Being productive isn’t just about getting more done, it’s about doing the right things, efficiently and effectively. Real productivity is more about quality over quantity. You could spend ten hours working and still achieve less than someone who worked focused for just four. At its core, productivity is the ability to create meaningful results within a set amount of time. That means producing value—whether that’s finishing a report, developing a new idea, making an impact on a nonprofit organization or organizing your home office. It’s about being intentional. Are you moving closer to your goals, or just moving? When you define productivity on your terms, you regain control. It’s no longer about checking off a to-do list with 50 items—it’s about making the hours in your day count. It’s easy to confuse being busy with being productive. After all, both involve doing a lot of stuff. But here’s the kicker—busyness often just fills time, while productivity fills purpose. Our Experts in this area of the site talk about the steps needed in productivity to fulfill your purpose.
Productivity is about impact. It’s working smarter, not harder. It’s choosing the 3 tasks that matter instead of juggling 10 that don’t. It’s saying no to the noise, so you can say yes to results. Productivity feels focused and intentional, not scattered and reactive. Building better habits form your productivity foundation, so once you master better habits, everything else becomes easier.
Productive Specialists & Contributors
Claudia King Claudia King, Podcast Host and Live TV Analyst
In this Productive Joy: The Recap, the host reflects on David Wooding and his book Sixty, Not Out, emphasizing that life isn’t “butterflies and bubbles,” but people can choose whether to learn from adversity or be consumed by it. She shares a pastor’s idea of focusing on the promise rather t…
In this Productive Joy: The Recap, the host reflects on David Wooding and his book Sixty, Not Out, emphasizing that life isn’t “butterflies and bubbles,” but people can choose whether to learn f…
In this Productive Joy: The Recap, the host reflects on David Wooding and his book Sixty, Not Out, emphasizing that life isn’t “butterflies and bubbles,” but people can choose whether to learn from adversity or be consumed by it. She shares a pastor’s idea of focusing on the promise rather than rehearsing the problem, and illustrates it with a story about wading through murky water to reach clear blue water by keeping her eyes on what was ahead. She highlights Wooding’s practice of talking with older people in the grocery store and truly listening, noting that small conversations can…
In this episode of Older Women & Friends, Jane Leder welcomes bestselling author, leadership expert, and aging well advocate Erika Andersen for a thought-provoking conversation about what it truly means to create your best life after 60.Drawing from her acclaimed book, The New Old: Crafting Your…
In this episode of Older Women & Friends, Jane Leder welcomes bestselling author, leadership expert, and aging well advocate Erika Andersen for a thought-provoking conversation about what it truly…
In this episode of Older Women & Friends, Jane Leder welcomes bestselling author, leadership expert, and aging well advocate Erika Andersen for a thought-provoking conversation about what it truly means to create your best life after 60.Drawing from her acclaimed book, The New Old: Crafting Your Best Later Life, Erika shares a practical roadmap for aging well, finding purpose, embracing change, and staying engaged, curious, and fulfilled in later life. Rather than viewing aging as a period of decline, she challenges women over 50 to see it as an opportunity for reinvention, growth, freedom…
Picture the small business owner at 9 PM on a Tuesday. The kids are finally down. The inbox is quiet for once. And there it is again — that nagging voice in the back of the head saying, “You really need to figure out this AI thing.” So they open a browser. They type something in. Twenty min…
Picture the small business owner at 9 PM on a Tuesday. The kids are finally down. The inbox is quiet for once. And there it is again — that nagging voice in the back of the head saying, “You reall…
Picture the small business owner at 9 PM on a Tuesday. The kids are finally down. The inbox is quiet for once. And there it is again — that nagging voice in the back of the head saying, “You really need to figure out this AI thing.” So they open a browser. They type something in. Twenty minutes later they’ve got fourteen tabs open, three of them are demos for tools they don’t understand, one is a YouTube guru promising to “10x your business overnight,” and somewhere in there is a pricing page with the word “Enterprise” on it and no actual number. They close the laptop. The…
Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie introduces author and real estate professional David Wooding, a husband and father of three, who discusses his memoir Sixty, Not Out. Wooding explains he wrote the book as therapy after losing a substantial amount of money in an investment-visa that turned out t…
Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie introduces author and real estate professional David Wooding, a husband and father of three, who discusses his memoir Sixty, Not Out. Wooding explains he wrote th…
Today on Productive Joy, Dr. Christie introduces author and real estate professional David Wooding, a husband and father of three, who discusses his memoir Sixty, Not Out. Wooding explains he wrote the book as therapy after losing a substantial amount of money in an investment-visa that turned out to be a scam, a burden he hid for years until depression affected his family. The book includes difficult topics and reflections from childhood, travel, modeling, and relationships, aiming to reach people struggling behind a smile and show that adversity can be character-building. He defines “prod…
Everyone talks about the freedom of working remotely, but few people talk about what it actually takes to keep a business running while you're hopping between countries and time zones. In this episode, Whitney Lee shares the real behind-the-scenes of managing her business while traveling through Eur…
Everyone talks about the freedom of working remotely, but few people talk about what it actually takes to keep a business running while you're hopping between countries and time zones. In this episode…
Everyone talks about the freedom of working remotely, but few people talk about what it actually takes to keep a business running while you're hopping between countries and time zones. In this episode, Whitney Lee shares the real behind-the-scenes of managing her business while traveling through Europe this summer.From staying productive on the road to leading a team from thousands of miles away, Whitney breaks down the systems, boundaries, and communication strategies that make it possible. She also shares what she's learned about balancing work with travel and why building a business that do…
I learned so very much from this week's guest and her organizational genius! Welcome Lisa Woodruff PhD, CEO and founder of Organize365, podcast host, and author (and a fellow Cincinnatian!). Please join us as we discuss:
* what she means by organizing being a 401K for your time
* her book Escaping…
I learned so very much from this week's guest and her organizational genius! Welcome Lisa Woodruff PhD, CEO and founder of Organize365, podcast host, and author (and a fellow Cincinnatian!). Please jo…
I learned so very much from this week's guest and her organizational genius! Welcome Lisa Woodruff PhD, CEO and founder of Organize365, podcast host, and author (and a fellow Cincinnatian!). Please join us as we discuss:
* what she means by organizing being a 401K for your time
* her book Escaping Quicksand
* the inspiration behind her company Organize365
* an explanation of The Sunday Basket
* an explanation of The Paper Solution
* an explanation of Swiss Cheese Organizing
* the power of mindset shifts
* and what she means by "you are a person of excellence"
* and so much more!
