in a way that serves you. ...
#118 - The Case for Lunch Breaks
Breaking news! Handled(ish): Productivity for the Imperfect has reached 5,000 audio downloads! Thanks for making that possible! And this week I talk about the case for taking an actual lunch break. An idea you have heard before, I'm...
#117: Before You Grab Your Phone, Try This!
In those spaces in between things, our first instinct is often to grab our phones. While there isn't anything overtly "wrong" about that habit, I think we can make our lives happier and more productive if we have a transition time strategy -- o...
#116 - After a Crisis, Keep Your Resilience
In this last part of the unofficial resilience series, I talk about how making it to the other side helps us build resilience as well. While this might sound obvious, it's worth noting, and pondering, about how we can do hard things. <...
#115: Build Resilience During a Setback
When something goes wrong, there are two key things that can help us build resilience -- right in the middle of it! Acceptance and NBC (next best choice), paired with the game of Whack-A-Mole, can give us the framing and confidence to move forw...
#114: Resilience Starts Before
For this week, let's all spend some time thinking about what is our capacity for something going wrong? Schedule-wise, physically and emotionally? (And you can add spiritually if you'd like). And how can we build that capacity? Enjo...
#113: Your Thinking/Doing Ratio Might be Off (and Probably is)
Feeling like your productivity is a little off? Does it feel like you are playing whack-a-mole and just going from thing to thing to thing? Perhaps your ratios are off -- your thinking/doing ratio. Ideally, we'll spend more time thinking (strat...
#112: Get Rid of Your "Busy" Brand
We all do it. Someone asks us how we are, and we answer, "Busy!" In this episode, I'm challenging all of us to think about how unhelpful and potentially harmful that can be when we do it on repeat. I think we can do better.Enjoy 🤍🩵💙🎙️&nb...
#111: Post-Anything Evaluation and Gratitude - Part 2
Call it a debrief, or a postmortem, or whatever you would like, but taking time to think about what just happened (an event, project, etc.) is really important for increased productivity. In this episode (Part 2), I talk about the evaluation pi...
#110: Post-Anything Evaluation and Gratitude - Part 1
Call it a debrief, or a postmortem, or whatever you would like, but taking time to think about what just happened (an event, project, etc.) is really important for increased productivity. In this episode (Part 1), I talk about post-anything gra...