From The Tending Year to Here

behind the scenes of my productivity transformation

A few quick notes:

1. You’re invited to join me at my free “How to Effectively Reach Your Goals this Season” workshop on Sunday August 4th from 1-2pm EDT. Register here to attend or receive the recording if you can’t make it live.

2. I’m hosting Zoom co-working for paid subscribers and Success & Accountability Coaching clients next week. You can learn more about Quarter 3 co-working here.

Since starting my The Tending Year research blog in 2018, I have honed a robust tool kit that informs how I check off my to-do list and strategize to complete my projects.

While my newsletter readership is constantly growing with folks who’ve recently heard me on podcasts or learned of me through personal recommendations, some of you have been around since the early days when I was publishing weekly Tumblr posts on topics like navigating graduate school when my chronic illness made me feel like I didn’t belong, discovering that I had workaholic tendencies, committing to developing healthier relationships to my productivity, and, of course, practical tools like habit formation, planning, and scheduling.

When I started The Tending Year in January 2018, my goal was to research, practice, and write about a new productivity or personal development tool each week for a year. I ended up enjoying the process so much that I did it for a second year. I’m grateful I decided to extend my Tending Year project for a few reasons:

• I got to know myself better and learned what worked and didn’t work for me as an individual

• I showed myself that it was okay to shift my journey to follow an alt-ac path

• I generated tons of free resources for folks who want to try out tools, too

Now in 2024, my ongoing learning and practice of Slow Productivity means I spend my days as Dr. Kate tailored to my personality, my needs as a chronically ill person, and my preference for planning ahead. I am able to break down my large, abstract goals into actionable and achievable milestones. I utilize personalized productivity sessions that help me remain focused and track my progress. I am able to practice pause when I come across unhelpful thoughts around my productivity (i.e., “I’m not doing enough!”) and manage obstacles when my health and my life inevitably throw a wrench in my work plans. I no longer feel bogged down by the weight of perfectionism, and am able to give myself the grace and self-compassion I once only dreamed of.

And I feel privileged to share all of the tools, techniques, and mindsets that got me here with my clients through this newsletter and through coaching.

So, what exactly brought forth these changes from 2018 to today?

In today’s newsletter, I will take you through how my approach to productivity has transformed since then by focusing on three key shifts I’ve experienced:

1. I went from learning foundational tools to developing approaches that fit my own life

2. I shifted from working on one big project to managing multiple projects of varying scopes

3. I honed my focus as a researcher and writer to make productivity more accessible for knowledge workers

I made these shifts mindfully, and I’d love to break down how I came to each of them.