W…
I learned so very much from this week’s guest and her organizational genius! Welcome Lisa Woodruff PhD, CEO and founder of Organize365, podcast host, and author (and a fellow Cincinnatian!). Please join us as we discuss:
what she means by organizing being a 401K for your time
her book Escaping Q…
I learned so very much from this week’s guest and her organizational genius! Welcome Lisa Woodruff PhD, CEO and founder of Organize365, podcast host, and author (and a fellow Cincinnatian!). Please …
I learned so very much from this week’s guest and her organizational genius! Welcome Lisa Woodruff PhD, CEO and founder of Organize365, podcast host, and author (and a fellow Cincinnatian!). Please join us as we discuss:
what she means by organizing being a 401K for your time
her book Escaping Quicksand
the inspiration behind her company Organize365
an explanation of The Sunday Basket
an explanation of The Paper Solution
an explanation of Swiss Cheese Organizing
the power of mindset shifts
and what she means by “you are a person of excellence”
and so much more!
Welcome to The Healing …
Julia Shareika's transition from practicing law—a career she abandoned after realizing it didn't match the romanticized version she'd imagined—demonstrates the importance of recognizing misalignment early and pivoting decisively. After her initial venture into the packaging industry resulted in …
Julia Shareika's transition from practicing law—a career she abandoned after realizing it didn't match the romanticized version she'd imagined—demonstrates the importance of recognizing misalignme…
Julia Shareika's transition from practicing law—a career she abandoned after realizing it didn't match the romanticized version she'd imagined—demonstrates the importance of recognizing misalignment early and pivoting decisively. After her initial venture into the packaging industry resulted in early success followed by stagnation, Julia learned that sustainable growth requires foundational knowledge and continuous learning. Rather than viewing this as failure, she reframed it as a learning opportunity, taking time to reset and eventually exploring employment in media sales, where she disc…
Julia Shareika's transition from practicing law—a career she abandoned after realizing it didn't match the romanticized version she'd imagined—demonstrates the importance of recognizing misalignment early and pivoting decisively. After her initial venture into the packaging industry resulted in …
Julia Shareika's transition from practicing law—a career she abandoned after realizing it didn't match the romanticized version she'd imagined—demonstrates the importance of recognizing misalignme…
Julia Shareika's transition from practicing law—a career she abandoned after realizing it didn't match the romanticized version she'd imagined—demonstrates the importance of recognizing misalignment early and pivoting decisively. After her initial venture into the packaging industry resulted in early success followed by stagnation, Julia learned that sustainable growth requires foundational knowledge and continuous learning. Rather than viewing this as failure, she reframed it as a learning opportunity, taking time to reset and eventually exploring employment in media sales, where she disc…
In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie shares key takeaways from her conversation with career coach Jerry D. Goldstein, a former lawyer who identified his unique value proposition and built a career helping others grow. Dr. Christie encourages listeners to ask trusted family, friends, or colleag…
In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie shares key takeaways from her conversation with career coach Jerry D. Goldstein, a former lawyer who identified his unique value proposition and built a care…
In this Productive Joy recap, Dr. Christie shares key takeaways from her conversation with career coach Jerry D. Goldstein, a former lawyer who identified his unique value proposition and built a career helping others grow. Dr. Christie encourages listeners to ask trusted family, friends, or colleagues, “When you think of me, what do you think of?” to better understand how others experience their strengths. She explains that knowing your unique value proposition helps you “sell” yourself and create work you genuinely enjoy, referencing the book Spilling The Career Tea and a personal s…
Christie McMullen
June 26, 2026
Jane Leder 
Doug Thorpe 
Whitney Lee 
Teri Wellbrock 
Anika Jackson